Snapshots of a fantasy world

by Autumn Birt

Where story inspiration comes from, or even just the bits that make up the plot lines of an epic story, surprises me. Life infiltrates a writer’s mind and somewhere in the subconscious becomes something extraordinay.

I’ve written here about how a painting inspired the town of Mirocyne in my epic fantasy trilogy the Rise of the Fifth Order. On my blog, I’ve written about how a leadership course altered my view of quest groups. Everyone getting along for a common goal? I think not. Someone is going to crack or have a different motive or get into a fist fight over their beloved facing danger. Stress and facing death rarely results in lasting cohesion.

In the last post, Chantal mentioned how nature and tribal settings inspires her writing. Steven Montano has posted some great pictures from outings that inspire him with new fantasy ideas. And I can’t say I’m much different. Life events bring out my creativity. I’ve written singsong poems about courting squirrels and the amazing fun I have all the way up REALLY high ladders while nailing shakes into the gable of my house (my husband is afraid of heights. I’m not. I am, however, afraid of hitting the ground at a very high velocity…).

Some recent mini-adventures served to remind me how much I love being on the water. Gee… is that why book 1 of my trilogy is named Born of Water and has a LOT of sailing in it? Actually when I started thinking of it, a lot of the places I’ve travelled inspired the many cultures found in the world of Myrrah where the trilogy is set.

I’m a big fan of the phrase “Iife is what happens while you are waiting for something else.” That includes existing as I struggle with words and ideas in my head. Writing is so very important to me. I’m happier when I’m writing. I like who I am more when I’m writing. It changes the very core of my personality. But that change is worthless unless I use it to enhance the time with the people I love.

So this post is meant to inspire – not just writing but living too. Which I’ve been trying to enjoy a bit more this summer after two years of house building. Of course, I try not to let enjoying life eat into my two WIP, the story I’m editing and the occasional book I’m reading. Hey, I have priorities! 😉

 

Sailing on the Grey Dawn on the Sea of Sarketh… or the Heron on the Gulf of Maine!

Section of the Turcot River near the forest of the Kith! At least that is what it looks like to me…

Some of the old steps leading up to the abandoned Temple of Winds… or in this case a volcano located on a remote tropic island – which is way cool too!

 

Ayashe is the hero of his own adventure saga… as long as I come along to supply food and cuddles!

Lunar moths… creating new moons!

If I had walls like this, I wouldn’t have to worry about drywalling OR painting! 😀

The Lake of Tears near the Temple of Solaire!

Me framed in my husband’s motorcycle mirror along the Gaspe Peninsula. Just to prove I didn’t copy the above photos from the web! 😉

For all of those significant others and good friends of us writerly types – don’t give up hope! It is not impossible to remind the writer in your life that they should be living their own adventure. And to help you out, here are some phrases that my husband has found useful to win my attention:

“Hey, if you get out of bed now, you’ll have an extra half hour of writing time!”

“But if you go, it will inspire your writing/short story/WIP!” (Bonus points if you can relate WIP to proposed adventure)

“We can swing by the bookstore/library.”

“The recharger works by converting the motion of your backpack into electricity. You get 5 minutes of reading/writing time for every mile you hike!” (Did I ever mention that my husband has a cruel streak?)

– Autumn decided not to share any photos of her new WIP, Friends of my Enemy. The pictures are much darker and more disturbing! Find out more about Autumn and her writing at her website www.AutumnWriting.com or find her online on Twitter at @weifarer or on her Facebook page.