If you’re going to create any great work, regardless of whether it’s music, art, writing, or some other creative endeavor, you’re going to need inspiration. That's why it's so important to do the thing you're trying to get other people to do. In other words, if you’re trying to write a novel, you need to read.
Earlier today, I finished reading Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin. This is a novel that came out in 2022 about the relationship between two friends who begin a successful video game company together. I was completely blown away by this book. It was the EXACT type of realistic fiction that I love. There were so many moments where I said to myself, “Sheesh, I hope I can write a scene as good as this.”
But the thing that inspired me the most about the book was the way the author tied in its central focus, which is video games. From the jump, you immediately get the sense that this author understands gaming — its history, how it has progressed over the years, and the inner workings of creating a video game.
When I reached the final page, a subtle wave of disappointment washed over me. I had enjoyed reading the story so much, I didn’t want it to end. I flipped to the next page and came across the Notes and Acknowledgements section. Here, I noticed the dozens of books, documentaries, and video games the author researched and referenced to craft this novel. It made me realize that if you want to write something really compelling, something that people can be fully immersed in, it is not enough to have a great story and great characters. You must also do great research too.
This is particularly true for realistic fiction like Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow. In fantasy novels, the author has the liberty of coming up with whatever rules or guidelines they want for their world. But in realistic fiction, we—the readers—have an expectation about the way the world is. This is one of the things I love about writing. It forces you to understand the way things actually are.
So now, I think about all of the things that I must research for my novel: the 1920s, farming, hunting, shepherding, sheep, deer, coyotes, horses, kittens, rural Pennsylvania, small towns, 1920s transportation, 1920s farmhouses, heating, antique stoves, rural water supply, bacterial diseases, World War 1, honorary medals, history of police departments, and so on. This is only a start.
Furthermore, in pursuing this depth of research, I’m also delving into the backgrounds of authors who inspire me, which means I should read Gabrielle Zevin’s Wikipedia page, watch a few of her interviews on YouTube, and find out how this book came to be so massively popular.
We must all pave our own yellow brick road, but why not use the bricks of people we admire?
P.S. — From here on out, I like the idea of ending these entries with the word count for my novel. Today’s count is 38,919 words.
If you’re going to create any great work, regardless of whether it’s music, art, writing, or some other creative endeavor, you’re going to need inspiration. That's why it's so important to do the thing you're trying to get other people to do. In other words, if you’re trying to write a novel, you need to read.
Earlier today, I finished reading Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin. This is a novel that came out in 2022 about the relationship between two friends who begin a successful video game company together. I was completely blown away by this book. It was the EXACT type of realistic fiction that I love. There were so many moments where I said to myself, “Sheesh, I hope I can write a scene as good as this.”
But the thing that inspired me the most about the book was the way the author tied in its central focus, which is video games. From the jump, you immediately get the sense that this author understands gaming — its history, how it has progressed over the years, and the inner workings of creating a video game.
When I reached the final page, a subtle wave of disappointment washed over me. I had enjoyed reading the story so much, I didn’t want it to end. I flipped to the next page and came across the Notes and Acknowledgements section. Here, I noticed the dozens of books, documentaries, and video games the author researched and referenced to craft this novel. It made me realize that if you want to write something really compelling, something that people can be fully immersed in, it is not enough to have a great story and great characters. You must also do great research too.
This is particularly true for realistic fiction like Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow. In fantasy novels, the author has the liberty of coming up with whatever rules or guidelines they want for their world. But in realistic fiction, we—the readers—have an expectation about the way the world is. This is one of the things I love about writing. It forces you to understand the way things actually are.
So now, I think about all of the things that I must research for my novel: the 1920s, farming, hunting, shepherding, sheep, deer, coyotes, horses, kittens, rural Pennsylvania, small towns, 1920s transportation, 1920s farmhouses, heating, antique stoves, rural water supply, bacterial diseases, World War 1, honorary medals, history of police departments, and so on. This is only a start.
Furthermore, in pursuing this depth of research, I’m also delving into the backgrounds of authors who inspire me, which means I should read Gabrielle Zevin’s Wikipedia page, watch a few of her interviews on YouTube, and find out how this book came to be so massively popular.
We must all pave our own yellow brick road, but why not use the bricks of people we admire?
P.S. — From here on out, I like the idea of ending these entries with the word count for my novel. Today’s count is 38,919 words.
