I was speaking with an artist friend the other day who intends to build a science-fiction comic book. He said he wanted to build a world where the people were in harmony with nature and lived in a forest setting but were not primitive. He was amazed when I showed him a simple google search for “eco friendly architecture”, something that hadn’t occurred to him, but from which he said he could definitely derive inspiration.

A lot of the inspiration we need as authors can come quite easily if we know how to research. For example, a few years ago, when I began to formulate the ideas behind Deception (Forgotten Princess, #2) I knew that I wanted to create an advanced civilization of brilliant scientists, in a world that was still relatively small and backwater.

Part of the over-arcing concept I was working with was ancient technology abandoned by its creators and somewhat accessible, if obscure. I also knew that the creators worked a lot with genetics. I imagined the idea of scientifically modified fish that grew gems in their bellies, loosely the way a clam develops an oyster. I wanted these gems to have special properties, which were accessible when crushed, or conducted via varieties of metal. A concept of rings that bestow powers upon the wearers is actually rather common and yet not in a hackneyed way. I liked that the result seemed magical but was actually derived from technological advancement. An aside about preference: though I enjoy fantasy, I don’t generally like magic. It feels too gimmicky and contrived. On the other hand, I really loved the idea that much of what is considered “magic” is actually science that hasn’t been understood fully. I don’t know, perhaps it’s just the Marvel geek in me. I also consider Brandon Sanderson a major source of inspiration, and I like the idea of putting controls and laws on “magic” to make it more realistic.

Okay, so going back to the idea of a backwater world of scientists / fishermen, I wondered what might be a major problem for these to overcome. I thought about fishing villages inundated with hurricanes, which we tend to see a lot of in the world anyhow.

I wondered what might be a really scientific way to deal with a world full of hurricanes. That was when I searched and found an article about microwaves being used to warm cold fronts and break up tropical storms. Certain comments were made about the possibility, and it was essentially written off as improbable. But that put it in the realm of fiction. That seemed really exciting to me. It was something I wanted to play with mentally, something “almost possible” and more importantly, really cool.

I must admit that, openly a geek, I tend to love a wide variety of science fiction sub-genres. I wanted to see what sorts of sub-genres I could use in this series. I already had a classic fairy-tale premise, with a touch of mecha and kaiju. I wanted to see what else I could achieve. And I knew that between “backwater” and “sci-fi” there’s this neat blend of steampunk, to give new tech an old feel. One of the staples of the steam punk genre is the idea that the airship might still be useful under certain circumstances. I wondered if someone could really fly an airship over a hurricane, and I viewed a few documentaries that suggested that the air over a hurricane is actually rather still. My creative processes began to flow, and the Cloud Catcher took flight: an airship with microwave torpedoes that could be used to break up hurricanes.

The wonderful thing about writing fiction is that research can prove useful and yet doesn’t hinder the results if it ultimately proves flawed. Fiction is limited only by the writer’s imagination.

What about you? Where have you found inspiration?