Understanding Inspiration in Stories · 1:10am Jan 29th, 2014
Have you ever read a story that just floored you with how awesome it was? Was there ever a story you read and you just thought, “Now this is why I love reading”? Well, I've done a fair amount of thinking on those stories, and I can't know for sure that everyone has those moments when reading stories in the same way that I do, and everyone has their own favourites. But I do know I have those moments, and I can assume that some other people do as well. I have also figured out that those moments are what have caused me to put a few of those stories in my recommended fics section of my userpage. Not all of the recommended fics are there for that reason mind you, but certainly when it comes to the more lengthy Adventure-style ones. (Wayfarer, TSC:F, and White Collar; those three in particular.) As for the other stories I have recommended, usually it's more because I was enjoying seeing the authors improve over time, or for an interesting aspect of the writing, in a more technical sense.
Those first three stories I mentioned are the kinds of fics that, when I read them, I see something more than just what I read. Reading them reminds me of why I am a writer, and why I love it. There's a certain aspect that I see, which is perhaps the source of the words in the first place. For the longest time, I couldn't really place my finger on what it was. These types of stories are always well-written, and for the most part they are adventures, and pretty lengthy. But it was only more recently that I have finally figured out what it is that these stories have.
These stories have a form inspiration at their core. It's the kind of thing that forms in an author's mind and compels them to write, not for the sake of their followers, not for the sake of getting comments, not for the sake of improving as an author, and not for the sake of writing a sequel to a well-liked first story (though these can most definitely be side-factors in such stories). The inspiration that drives these stories causes the author to write in order to delve into an idea that fascinates them, and to explore that idea or premise. Writing these stories, for the author, is nothing short of a personal adventure.
I also find that it's this kind of inspiration that is able to bring an author from the first page they write, to the ending epilogue of their story, without letting the whole affair of writing become a dull experience to them. I know that inspiration. I had it with Scion, AET, Red Timber, and I have it with AHoC. Fallen Leaves has it as well, though it's a slower burning sort of fire which I feel awkward in handling, but still inspired. All my other stories, they don't have that same spark. Most of them were written more out of a desire to improve (one-shots), or out of a desire to be part of the community (Contest entries). I am still really glad I wrote those stories; however, I can't pretend that they share the same level of inspiration I feel when writing those other stories.
As a writer, I realize that I am drawn to that sense of inspiration. There is no greater treat than to read an inspired story, and Plebeian's most recent blog post on the creation of Wayfarer helped me find a way to bring words to this general feeling that has guided me thus far through my literary life. (I highly recommend Wayfarer to everyone, and reading his blog is a bit of a spoiler if you haven't read Wayfarer yet.) He writes of how he had an idea that got him thinking, and he kept questioning it, refining it, and tweaking it before he even began writing it. It was an idea that was compelling to him. Compelling enough to write the story, just for the sole purpose to explore that idea more in depth. Even if no one else had read it, he would have been very much glad that he had pursued that inspiration. He writes:
There are few things so powerful that they can command words to a page, take hold of somebody so thoroughly that words keep flowing, regardless of whether the writer wholly comprehends them. I and the wayfarer were so enthralled by that message, that apology, that every phrase began to take an entirely new meaning under its light. We could only truly see what we had written by the time we reached the end.
I think it's that pursuit of inspiration which bring about our greatest works of art. I see traces of that inspiration in his story amongst the words, and some other readers see it as well. People are drawn to it, and likewise, feel inspired and transfixed by the work. I know there are plenty of people who have stories they watch, where they think, 'I can't wait until the next chapter comes out!' That's the sort of feeling that got me to start writing again. It's a feeling that drives you to find a way to share it. It causes people to recommend the story to friends, or causes people to try and express that feeling in whatever other medium they can: Fanart; original art, inspired by the other piece; unofficial sequels; original stories that try to capture similar feelings; poems... heck, you get the idea.
