Inspiration - where does yours come from?

Discussion in 'Plot Development' started by mercy, Jan 4, 2008.

  1. Aaron DC

    Aaron DC Contributor Contributor

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    You're a fictional writer. Make something up. Who's going to know?

    :agreed:

    eg:

    Random: so uh yeah tell me, TonyBlack, what inspired you to write?
    TKB: The voices in my head!! And they don't like where your questions are going!!
     
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  2. Ivana

    Ivana Senior Member

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    But that's the whole point - no one can really explain the driving force that lies behind the work of art, and why some people have it, while others don't.
     
  3. Shadowfax

    Shadowfax Contributor Contributor

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    At one point in my life I attended a number of concerts by composers who are still alive today. A lot of the time, they were actually there at the concert, to be interviewed about what was in the mind of the artist at the moment of creation.

    I came away with the firm conviction that composers are just like footballers...great at what they're good at; talk b********s the rest of the time.
     
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  4. Lance Schukies

    Lance Schukies Active Member

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    Just say a news article you once read, but it all changed once you started writing.
     
  5. GingerCoffee

    GingerCoffee Web Surfer Girl Contributor

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    Because of how you feel about your childhood, or because you knew the place?
    Sounds more and more like your early years influenced, if not inspired the book.

    Along with some movies. ;)
     
  6. Lux C.

    Lux C. New Member

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    I think discovering that lies in reflecting on the emotional impact the contents or story of your book projects. I imagine writing is something you love to do. It's an act of letting others witness your imagination and ideas expressed. The answer should come naturally; regardless of the simplicity or complexity of that answer.
     
  7. Jack Asher

    Jack Asher Banned Contributor

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    All my friends are artists. Never has a single one asked where I get my inspiration, because the already fucking know.
     
  8. RachHP

    RachHP Senior Member

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    Hi all,

    Firstly - I did check out the inspiration thread and various other places to see if I could find an answer, to no avail.
    Thusly:

    If you are inspired by someone else's work, at what point do you reach out to acknowledge the source/get permission to move ahead with your inspired idea?
    I read this poem and would love to write a book/short story based on the ideas presented in it. Although I realise my work will be my own and not plagiarism, it would be a clear case of direct inspiration so I'm not sure about the ethics at play!
    I found out the writer's name and have an email address, but whilst writing to ask for some kind of permission I figured I'd hang fire and see what you good folks would do.

    Any thoughts?

    I said I was a writer,
    Then saw scheming in your glance,
    You had wished to live forever,
    And now I was your chance,
    You clawed your way inside me,
    Shot jet black ink in through my veins,
    Made sure that I would write of you,
    Until I drove myself insane,
    You longed to be the hero,
    Like in the books you used to read,
    Remembered as the kind of the man,
    That everybody needs,
    It was too late when you noticed,
    The one mistake that you had made,
    That a warrior might fight with swords,
    But the pen's a writers blade,
    You can't just tear my world up,
    And then expect a loving rhyme,
    You used your words as sharpened weapons,
    And now I will use mine,
    I trapped you in ink handcuffs,
    Locked you behind my written bars,
    And now you'll finally live forever,
    As the monster that you are.
    E.H
     
  9. TuSlick

    TuSlick New Member

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    I think it's fine to move ahead without permission. Like you say, your work would be original. As for reaching out to its source creator, I think you should do it if you want to thank them for inspiring you.
     
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  10. Baby Phoenix

    Baby Phoenix New Member

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    Inspiration is a touchy topic (in my opinion). If you didn't directly copy it wait isn't that stealing?), and have made your own innovations, taking someone else's idea as inspiration is fine. I mean, it's an idea. An idea doesn't make a story, or a poem, or a book. It inspires one, and what you do with that idea makes it what it is.

    You should give the courtesy of asking for permission and, if it's a really heavy influence, credit him for the inspiration (that's up to you/him but I'd assume he'd want the publicity). If he says you can't, however, he can't stop you either. it's not stealing. If he says yes, great! If he says no, well at least you tried right?

    Well, that's what I believe. I'm not going to stop writing something I enjoy because someone doesn't like the idea of me liking their idea.
     
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  11. ToeKneeBlack

    ToeKneeBlack Banned

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    Since finishing my first book, I've met someone who bought a copy. There's something about her that brings out my passion for writing, but I'm married. I feel like I can't write without her, but I can't devote much time to her between my family and work.

    We had arranged to meet for half an hour today, but she couldn't make it, so I'm feeling really down right now. Work has shut down until early January, so it'll be 2 weeks before I see her again. We haven't talked about a relationship, but she has mentioned that she wants to spend more time with me. Her mere presence is enough to inspire me. I'm worried this might become too complicated for me to handle.
     
    Last edited: Dec 21, 2015
  12. KhalieLa

    KhalieLa It's not a lie, it's fiction. Contributor

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    As a child my parent's told me not to lie. I told them not to think of it as a lie so much as fiction!

    I guess I'm fortunate that I know where my inspiration comes from.
     
  13. WriterMMS

    WriterMMS Member

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    I'm my own inspiration.
     
  14. ChickenFreak

    ChickenFreak Contributor Contributor

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    My advice: Stop searching. Why do you want to know?

