Comments on: Inspiration

by: Michelle

Mon, 18 Feb 2008 20:20:12 +0000

Juliet, no problem. You will be pleased to know i have finished all your books now, as well as I capture the castle. What a wonderful tale of love. I cannot stress enough how as a reader, writers truly are inspiring and have the gift of taking one into a different world. I wish i were able to write in such ways. Anyway looking forward to your next posts.

by: Satima Flavell

Mon, 18 Feb 2008 06:13:16 +0000

Lovely post, Juliet:-)Isn’t it interesting to read what inspires people? Much as I love nature, it does not inform my writing to any great degree. I am more likely to be inspired by the work of humans: a creepy old building, perhaps, or a painting that suggests a situation. And medieval or Renaissance music evokes emotions that will sometimes turn into bits of story. Being in nature or even a beautiful garden, though, can make me feel relaxed enough to hear the muse’s call and send me to the computer.

My muse is Hermes himself. I dream of him sometimes, as a tall, well-built man in early mid-life, with a pony tail and an earring:-) He sits at a desk, writing by hand, and while his presence is very comforting he doesn’t directly offer me any assistance, more’s the pity!

by: Juliet

Fri, 15 Feb 2008 00:18:46 +0000

Michelle, I guess I could talk about first person writing in a future post. I find it relatively easy, but not every writer is comfortable writing that way, and it certainly doesn’t suit every story.

As to how much is the writer’s personal feelings and how much is creativity / technique, that is a huge question and is no doubt different for every writer and perhaps for every novel. I’ll think about that one and talk about it later, if that’s OK!

by: Michelle

Wed, 13 Feb 2008 18:50:29 +0000

Juliet, I am half way through “I Capture the Castle” and so far so good(marvelous in fact, however i have a question for you… I find it interesting how Dodie writes in the first person,ie”I have been writing up here..” I wonder how do writes place themselves in such roles and is it harder to express oneself through this form of writing? Although I love to read, I am not familar with general writing skills and what it takes to put expression to paper.How much is the writers emotion, and how much is the creative talent- if that makes sense. When reading such books and having read all your work, I truly admire how much talent goes into expression. Often when at work and trying to sum up concepts, I wish for the skills of writing expression, I think people underestimate how difficult it is to put a point accross and how its presentation has such a varied impact.

by: Michelle

Mon, 11 Feb 2008 19:34:12 +0000

Wonderful post Juliet, and I have to agree with Martins comments, as well as add to your list and include loved ones who provide inspiration. Its interesting to read your remark on wishing to be like writers whom you regard to be outside the square. I think your readers would agree that we wish for more writers like yourself. Although you may feel your books are similar, as a reader I find each to have its own uniquness and the fact you incorporate the Historical aspect creates extra interest. For me its not just the content of your books but more your style that keeps me coming back for more. So , rather than even considering limitations, try it if the desire and passion is there, and you may be plesantly surpirsed. By the way you so fit the image of an owl and i absolutely adore the post theme shot, truly magical.

by: Juliet

Mon, 11 Feb 2008 03:23:48 +0000

There are some great comments here, and not just the ones that speak so kindly about my work! Eric, you make an excellent point about imitation gradually morphing into originality. It puts me in mind of the students of Renaissance painters, busily making copies of the master’s work as part of their learning process.

Narelle, I love your observations about dreams taking us into the realm outside the square.

Just to clarify, the two novels I mentioned break accepted boundaries in structure (Cloud Atlas is constructed a little like a Babushka doll) and language (Riddley Walker is entirely written in a debased, post-holocaust kind of English, the sort of language that would develop when almost the entire population had lost the skill of reading.) It was the combination of ground-breaking originality with great storytelling that put these two novels in a special category for me.

Martin’s comment made me think. Would I be happy to stay forever within the square, being a competent craftswoman? Is it sufficient to have readers who want more of the same, or at least something very similar? Should I shut up and be grateful that I can make a living as a writer when so many people are struggling to achieve that? Or should creative artists always want to go one step further, venture down unexplored paths, undertake new challenges? Perhaps the happy medium lies in choosing challenges that not unrealistic! Or should we refuse to accept that we may have limitations? I feel another post coming on …

by: Narelle

Mon, 11 Feb 2008 02:07:40 +0000

Juliet the inspiration also comes in wanting to read more from your books and the anticipation of further reading to come. Surely anyone living in a square to start with will always find the straight sides confining and difficult to embrace because of the limited potental. Inspiration to write in my opinion comes from the ability to see outside the square and dream where there is an endless possibility of subject matter. The ability to make it worthwile reading comes from an inherit learning of interesting subject matters and motivation to share them as well as your dreams with the readers, for that I thank you.

by: Kathleen Bolton

Sun, 10 Feb 2008 13:09:33 +0000

I find inspiration in contrasts. The elephant afraid of mice; the blood-splattered warrior undone by a child’s love. That stuff gets me going every time.

Great post!

by: Therese Walsh

Fri, 08 Feb 2008 03:07:55 +0000

Lovely post, Juliet. I agree with you that inspiration comes from many places–too many sometimes!

I had a day not too long ago when I told myself I wasn’t sure if I wanted to get back to active writing again anytime soon. I felt burned out. Then–boom–a strong concept seemed to materialize from the ether. I guess the inspiration was the threat of not writing!

by: Martin LaBar

Thu, 07 Feb 2008 21:15:42 +0000

I’m not sure what you mean by “outside the square,” but if there wasn’t writing inside the square, there wouldn’t be any square to write outside of. You are a splendid craftswoman — writing history that seems authentic, dealing honestly with religion, and putting your characters in heart-wrenching dilemmas. You don’t need to be outside anything.

by: Eric

Thu, 07 Feb 2008 19:08:34 +0000

Inspiration to me comes from figuring out what it is I like and what I want — how to get it.

All creativity starts with emulation, but I don’t think you reach true creativity until you figure out how to get past that. Say you want to be like Stephen King. You struggle for years writing stories with the best qualities you think his stories have.

Eventually, you might realize (and this is the breakthrough) “What does Steven King not do very well? What can I do to improve upon maybe some of those themes in a way that he never even touches? Is there a different angle?”

We all have our sources of inspiration. I think what defines our style and creativity is how we interpret and re-interpret those sources. Not just in the qualities we want to replicate from our favorite things, but more importantly, the differences and improvements we could make to the aspects of our favorite work that we don’t like!

It’s the great, “What if?”

by: Starlily

Thu, 07 Feb 2008 16:06:51 +0000

Thank you for sharing this Juliet! An eloquent reminder of the broad spectrum of sources that we have to draw on for inspiration. I would add art to my list, particularly historic art, and music. I’ve just finished Foxmask and am looking forward to reading more of your work!