I sometimes cringe a bit if I go back and read some of the short stories I wrote for my 2002 fiction writing class. I think a few of the stories could be re-worked into something decent, but I learned two things about myself then:
1. I’m not particularly fond of so-called “literary fiction”.
2. I had a bad habit of being too blunt with references.
There’s an art to making a statement about some idea, event, person, etc. Political allegory is a good example, and I might be better at it if I had strong political opinions. I’m sure I haven’t mastered that art, but I like to think I’ve improved in 12 years.
I think some of the best stories are the ones that are not tied to a particular time period, idea, etc. They’re the ones that can be interpreted in multiple ways.
Of course, I also like to poke fun at the world around me. Anything is fair game, although the odd thing is I find myself poking fun at ideas, people, etc., that I respect more than the ones I don’t.
Such is the case with Epictetus’ The Handbook, which was the basis for The Philosophy of Many Hands. You can find the parody here, if you’d like: { PDF } { about } And here is the real version (although my own copy I worked from is a slightly different translation).
I actually found it to be a useful practical philosophy, which was the intention of the writer. It was a guide to daily life. I can’t say it really impacted my way of thinking, but it at least gave me a way to word it.
The upcoming An Ember in the Wind is full of lots of little allusions, references, and nods. I’m sure I’ve mentioned before the significance of the color schemes in the illustrations. Mara is always shown wearing Wolfpack Red, while the buildings in her city are Carolina Blue. (called Locana Blue in the book).
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Anyone familiar with North Carolina would recognize these as the colors of North Carolina State University and The University of North Carolina. While my wife was still a grad student at UNC, we lived in Chapel Hill. It’s easy to feel like an outsider when you’re an NC State student in UNC’s home town. So I put my character in the same position. I think it works okay.
“Locana Blue”
And then there’s the very first Ember illustration. The puppets picture. Actually, I’m going to keep that one to myself for now.
But for anyone who has read A Foundation in Wisdom, here is John Bartlebee’s route. It’s the route my wife and I took a couple times when we’d drive to Tulsa, OK for Christmas… a city which has the following avenues that would ring a bell: Sheridan, Mingo, Elm, Peoria, Utica, Aspen.
On sites like DeviantART, people like to ask where others draw inspiration from. I’ve generally resisted the urge to share mine on a public forum, because I can imagine my answers being disappointing and not at all helpful. In A Foundation in Wisdom, shortly after crossing into Virginia, John becomes obsessed with the clouds – scrutinizing his every turn closer and closer with every passing mile. Who could be ominously watching him from above?
