Ah, my first, or second love, the written word. Inspiration, for me, has always been found between the lines on a page in a book. Novels in particular have always fueled my creativity. Wanting to write a story, a book, a novel, was my first desire to create. It was the idea that, if I wanted to read a particular story I didn't see on the shelves, others might want to as well, and that I could write that story - it was a light bulb moment. Comfort and challenge showed up in equal measure within my reading material, and from that I have garnered inspiration in spades.
The largest influence on my love of reading and storytelling in general was Harry Potter. Like many in my generation, I was fascinated by the magic of the boy wizard, the world of Hogwarts. What J.K. Rowling was able to do what many writers aspire to - she created a world we could live in, an allegory we could use in fantasy to learn about our world in a safe way. In story we can interrogate the norms and rules of our world, we can learn to be brave and bold.
The written word is not only valuable in the way we tell stories, but in the ways we communicate, teach, learn. Writing something down gives it more power somehow. It gives words physical weight in the world, they take up space, they are visible for others to see. Words are power, and what we read can transform who we become, what we believe, how we think. This is no small thing. With words we shape our inner worlds.
Daydream Novels
If We Were Villians By: M.L. Rio - Most recent new love. This is an incredible read, one that plays with Shakespeare and the boundaries between reality and fantasy, the dynamics of friendship and love, the moral right and wrong debate. Everything is there. It is one I will be revisiting time and again.
Pellinor Series By: Alison Croggan - This was a turning point in my reading material. Yes it is still fantasy, but it was one of the first series I read that was targeted towards teen girls (which I was at the time) that didn’t have a love triangle rooted as a primary conflict, or any conflict. It was rooted in politics and fate, choice and desire. The series explores family, calling, autonomy, history, memory. This is an intricate web of story that lives in my mind rent free every single day.
Persuasion By: Jane Austen - My love of romance comes from this incredible authouress. And though Pride and Prejudice is more well know, Persuasion has a ring of enduring love, commitment, understanding, trust, and second chances, which is what love demands - chance after chance. This book made me a hopeless romantic.
Born of Legend By: Sherrilyn Kenyon - This gorgeous, heart wrenching, moving, brutal story is a go to in any reading season. It goes everywhere I go. This book is love and sex and heart and politics. I know I’ve said it before, but it has everything. It is the unravelling of who we are and the rebuilding of becoming. It shows the transformative power of support, of finding family, of choosing to change, to take responsibility for you were and deciding to change who you are.
Inspirational Material
In Her Studio - This magazine has been a game changer in my creative influence sphere. It is a delightfully uplifting piece of creative literature to consume. One that is validating for all types of creative who create in all kinds of places. It is a beautiful publication and the reading of it is easy and joyful. I highly recommend this publication for any creative looking for inspiration.
Bella Grace - Another beautiful publication is Bella Grace, and this more of a storytelling workbook of creativity that is set to inspire your creativity and allow you a soft place to explore and rest. It is both evocative and reflective. Looking back in those pages you can catch glimmers of the creative you were at the time and it allows you to appreciate these kernels of inspiration captured within its pages.
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