Inspiration
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I’ve recently completed the first draft of a new novel. At 89,000 words, it’s not the longest I’ve written, but I’m pleased with how it reads. It still needs editing, and that’s something I’m very inexperienced at, but I’m happy with the overall story and the couple of (admittedly somewhat biased) people who have read it so far have been very positive (or perhaps generous). Unlike many of my stories, this one was based in part on observations I’d made in real life. Most of my stories are fantastical in nature, set in unusual fantasy worlds or featuring elements of the paranormal. Almost every element comes from my imagination. Perhaps oddly, this new one, set somewhere familiar and recognisable, was the furthest I’ve been from my comfort zone.
The story is about a guy in his late twenties who works as a designer but who has always wanted to be a newspaper columnist. His journeys to and from work on the bus give him ample article fodder, which lends itself well to his natural flair for observation and knack of coming up with humorous, if scathing commentary. When he lands the job of columnist on the public transport network’s free paper, his star appears to be in ascendance. Even the girl of his dream seems on board. Alas a combination of hubris and a failure to observe the damage his now public observations might be doing leads to his fall from grace, and he is forced to humble himself in the quest for redemption.
It’s not high genre fiction by any means. Literary novelists have nothing to fear from my efforts. I am, however, quite pleased with how it’s turned out. Written over the course of about three-and-a-half months without too many struggles along the way, I’m happy with how this one came about. Real world fiction is a new genre for me and it’s nice that I didn’t struggle to write it. It helped that I’ve been reading more things like it of late as I’ve attempted to broaden my tastes and try new things.
The reason I’m writing this blog post, however, is to do with inspiration. This particular novel was inspired by my own bus journeys to and from work. For years I wrote blogs about them for this very website, but it didn’t occur to me to put them into a story until the last year or so. Every day I’m surrounded by dozens, if not hundreds, of different people while I travel. Each and every one of them has their own unique story that they are living day by day. I observe such a small fraction of those stories, but it’s surprising how many habits and personalities you notice without ever meaning to. It is from a handful of observations that I was able to form the basis of a few of the supporting characters in my novel.
My journey to work is about to change. I’m not changing jobs like I did last time this happened in 2010. This time my company is moving offices, from Coventry to Rugby. After almost seventeen years (including college) of getting the bus nearly every day, I’m about to switch to the train. I’ll also have a longer walk at either end, but I’ll deal with that when I get there. The main difference for me will be the mode of transport. I’m no stranger to trains, though I’m an infrequent user. The idea of switching to them instead of buses for my daily routine seems strange, though not a major concern.
The thing that will be most unusual is the people I see. Over the years on the bus, I have got used to seeing the same people each day. Obviously I haven’t seen exactly the same people for all of those seventeen years, but you do still get used to the familiar faces that you’ll see on a regular basis over any given period. While I’ve known none of them by name, it is strange to think that I won’t see them anymore. I don’t doubt that my train journeys will yield a whole bunch of new faces to get used to. And, even though my train journey will be much shorter, I’m sure there is still plenty of inspiration to be had should I decide to look for it. What I don’t know yet, however, is whether I’ll ever find the same fascinating mix of people that could inspire an entire novel.