There are people asking me how Dragonhearted came about, and it’s because I am surrounded with inspiration. Nearly everything and anything inspires me to write, but here’s a list of stuff that I find particularly inspiring.
- Bad-ass women. Anyone ranging from Zheng Yi Sao, the coolest pirate to have ever lived (in my opinion) to journalist Nelly Bly, to Zenobia (the Queen of the Palmyrene Empire) and loads more is cool in my book. I think too many people have neglected the contributions of women, and it’s really high time we acknowledge that. Knowing that these women broke the rules in a society that as a lot more conservative also showed how awesome women could be.
- Weird things that happen. Anything from someone trying to exhibit a fake mermaid to art forgers who only wanted to make friends (but not money). A lot of the time, what happens in real life could be in a book, so I suppose the saying, “Truth is stranger than fiction” is sometimes true.
- Mythology. Like, duh, right? I grew up with Chinese mythology, branched out to reading mythology and folktales from other cultures. It’s fun to spot the patterns that vary from culture to culture, and the marvellous, fantastical elements in them. One of my favourites is the Polynesian legend of Maui, where he uses his wife’s hair to slow down the sun from travelling too fast across the sky.
- Awe-inspiring landscapes. When I was 15, I read a book titled Stargirl, by Jerry Spinelli, and the titular character talks about identifying and spending time in “enchanted landscapes” or places that are tinged with magic. I’m pretty sure that lots of these beautiful travel landscapes that I’ve seen and read about on the internet are enchanted in some way. There are other lesser known places that feel enchanted, too, and it’s up to me to explore them.
- Cool illustrations. I am continuously inspired by the talented artists out there who put their work up on the internet. There is a kind of courage in showing your work and the universes you have created. While I was working on Dragonhearted, I would sometimes look at illustrations by Chinese artists who have imagined a fantastical version of ancient China, and some of the descriptions are inspired from these digital paintings.
Featured image: Jiuzhaigou by qhwa