Hey everyone!
Today's the day that the
The King Must Die book tour stops here at the
Into The Literary Forest blog. Today I have the very special honor of having author N. Gemini Sasson do a guest post for us today about how she finds inspiration for her novels.
Finding Inspiration from
History
N. Gemini Sasson
A lot of people wonder where writers get their ideas from.
Really, how do they come up with all
those ideas? Wait for the Muse of Creativity to alight on their shoulder and
whop them in the noggin with the Wand of Inspiration? Here’s the boring truth:
writers aren’t as much creative geniuses as they are observers of human nature
and the world around them. They don’t produce completely original ideas; they
absorb their surroundings, transform them into words and reflect them back in a
different form. They see similarities in seemingly unrelated things and pay
attention to details that others, in their busyness, gloss over.
A long time ago, back in my high school days, my best friend
was an aspiring artist. She taught me to paint and while I never had the passion
to pursue art, she said one thing to me that has stuck with me through decades:
“There’s more than one color in a sunset, if you look for it—there’s yellow and
pink and lavender. And shadows are not just black, they’re shades of blue-gray,
moss green and muted brown.” That was an epiphany. It changed the way I saw everything.
That led to other realizations—about how things move, their
shapes, how light changes throughout the day, and how the weather not just
looks, but feels. A medieval soldier
trudging through the Highlands of Scotland on a wintry day wasn’t just out for
a stroll. He was hungry, windbeaten, and footsore. The scenery around him may
have appeared monotone at first glance, but it’s not—it’s a patchwork blend of
purple and gold dusted with pure white, under an endless steel-gray sky.
Sometimes, if I’m stuck writing a scene, I turn to photos for inspiration.
More than just the physical world, I am an observer of
people’s emotions—how the pitch of their voices change when they’re excited,
how they avert their eyes when they’re lying, how their shoulders slump when
their burdens weigh them down. I put the things I see into words so that
someone else can envision the same thing.
But a story isn’t much of a story without characters. This
is where I feel like a cheat, because my characters come from history books. They
were real people. I’m only retelling the happenings of their lives in a way I
hope today’s readers can relate to. Life in 14th century England or
Scotland may have been very different from 21st century America, but
it’s the novelist’s job to make a story relevant and that’s what I strive to
do. I don’t have any readers who are kings or queens (as far as I know), but in
The King Must Die one thing I tried
to highlight was the bond between a mother and her son and what happens when
outside forces test those bonds. A question any of us who are parents can
understand is: To what lengths would you go to protect your child?
So I get an idea, latch onto a character and then what?
Those ideas get jotted down in a notebook and they can percolate for months or
even years before I have the time to turn my attention to them fully. Meanwhile,
I bookmark web sites and collect biographies and non-fiction books on anything
related. I’m constantly thinking and planning several books ahead, even though
I’m actually only writing one book at a time. It’s a very layered and drawn-out
process. Throughout process, I just keep asking myself questions, the most
important of which is why?
There is no magical formula to finding inspiration. It’s
everywhere. You just have to look.
N. Gemini
Sasson is also the author of The Crown in the Heather (The Bruce Trilogy:
Book I), Worth Dying For (The Bruce Trilogy: Book II), The Honor Due a
King (The Bruce Trilogy: Book III) and Isabeau, A Novel of Queen
Isabella and Sir Roger Mortimer (2011 IPPY Silver Medalist for Historical
Fiction). She holds a M.S. in Biology from Wright State University where she
ran cross country on athletic scholarship. She has worked as an aquatic
toxicologist, an environmental engineer, a teacher and a track and cross
country coach. A longtime breeder and judge of Australian Shepherds, her
articles on bobtail genetics have been translated into seven languages.
Links:
Thank you so much N. Gemini Sasson, that was really inspirational. Everyone don't forget to read my review of The King Must Die (
here) and grab your own copy to read and enjoy the story for yourselves.
The author will be awarding a $25 Amazon GC to one randomly drawn commenter during the tour. So don't forget to comment!
HAPPY READING EVERYONE! :)
This was just fabulous thank you. It's seeing things with interested eyes.
ReplyDeletemarypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com
Your comments are so interesting. I am not a writer, I am a reader, and a painter. I remember when I realized that snow wasn't white, but white, pink, blue and grey, among other colors. Your friend was so right. It is great to know that you see all the colors in your writing.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting interview. I agree that being a good observer makes you a better writer. And writing. Writing also makes you a better writer ;)
ReplyDeleteI really enjoy reading about the background of a book. It seems to make it that much more 'alive' if you will. So far, your books are set in the 13th and 14th centuries. Do you have plans to write in other historical periods?
ReplyDeleteThose were definitely inspiring words for any writer. It's so true that we watch the world around us. I am always getting ideas going out and watching people at the park or the mall even though I don't write contemporary fiction. And trust me, you're not cheating using historical characters! More work goes into that than just creating your own ;)
ReplyDeleteKaren - Yes, I'm currently working on a 15th century historical set in Wales and an contemplating a foray into 16th or 17th century Scotland.
ReplyDeleteThanks for hosting this stop on my blog tour, Noellie! It's truly appreciated.
P.S. I replied earlier, then forgot to enter the captcha - doh!
It was my pleasure :) I enjoyed it very much!
DeleteIt's the subtleties that really make a book sing...great post!
ReplyDeletevitajex(at)aol(dot)com
Yes, I completely agree. Thank you! :)
DeleteNo problem, thank you for letting me host. :)
ReplyDelete