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| Photo Credit: Public Domain |
Inspiration to write can come from all sorts of places. A photo, a memory, a sunny spring day - and on and on. However, I never imagined that my own multi-faceted ancestry would be the source for so many of my stories!
What is so surprising is that while I only recently received my DNA results (ancestry.com) the stories that have kindled in my mind have all come from those regions of the world where my ancestors originated.
My results: Scandinavian: 57%; British: 23%; French/Italian: 20%
(While the countries mentioned are no surprise, the percentages are!)
Why is this important?
As writers we are constantly encouraged to "write what we know." While I cannot claim to know an exhaustive amount about the countries of my origin, I am extremely interested in learning more. In fact, I spent six months researching the countries of Scandinavia before writing The Scandinavian Santa. Not only was it an informative task, it was extremely satisfying and fun. It even reconnected me to a long lost cousin on the Scandinavian side of our family.
My upcoming book, Journey to Snowdonia, is set in England & Wales. After visiting Great Britain in 2014, I returned inspired to learn more about my background. In the process, old family photos from the British side of my mother's family - the Tusons - were unearthed. Seeing my English ancestors in their nineteenth century clothing was fascinating. It didn't take long for Journey to Snowdonia to come into focus in my mind. (It is set in the mid-nineteenth century.)
If you're having a tough time getting inspired with a new story, you have to look no further than your own family background. You'll be surprised by all the ideas that begin to tumble into your mind!
