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A: Everyone's heard the old saying involving "1% inspiration and 99% perspiration." That strikes me as applicable here. Some books are sparked by an "aha!" moment or a sudden, striking idea, but all are built slowly. People frequently ask where my characters "come from." Same place. They are built slowly. I usually start to figure out who they really are when I'm revising the first draft. They are not autobiographical, they are not based on people I know. On the other hands, certain themes appear frequently in my stories: the paradox of faith, the conflicting demands of duty and conscience, the danger of subjugating personal morality to an organized entity and the often-conflicting need to be part of something larger than ourselves, the value of the examined life, the importance of family, the power of friendship, the compelling need to define who we are and to find a place to which we belong. These recurring themes spring from my own background, experience, and values. Characters also tend to develop around traits that I find either admirable -- courage, humor, a zest for life, a commitment to duty -- or disturbing. Villains (and sometimes misguided heroes) often have admirable goals that cross the line into obsession. These extremes of belief lead to the "ends justify the means" philosophy. I like to know WHY a villain does what he does, but I also get impatient with the need to explain away evil as childhood trauma or a runaway need for vengeance. Such things can factor into the equation, certainly, but sometimes evil simply IS. And yes, pondering such things as the nature and origin of evil can lead to character and plot development. Personal interests also play a role. I became fascinated by folklore and mythology as a child, and I've been a lifelong student of Western belief systems. Marion Zimmer Bradley's Darkover series hooked me on the notion of fantasy world-building. My background in music and history continues to provide inspiration. I'm used to research, so my first impulse is to go to the library and take out a dozen books of Slavic folklore to create a tone for Fyodor's "voice," peruse a stack of books about riddles and puzzles to develop the riddlemaster character in Elfsong, or to research hawking, medieval siege technology, or whatever. Sometimes specific events can trigger inspiration. A couple years ago, we went to Scotland and spent a day on the island of Skye. I'd read about the "fairy mounds," a strange geological formation in the island's secluded interior. There are about 300 hills, some as tall as 30 meters, and all are almost perfectly conical. We explored them one deeply misty afternoon. At the base of one hill was a small, fallen tree. The roots system had torn free, leaving an opening that looked very much like a cave -- or a passageway into the mythic "hollow hills." When I came nearer to take a picture, a ram (there are sheep EVERYWHERE in Skye...) came trotting over and took up sentinel position in front of the "entrance." He made it very clear that he would permit none to pass. The setting, the scene, the day itself seemed to hold so much magic that I wouldn't have been a bit surprised if that ram turned into a sword-wielding fairy prince. That vivid, powerful moment set in motion a string of "what if?" questions. The story it inspired is still brewing, but it'll be told someday. |