What inspires you?

[honeybee]

So, all authors. . . ahem . . .borrow from sources.

For example, as I put in my Mirror Cracked thread, I wanted to imagine how the Empire would treat Trip after he returned. I thought of the Sound of Music and how the Nazis very nicely told Captain Von Trappe that he had not choice but to serve in the German Army - making it clear he had no choice but he would be very well treated. So, I figured it would be kind of like that - they want him to be happy to serve them. And so they are even willing to let him keep T'Pol with him. But Sato had no problem threatening to kill/torture his sister if he didn't report for work.

Also, every time I find myself writing Romulans - I always think of the HBO series "Rome".

Anyone else want to share weird inspirations?

[WarpGirl]

Life. Serious, plain old life gives me the craziest ideas. Anything I may do see or hear gets my motors running. Heck even when I'm asleep I get ideas. Maybe that's why I have a hard time finidhing stuff.

[crystalswolf]

So there with you WG. I've seen some things in life that highlight the saying "stranger than fiction"

Although some things are beyond my experience or the experience of those I know so I do get some inspiration elsewhere... like one of my Day in the Life stories I'm working on. A few elements are drawn from the book Black Robe.

[WarpGirl]

Heck I'm getting inspired by just watching McMillian and Wife. Got inspired by Bones last night. I mean I couldn't list all of the things that inspire me in an hour let alone a day.

[honeybee]

I don't think I ever totally lift actual story ideas from other mediums - but sometimes when I'm looking to say create an aesthetic - or to imagine how a plot point might play out - I think of other things.

I always think of the garden on Icarus from the film Sunshine when I imagine what Enterprise's unseen garden is like.

I also listen to a lot of Radiohead.

[WarpGirl]

I hope I never completely rip anything off. We can't all be Shakespere!

[honeybee]

Except that Shakespeare ripped off almost everything he wrote from other sources!

[Alelou]

Eh, Shakespeare borrowed plots, but the fleshing out was his.

Irritation is my number one inspiration. Frustration is the other big inspiration.

This probably explains why I write so much Enterprise fanfic.

The desire for an escape would be right up there too.

I can't say I'm conscious of thinking of particular pieces of fiction when I'm writing about a setting, though. (Maybe subconsciously I am -- I once wrote three quarters of a novel before I realized I was really doing a modern version of The Scarlet Letter.) Sometimes pictures of places on the Internet (or my own memories if I've been there) help me get a feeling for where a scene has been set. For the missing scenes, I tend to go check out Trek Core to refresh my sense of how things looked in a scene.

[honeybee]

Well, yes, of course Shakespeare's genius came in the execution and use of language - and in the development of characters. But nearly every play he wrote borrowed its plot from another source as "inspiration". That's what I was referring to.

[crystalswolf]

I hope I haven't taken any full ideas... I always try to avoid it. I guess the plot of the story doesn't have to be a secret, it's about a Vulcan sent to share Surak's teachings with one of the low tech, "wayward" Vulcan colonies.

While thinking of the clash between the two cultures, I realized it was very similar to the clash in Black Robe and so I took from it why the two cultures struggled with each other so much.

Another inspiration I should have listed first was the whole reason why I started that series in the first place! Saw one of Escriba's pictures and several questions and ideas popped into my head.

[Silverbullet]

If I may, I try to take insperation from personal knowledge and experience if possible.

I have started a Spy Story which will run several chapters. In it I have the spy Master lament that romulus didn't open a embassy on earth because he could drilll from within, He had seen it wok in another place. this is fact. I have seen it work. I have a numberr of friends who are spoooks and they sometimes tell me things I have a CIA clearance). I ry to base trip and T-Pol on my aunt and Uncle. I have never seen two people so much in love or so devoted to one another. Doubt if either ever looked at another of the opposite Sex they had each ohter and that was more than enough. so with my Trip and T-pol

[WarpGirl]

Well, yes, of course Shakespeare's genius came in the execution and use of language - and in the development of characters. But nearly every play he wrote borrowed its plot from another source as "inspiration". That's what I was referring to.

I know that's why I said we can't all be Shakespere. Believe it or not I got excellent grades in my English classes from kingdergarden on. My GPA was 3.8.

[panyasan]

There are a couple of things that inspire me:
1. Frustration with the way TnT was handled in the show. The Captives is actually one big protest against *the_abomination*.
2. Neat ideas about Vulcans
3. Discussions on TnT and aspects of TnT stories
4. Life in all this complexity
5. Doing dishes (the first scene of The Captives just popped in my head doing dishes). Also just before I fall asleep: I get my best ideas.
6. World news
7. Book reviews
8. Different sfi-shows
9. The story it self, plotting your plan, the joy of writing and struggling and tasting the words of of course: comments!

[WarpGirl]

Your comments inspire me Panyasan and Dinah's too. I like it when I get questions or "I wish this would happen" in comments, they're good for inspiration.

[Enerdhil]

Well, I usually try to be in the position of the original author(s). What he thought or how he developed his plot. I want to be assured that my characters are the same.