One of the problems – or, perhaps, the best things – about Gothic Horror is that it does tend to be sad. Usually, there are at least one or two characters who don’t deserve whatever is happening to them, or who have done something which is being punished in a way which does not in any way fit the crime. M.R. James’s writing is perhaps a constant reiteration of the old proverb, “curiosity killed the cat”, but curiosity in itself isn’t a bad thing; while Jonathan Harker in Bram Stoker’s Dracula finds himself in the initial dangerous situation through no fault of his own. Perhaps the saddest story in this anthology is The Lady Who Dances in the Ashes , which was first published by Sley House in Tales of Sley House 2022 . Here is the story of a man who is facing professional and financial ruin as a result of suggesting that mental health patients can be treated in the community rather than institutionalised. He is one of the most sympathetic narrators you will find in the book, but he bad...
I'm delighted to be welcoming Judith for her second series of blogs. This one is about drawing inspiration from film and television, and it begins with that thought all writers can't help but consider: who would be perfect for my character..?
In this series of blogs, I am hoping to look at some historical fiction films and tv series which have inspired different stories – either my own or a guest blogger.
The first thing I should say is that I don’t consider myself a historical fiction writer: that is something which belongs to Virginia in our household. The research she conducts is meticulous and marries historical fiction with, well, historical fact. By contrast, I look for gaps in history and just attempt to plug them, sucking in little details here and there to make them seem as plausible as possible.
Plausibility is an important consideration for me because I write magical realism. One of the key challenges of this genre is that age old consideration for all scientists and writers of real-world fantasy: try to change only one variable. If you are writing historical fantasy, try to keep history as it was. And, don’t get me wrong, I have been sorely tempted by alternative history but I don’t think I would try to tackle alternative historical fantasy.
Therefore, in my work, there is magic. Always the same magic, which I introduced to myself and to the world as the Rite, in Honour’s Rest. Each of my historical fantasy books features a character with this gift, in its variant forms. Ophelia, the adopted sister of Alexander the Great, is able to walk through dreams to see the past, present and future; Kaye, the foster-brother of Artie (later King Arthur) hears music which allows him to access magic, which in turn permits him to become one of King Uther’s knights; Walter (possibly one of my favourite protagonists I have ever written) uses his ability to wield magic in order to overcome his physical frailties. And there are more: most recently, it was William, who was only just beginning to use the Rite and who went on all sorts of adventures with four European princes.
Often, my stories are inspired by an idea or something I’ve read somewhere else, but they can also be inspired (and are often further inspired) by watching things. I have a very visual imagination, which means that I often picture my writing taking place as a media production. That said, I don’t generally have actors in mind when I write them. I wrote the father character in The Backwater initially imagining Robert Glenister in the role but, as I went on further, that changed to Samuel West. After I had finished Dance With Me, I realised that I had accidentally imagined Carey Mulligan playing Lady Arlen, but that hadn’t occurred to me until I’d sat back and thought about it.
Then, sometimes, I’ll be watching something and I’ll realise that it’s a match for my character. Not historical fiction, but I love watching the Horrible Histories RAF song because, whenever I do, I’m reminded that Jim Howick would make an excellent Napier for Honour’s Rest. I think that’s why he’s my favourite one of the Ghosts and Horrible Histories team.
Ideas are never completely new. As writers, we tend to cower away from anything which could be considered plagiarism, but it’s easy to find that two people have had the same idea concurrently. When I wrote Honour’s Rest, there was only one other example of the two words next to each other on Google but, now, a few people have thought they go well together. Honour’s Rest is simultaneously the castle of my creation and, by the looks of things, a monastery and a tavern in other fantasy worlds.
Therefore, I don’t think there’s any need to shy away from admitting that we’re inspired by other works, including those appearing on film and television. Don’t steal, but be inspired. I don’t think any creative in the world can have a problem with being the inspiration behind someone else’s creations.
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