In a previous post (A note on research) I talked about getting inspiration from pictures. This time it’s like if I’ve been struck by lightning. I love (that’s an understatement!!) to browse over some old photos. This morning I came across this one :
It is a rare vintage photograph of an onna-bugeisha, one of the female warriors of the upper social classes in feudal Japan (emerged before Samurai). This is a new story. No many stories! And it’s also “What am I getting myself into!!”
Everyday, I find inspiration for new stories. I write a few notes and what happens usually, the new character or circumstance will be integrated into one. So, many ideas will become only one story. And very rarely, a source of inspiration will trigger an entire story, past, present and future.
Research is a big part of my writing process but the pitfall would be spending too much time doing that, instead of writing the stories. And at the same time, my answer is… some of those ideas are not ripe yet.
Like this story about a female warrior in feudal Japan. By the time it sinks into my subconscious and back into something manageable, I will be able to finish what I’m working on right now.
But… I might give it a try anyway!
With great respec!
A.
Happy Hour with Pablo and Lolaz 