For days I have been thinking about what name to use for the subject I am writing about. I honestly never expected to spend so much time thinking about who my inspiration is.
Although I am not going to go into what it is to be inspired, I thought it would be good to ask what I am inspired by. We can get long-term or immediate information, tips or lessons from anyone, familiar or not, about the occupations in our lives, and perhaps we can change our mindset completely.
To be inspired is really to maximise the creativity of our feelings and thoughts. I am one of those who believe that the most beautiful form of this can be found in artistic approaches. Although the works and styles that can be a source of inspiration can be found in masters of all kinds of art, I will focus on those that I feel closest to.
For me, this means people who shape the literary form. In other words, the point of view that a writer who produces works, utters words or narratives that in some way shape not only my endeavour but also my life, can be my main source of inspiration seems quite reasonable.
But how do I know who to choose when there are so many?
The fact is that it is actually quite difficult to reduce this to one person. Personally, I don’t think it makes much sense either. But the authors who I frequently mention in my articles, give examples from their works or address directly in my writings are, of course, my crown jewels. It is also normal that their names are always on my agenda, because I think it is more understandable and healthier to write about authors and their works that I have read and researched.
In the continuity of the context, I think I should continue to go from the general to the specific in order to sort them out. To be honest, I didn’t have to think too much about it. Although it would not be wise to say how many books I have read up to this age, the authors and works that I like to read, that I prefer to buy and read as soon as possible, belong to the genres of science fiction and fantasy. But I can say that science fiction takes the lead. Because I find stories of every other genre in this genre, I consider it more than enough.
As you can see, I have questioned the meaning of the concept, thought about where to focus, and had to filter to reduce it to its essence. Of course I will continue to do this, albeit reluctantly.
Up to this point I have written about the first science fiction articles, the first in the sub-branches of science fiction, people never heard of and buried behind detailed information, and those who made a difference in the modern sense. I enjoyed researching each of them, learning as I went. Such moments remind me of the richness of literature and the powerlessness of human life. It is only for this reason that I desperately remind my wish for immortality.
But this seemingly limited life span also told me something about the person from whom I could draw inspiration. It brought a question to my mind: “What qualities should the person I would be inspired by have?” My answer was simple, it should be someone who had achieved what I wanted to do in this life. I didn’t need to ask what that was, because after many years I was very clear about what I wanted.
I want to write and write more; I want to read and read more.
Then I needed someone who could do it. Preferably this person should have been someone whose work I enjoyed reading, who was a pioneer in his field and whose name I knew. Yes, I am aware that history is littered with people whose achievements have gone unrecognised. Perhaps we have not even noticed some of them yet. After all, there is no rule that says “everyone takes on the personality of their time”. Come to think of it, how much was Galileo understood? Sometimes the zeitgeist is merciless. Either way, it moves.
“Getting advice from science fiction writers” Image generated by Author via Leonardo AI
The last thing left to do was to identify the people who seemed to fit the criteria I had set myself, which might seem crude when I described them (but which could be put into some context over time as I thought about them). Although I thought this would make the situation better than it was, there were still a lot of names left.
Alphabetically: Arkadi and Boris Strugatski brothers, (Sir) Arthur Charles Clarke, Harlan Jay Ellison, Herbert George Wells, Isaac Asimov, Jules Gabriel Verne, Kurt Vonnegut, Laurence van Cott Niven, Philip Kindred Dick, Poul William Anderson, Ray Douglas Bradbury, Robert Anson Heinlein, Robert Louis Stevenson, Robert Silverberg, William Olaf Stapledon, and many others whose names I cannot possibly think of.
I think that memorable names are more likely to stick in one’s mind and heart, and when I analysed the people among those I noticed who had fully realised my ultimate wish in their lives, one name clearly stood out. Although this does not mean that he is the best, the most successful or the greatest, I think that from my point of view, analysing his point of view more and trying to learn from him can bring the key to success closer to my hand. Again, as this is not a competition, my inspiration cannot be limited to this person, I am just trying to understand who should be my priority.
This author is Isaac Asimov. Born in 1920, he began his career in 1939 with short stories. He wrote novels from 1950 until his death in 1992. In a career spanning 53 years, he wrote and published “40 novels, 383 short stories, over 280 non-fiction books, and edited 147 others”, according to the source here.
Years ago, when I finally finished the seven-book “Foundation” series (it was originally a trilogy, but he decided to continue the series thirty years later, at the insistence of his readers), it was his novels that made me sit down with my fiction, which I had been giving myself excuses not to write for years, and break through my discouragement and short-sightedness. His fiction gave me strength and insight into what I wanted to do. I remember very clearly that the moment I read and finished the last book in the series, I said to myself that I wanted to write a series of seven books. In time, with the influence of other authors, that desire grew to nine.
Furthermore, although the vast majority of these books are science fiction, the fact is that not all of these books are written in a single genre. So in order to produce work in different genres, it is necessary to read in those genres. I think this is actually one of the most beautiful aspects of art and inspiration.
But, as you know, the first thing that comes to mind is obvious. To be an effective writer (I’m not necessarily talking about being like him), the essence of the work is to write as well as read, and to make it continuous. Because, as he himself says, getting up at six in the morning and starting the day with writing is the “secret” of his writing. On the other hand, he is a person who often expresses that when he is not doing anything else, he is only engaged in writing (because interviewers have asked him how he has written so many books). We are really talking about someone who has literally dedicated his life to writing.
As I read interviews about his personal life and listened to his views on the shows he appeared on, I couldn’t help but think: Is there anything I could dedicate my life to in this way? Is it actually being a writer for me? Does being a writer really require this, or is it a behaviour that is entirely specific to his character? If so, to what extent can I adopt the aspirations of the writer or writers I am happy to accept as a source of inspiration?
Even if I assume that I cannot adopt all of them, it is a fact that I have read similar comments from other writers I am interested in. What they have in common is a continuity in the daily context, a sincere curiosity, a necessary desire for self-improvement and a serious determination to do all this by pushing the conditions and believing in oneself.
In fact, I love the dedication of people who have adopted this kind of seriousness.
Whether it’s family members striving to run the same business with the same quality for generations,
Whether they are scientists who spend their lives working on developments that we are unaware of (or perhaps do not care about) in our daily lives, in order to improve or advance the quality of life of society,
Whether it is Isaac Asimov and all those like-minded writers who have continued to capture the imagination of people of all ages, lighting the flame in the torch of exciting and eager generations,
I think they are all admirable and true inspirations.
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