So theres this mobile game called octopath traveler: champions of the continent thats a free to play turn based rpg set as a prequel for the original octopath traveler. The main story is broken up into three sections of three chapters each. You have to do the story of and face off against either the master of wealth, power or fame. Theres a section in the master of fame storyline where you come across a poet whos friends with the famous playwright that acts as the master of fame. I forget the context but he said "A writer who cannot write is worth less than nothing. Any true writer will do anything to avoid that feeling. Anything." It really sort of hit home. Pretty meta for a video game. In all truth the writing in that game is pretty incredible. Very dark as theres frequently murders, prostitution, drug use etc. But brillaint in some points. The whole game is just really a collection of stories about different "people." Very inspiring. The master of fame for instance, Auguste, is a famous playwright that gets inspiration for his plays by murdering or incurring other dramatic and emotional situations so he'll know how to write the feelings. Thinks its time to get back to my poetry and the novel. Anyone else come across some inspirational material in an unlikely place?
When I was younger, I used to draw all the time. I could literally spend hours on end just drawing and I could draw inspiration from anything. There was this one time, when my younger brother got stuck on the ladder leading up into the attic of our house. It was actually really funny, because he was too scared to actually get into the attic and he was too scared to go down the ladder... I know, for you its probably just a strange mundane story, but it was hilarious to me, because in the end I had to help my dad remove him from the ladder, by physically peeling his fingers off of it, poor thing was so scared! After that ordeal, it inspired me so much, that I wrote my first comic. I already had the main event but created a back story leading up to it. Then I drew all the pictures and speech bubbles. I must have spent the entire weekend on this little project and I was so proud when I had finished it, and showed it to my brother who read it through, but didn't really understand it. Since then it got lost or thrown away, but the memory remains. I often draw inspiration from specific instances of daily life, be that an altercation in a shopping supermarket or that the train is delayed. In both instances an entire story line could pop up into my head; for example: The train is late. In my head the gears of imagination whirl and this story emerges: - The train is stuck in a tunnel and the driver is nowhere to be found. - An investigation takes place revealing human remains in the tunnel, however not from the driver. - The main character, a passenger who was waiting for the train, recalls seeing a man run into the woods from the train tracks. - He hears about the incident and believes that the man he saw has something to do with it. - He investigates more and finds out that the victim of the train accident was placed there on purpose. - The train driver is still missing, but gets found by the main character. - The train driver is unwilling to confess, and reveals that he was held at gun-point to drive the train on into the tunnel. - The 'architect' was wearing a mask and disappeared once the train stopped. - During the trial, the 'architect' appears as a witness and testifies against the train driver causing him to be sentenced. - The main character finds out more about the 'architect' and discovers that he is from the military, the operation was a cover up to dispense of secret agents who had been extradited from a foreign country. - The main character is now a target and must escape, but gets attacked. - The story ends with the main character in a tunnel and the rumble of a train is heard. All of this can just appear into my mind, whilst waiting for my delayed train (turns out it was delayed because of another train that was late.) I hope this adds to the conversation, I just thought I'd chip in as to where I get my inspiration from. Regards, Phoenix
Every now and then you'll read a review on Amazon that spins a flash fiction story. I always find those fascinating. Some are deliberate fiction, or maybe creative non-fiction. I'm thinking of the sugar-free Harabro gummi-bear nightmare reviews, which I've mentioned before. Well, years ago . . . They're really funny. Others are more like slice of life stories. I really need to index those when I find them and copy/paste them into a file. There are a few I've read that are almost like confessionals. They're written in an authentic voice and they have a strange emotional weight. It just goes to show that anyone can write if they're willing to be honest on the page.
Back when I was in law school, I discovered that if I opened an old case reporter (those bound books of appellate court decisions for a particular jurisdiction) if I browsed one of those I found all sorts of interesting human interest stories, some of which I was able to spin into a readable story. It's fascinating to discover the little nuances of life taken for granted in, say 1935.