To see if I was just stabbing at the dark here, I turned to the one story that drove me to write an original story, as a sort of outlet. So, I asked Wanderer D about how he started that story which did inspire me in such a manner, The Sweetie Chronicles: Fragments. Yes the story was well written, but unlike some of those other fanfics I read, there was that overriding feeling of inspiration which sparked my own. Wanderer D had this to say about the creation of Sweetie Chronicles:
I wanted to write a crossover story, and originally it was going to be a "Trixie meets Ryouga and they travel to different worlds." Then, I thought, 'Maybe I should just stick to pony... but how?' And I decided to do it in a fashion where Sweetie would visit each world, and it would be written in the style and feel of the worlds she visits. And then, I figured I might as well do it with worlds that I loved when reading about them. And voila.
So, it would appear that Wanderer D eventually decided on a premise that truly captured his attention and inspired him to see where following that idea would lead him while writing. And through writing the story, he gets to highlight and revisit those fanfic worlds that remain as a source of inspiration to him. And it's because of this inspiration that I can tell TSC will end up being finished eventually, and not fall victim to a dwindling of inspiration.
Yes, dwindling inspiration happens to be the biggest factor that stops many from writing their novel-length stories in the first place. They get a few chapters in and the slowly begin to realize that they just aren't as interested with their story anymore. It lost its appeal. So, I asked TailsFox88 the writer of White Collar, a story that inspires me to keep writing Sweetie Belle as well as I can, about what inspired him to write his story, and here's what he had to say:
Concerning how I came to decide to write White Collar. I first came up with the idea when I saw a story on FimFiction which was a Crossover with another one of my favorite shows, Psych. I didn't actually read that one, but after seeing it I decided to look for a White Collar crossover just for fun. I was kind of surprised when I discovered that no story existed. After that, I remember leaning back in my chair and thinking to myself, Maybe I should write one then.
At the time I was very hesitant to start the project, mostly because I didn't think I was nearly good enough to write a crossover like that, but I just couldn't get the idea out of my head. For the next couple of months, I kept coming back to it, constantly coming up with new ideas on how I would work on the story. I took some ideas from another short story I had written once, but never bothered to publish. By this point, the ideas were still pretty disjointed and there wasn't much of a coherent plot. This all changed however, once I considered placing Sweetie Belle in as the main character of the story. As soon as I did, everything started to fall into place perfectly. I knew at that point, that I just had to tell this story.
This is also the biggest reason why I continue working on White Collar while others have ended up being abandoned. I absolutely love this story and I love having the chance to share it with other people so that they can enjoy it as well. Ultimately, that's what keeps me going is my own enjoyment in the project. I've worked on projects before that were much more well received, but due to my own disinterest in it, never were completed. White Collar on the other hand, is a story that I enjoy working on. I love the characters and feel compelled to tell this story for their benefit.
I think Tails points out a great fact here. Inspiration doesn't just come from outside sources, but your own writing can be a source of inspiration even as you write it. I think most authors who have written even just a handful of stories can tell you that they'll have a story or two that they like more than the others. It's more inspiring to them. It was more fun for them to work on. And even rereading it is something that they enjoy, years after they finished writing it. Those are the stories that inspired the author even as they wrote it.
Through this small (and admittedly biased) exploration of written works, I have found that inspiration is a creative contagion of sorts, which affects some of the readers as they read a story, as well as the authors that write it. Seeing an inspired work, in turn, inspires them to create their own—to share that sense of awe and meaningful discovery that they found within the words of another person's story, or that they found in exploring their own story. It is through this strange interaction with inspiration that I have found the most meaning behind my own writings.
That's not to say that I advocate that each story you write has to be a glowing beacon of inspiration. No, it's quite fine to write stories to test out your limits or new styles, to glean new understanding about writing, to just have fun with it, or to be social with others through the telling of a story. Heck, being social with others, along with trying to sort out my own thoughts on writing is why I write these blogs in the first place.
But what it comes down to, at least for me, is that I have found that those rare, truly inspiring stories are the primary reason why I love writing and continue to do so. They end up, more often than not, (at least in my eyes) the stories that others point to as the great stories, because the story had more meaning than just the words on the page—it glowed with inspiration, to some eyes at least.
Thanks for reading,
~SilentBelle
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Too many papers! First thing I thought of when I started to read this blog and saw how long it was
1769910 Yeah, turned out to be pretty long. Just under 2000 words. But I think writing it was worthwhile, if just to sort out my thoughts a bit.
I've actually been thinking nearly the same recently, although from a different angle. My theory is that there are three levels of inspiration:
1) The thing that drove you write in the first place.
