Welcome to this month’s Insecure Writer’s Support Group blog. After a month of blogging from A to Z I feel the need to keep going, so today’s blog is perfect for that. This month’s question:
When you are working on a story, what inspires you?
It’s hard to answer this question becasuse for me, it depends on the book. If I’m writing a story based on where I’ve been, then it’ll be pictures and souvenirs. If I’m writing a book based of a place I’ve never been, a historical event, a book about something like genetics, or even a suspense novel, then the answer is research. What I learn along the way can become a scene in the book or a means to fuel a character’s actions. Currently, I’m working on a novel that blends scenes from the past with those of the present. I’m writing a book for my Timeless Love series where the characters died in 79 CE when Pompeii erupted. Now, the two have been reborn and have a chance to be together again.
I have a Bachelor of Arts degree with a concentration on English and history, many of the history courses based on Ancient civilizations, specifically Greek and Roman. I did additional research on Pompeii. I was surprised to discover that while there’s a Latin word for earthquake, there isn’t one for volcano. How to explain the earthquakes around Mount Vesuvius? They believed that beneath the mountain was the lair of the giant Vesuvius, imprisoned there by Vulcan. When he awoke, the earth shook until Vulcan settled him again. Big earthquakes like the one in 62 CE that did so much damage meant there had been a battle between the god and his prisoner. In these days of modern science, it’s hard to believe anyone could be that naive.
So, I guess my answer to the question would be research motivates and inspires me. Check out the other answers here.
https://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/p/iwsg-sign-up.html
Living the Dream 
Very true that different stories require different ways to get us through the process. Your story sounds very interesting. Happy writing.
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I can see how majors help with the research you’re doing and why research inspires you. It sounds like you picked a really interesting time in history for your current story.
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Inspired Latin teacher allowed our class time out with Pliny the younger… imagining the horror of it –
Pompeii became a must, and the models of groups, as found in the ash – trying to shield each other. Unforgettable.
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Working on this book has been inspiring.
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