I Am Inspired…Again

Because I am such a history geek, I always have to read up on the latest archeology/history news. I generally do this once a day or once every other day, thanks to author Michelle Moran’s blog History Buff, where she posts links to stories about history in the news.

Well the other day I read a particularly fascinating article. So fascinating, in fact, that I instantly had a vision of another novel.

Here’s the link to the story: Mythological Love Unearthed: Experts dig up chamber used by King Bana to hide his daughter.

I quickly typed up a brief outline of the fantasy world that began to take shape in my head. It’s very rough now and I can’t really focus on it as I’m working on Lady of the Snow and The Scarlet Daughter alternately, but it’s there. It will  be like my Yuki-onna story–only very loosely based off this myth as the world that developed in my head is a mix of Indian, Persian and Chinese culture. The story is also different, although I have my MC, the princess and daughter of a super powerful, tyrannical and paranoid king. That’s all I’m going to say about it now 🙂

Since it’ll be the first world in my head that is a mythical land, it’s going to take a lot of world-building. I will probably work on that here and there while I’m typing away at the other two stories. If anything I at least have a novel to start during NaNo nine months away 😛 .

Now to channel this creative energy into one of my WiPs…

Completely Taken Over

Another story came to me today. Rather suddenly actually. Once it came, I couldn’t race fast enough to a Word doc to type the summary out.

A historical paranormal/fantasy based off the legendary Yuki-onna.

This will be something rather different for me.  I’ve never written fantasy before, although this is probably still more historical based with paranormal elements. It’s mostly based on myth but there’s definite historical aspects to it too.

 

Traditional Image of Yuki-onna

I think it stemmed form me reading all these Japanese myths lately and this one really inspired me. Mostly I wondered about how such a creature came about–and then I came up with an entire backstory for her.

Modern Portrayal of Yuki-onna

It’s going to be loosely based off some of the myths about her and have some aspects from the story in Lafcadio Hearn’s Kwaiden.  

I’m uber excited about starting this project, but I can’t do too much of it just yet. I still have to finish my other book too–I don’t want to put that one completely aside. Anyway I at least have something to work on when I get a little discouraged with my other one. 🙂

A Writer’s Mind Never Stops

I should be working diligently to finish Promise of the Plum Blossom, but yesterday I was assaulted by another idea for a completely different historical fiction piece.

And I quite literally mean assaulted.

The story and the characters would just not quiet down until I wrote out the 3 page summary. I couldn’t focus on anything else until it was written–I completely became absorbed into that world. The voices silenced themselves to more of a hum or whisper, content that their story wouldn’t be forgotten or put away in the cluttered closets of my mind.

This unnamed work is another historical piece, but it’s more along the lines of historical romance as compared to what I’m writing now, where the romance is only a minor sidestory. It currently takes place right before, during, and after the American Revolution, though the war won’t be a huge part of it (at least not that I have planned).The idea wasn’t completely new; it was one that I had come up with a few years ago during college, but put aside as I started working Promise. The main story is fairly different from those old Word doc summaries, but the romance factor is still the main element and the characters are the same.

Obviously there’s a great deal that will probably change, as is always the case, but I have the basics/backbone there when I do get to go to it. And of course now I can focus back on my other novel without the other characters trying to butt in (at least for now). And now there’s something there to work on while I’m submitting Promise and/or waiting for that one to be published.

So, I’m curious–does this happen to many other writers out there? Does another story idea develop while in the midst of writing another?