2) Cool things you thought up along the way, but aren't part of the core idea.
3) Things that you have to come up with the make the rest work.
The fun is all in (1) and (2) while you need to do a little (3). The thing is, the soul of what you write will never end up in (3). It's mostly in (1) and a little in (2).
I ran into the writing Height. A few commenters (mostly Skywriter) pointed out that while the adventure section perhaps didn't stand up to the rest of it and I think the reason was that the adventure was squarely in (3). What drove me to write were character driven ideas. If you'd looked at my plan going in (not that it was ever written down) it would probably say "and then they end up in the Everfree. Bad things happen, and it's all Rainbow's fault."
I don't know what I could have done differently. But I think it helps to know what your (1) is for any particular story, because that's what's going to drive everything else.
1770056 Yeah, I see what you mean. And it's true that the adventure part of Height didn't feel quite as inspired in the same way as the rest of it did. While it was enjoyable, it was missing that sense of inspiring wonderment and spirit that pervaded the rest of it.
I rather like that simple list of three points though. It certainly seems to sum up what took me about 2000 words to say, rather concisely. When you are writing solely in (3), that's when your fascination with what you are writing seems to lose that spark which makes it truly compelling.
>>SilentBelle
Myself, I am terrible at writing without inspiration, and I am even worse at actively 'practicing' anything. The only reason I managed to get where I am with my writing is that I'm basically my own biggest fan. Compared to art, where no amount of self-delusion can make your first million drawings look good, it's easy to see why one gets done done at the other doesn't
1770056
Mercifully, I often find (2) and (3) a bit muddled. When I go off the rails to fill gaps in my plans, I'm more likely to invent some thing that ends up taking over my story... like that one time my plans said "Twilight finds an old storybook in the old castle" and then... starbeasts happened.
When it's just (3), though, it can be a problem. Like I said above, I'm terrible at actually pushing through without inspiration, so my chapters tend to just sit there until I do come up with an interesting angle for them. Ironically, I'm actually at such a point right now which being a pretty big obstacle—I don't even like dream sequences.
Anyway, the point is... umm... Wow, now that I look for my point, I can't find one, and this post comes off as really self-centered... sorry about that.
(I totally never planned for dragons until they were introduced either.)
I can really relate with this.
While I'm quite inexperienced as a writer, I played pen and paper RPGs for over a decade, both as a game master and as a player. I used to divide the characters I played in two kinds.
The first kind, and unfortunately the most common, were the characters I had to consciously play. Those are the ones I was not inspired with, so to speak.
And then there were the characters that basically played themselves, the ones that made the other players forget that they weren't real, that went and wrecked havoc over my own plans for the adventure but, in so doing, ensured everyone had more fun than if everything went according to my initial plans.
The funny thing, for me, is that the characters that played themselves tended to be the ones that had little in common with me, personality wise.
The stories I love are ones that make you stop and think. Yours, a top example, made me question Discord and his character. The Rainbow Factory duology was spectacular, because it remains loyal to characteristics of RD and Scoots, but is alien enough to be interesting. My all-time favorite story is Scootaloo the Fugitive, a highly under-read story (Totally recommended) that give Scootaloo a darker backstory, but shows some great character development. Inspiration, yes, but my stories don't have that core to them, so they are (right now), just two one-shots written for EQD's Writer's Training Grounds. Maybe, after I get some more experience under my belt, I'll write something that would be worthy of viewers. Maybe...
I agree completely. Though I personally don't write unless I'm really inspired (hence I don't write as much as I should). Writing an idea I'm not thrilled about just seems a waste of time that I could spend practicing music or some other skill I'm less adept at.
I definitely have the same feels, and when the feeling is strong enough, I do fanart. I just wish it didn't take me a hundred years to draw it. Otherwise I would have well over 100 pieces by now.
Reading stories like the ones you mentioned, albeit not pony stories, are the ones that inspired me to try writing. I find that no matter how hard I try, I can't seem to ever write a story unless it truly inspires me. Thank you for reminding me -- and all of us -- why we write.
Maybe now I be able to start writing again.
1781099 No problem. Writing isn't easy, but it's a struggle that I find entirely worth pursuing. I wish you luck in writing something that truly inspires you.