    More than once, I've written something and realized, months later, that there were one or more underlying themes that I wasn't aware of while writing. On none of those occasions would the writing, INCLUDING the way that the writing dealt with the theme, have been better if I'd been aware of the theme. I'm almost positive that it would have been worse.

    As another example, consider dreams. Have you ever woken from a surreal dream and realized, a few minutes or hours or days later, that that dream had a message about your life, one communicated in symbols that your conscious, intentional brain couldn't have come up with?
     
  15. ChickenFreak

    ChickenFreak Contributor Contributor

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    It sounds like you are likely charging straight for the destruction of your marriage. I would strongly suggest thinking long and hard about whether you still value that marriage. If you want to be out of it, there are much less painful ways to get out.
     
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  16. ToeKneeBlack

    ToeKneeBlack Banned

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    You're right. My wife is very loving and supportive, but she thinks a career in writing isn't worth pursuing. Even without reading my first book, she's condemned it as rubbish.

    Normally I can take criticism, but this is outright meanness. Some people have read the book and didn't like it, which is fair enough. You can't please everyone, and they've taken the time to go through it. But the majority of those I've spoken to do like it, and say they can't wait for the next one.

    I guess I've just become desperate for re-assurance. I'll straighten things out when I go back to work and try to sober up in the meantime.
     
  17. Simpson17866

    Simpson17866 Contributor Contributor

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    @ToeKneeBlack I was going to ask if you'd talked to your wife and assured her that your friendship with this reader would be strictly platonic, but

    I'm honestly not sure how you get "loving and supportive" out of this.
     
  18. ChickenFreak

    ChickenFreak Contributor Contributor

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    Are you absolutely sure that you're interpreting this correctly? That is, did she say the words, "Your book is absolute rubbish."? Or did she say something like, "Don't quit your job on the assumption that your book will be a financial success." and you extrapolated?

    If she said the words, that's horrible . But people do extrapolate.
     
  19. ToeKneeBlack

    ToeKneeBlack Banned

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    I believe her exact words were that the book was "not worth reading" and that it "doesn't have enough action". How she came to those conclusions is beyond me as she hasn't held a copy of the book in her hands.

    She does have a preference for stories like the Fifty Shades series, so maybe she means there isn't enough romance. My protagonists are 12 years old, so there's little beyond an attempt at holding hands.
    In terms of non-romantic action, there's a robot that blows holes into several buildings, a girl who can manipulate energy and convert it into beams, lots of guys with various types of guns and a building which may or may not explode with a 30-mile radius of destruction. Any more action than that and I'd be plagiarizing Michael Bay; I'd have more respect as a writer of erotic novels ;)

    But in all other aspects of our relationship, she is forgiving of my faults and appreciates that I work hard to earn money for the family; she works hard too, both at home and in the local community. Maybe she's overdoing it and taking out her frustrations on my book because she sees it as a waste of time.
     
  20. ChickenFreak

    ChickenFreak Contributor Contributor

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    I wonder if she sees you as getting creative hobby time while she sees herself not getting any? That's no excuse for her insulting the book; she should instead demand a negotiation about time for personal pursuits.
     
  21. ToeKneeBlack

    ToeKneeBlack Banned

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    She spends two or three hours each night playing various games on a tablet computer. I don't understand the appeal myself, but I don't insult her over it.
     
  22. locoza

    locoza Member

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    That is called first of all love and understanding each others needs - everybody has a love or determination to something, this should always be seen as ok - no need to worry we are different persons!
     
  23. ToeKneeBlack

    ToeKneeBlack Banned

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    I know I have only a fraction of a snowball's chance in a forest fire of becoming a financially successful writer, but I won't rub it in her face if my efforts pay off.

    She might change her mind and try to tell me she believed in me the whole time, but we'll cross that bridge if I ever reach it. I just have to keep going at it while not ignoring my day job.
     
  24. ArcticOrchid

    ArcticOrchid Member

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    What emotions do you want the reader to feel when they are reading?

    Many genres are defined by how the reader is supposed to feel whilst reading it, like dramas, but most include all elements like drama and comedy.

    So comedy and laughter is not exactly an emotion but hopefully you know what I mean. It´s easy to create sadness, people are sad when a character they liked died. When the world is unfair. When puppies are abused ect. People get angry when there is injustice and hate.

    But people don´t laugh at the same thing. Some like toilet humour, others sarcasm. I don´t think I´m a very funny person in person either, I usually just end up offending people or I make a really obscure political joke and people laugh awkwardly or become seriously concerned for my mental health.

    So comedy, I could never write a whole book based on comedy and laughter. I do however need to learn to write a funny sentence or two otherwise people are going to end up committing suicide after reading my novel.
     
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  25. Lifeline

    Lifeline South. Supporter Contributor

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    I for one like subtle word plays with several meanings.

    But hardest in writing is hard to define. It depends on the scene. I have written scenes in a flash where I thought it would take me ages, but I have struggled also with ones where I thought they would be easy.

    I guess the hardest to write were the ones where the character has to get used to a new concept which he/she never had to deal with before. These involved a whole lot of conflicting emotions at once, and conveying that effectively and concisely was difficult (one such scene I just have managed to come out satisfyingly for me after 2 months! and I don't know yet what my Alpha/Beta will say).
     
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