Imagination begets inspiration
I think all children love fantasy and magic when they are young. Stories about dragons, wizards, witches, adventurous quests, strange creatures, magical kingdoms, and more captivated each and every one of us in our pre-school and elementary school years.
For some, the love of fantasy and science fiction fades, being replaced by the pragmatism of the here and now. For me, the lure of fantasy and science fiction never went away. The many worlds I visited within the pages of those books were like a classroom.
My imagination painted vivid pictures of worlds where the experiences of others could almost be tasted with many lessons learned. As I matured, Doctor Seuss was replaced by Jules Verne and then by Isaac Asimov and George Herbert and a multitude of other very talented writers.
Their writings are more than just made-up stories. The black and white pages that host the Foundation Trilogy, Dune, Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter are all filled with imaginative ideas and loads of human drama in which to get swept up.
A multitude of genres – The mirrors of society
Since my early years, many thousands of books of many different genres, have entertained and educated me. Every book teaches something about people and society.
Cookbooks, sport magazines, murder mysteries, westerns, horror stories, Grimm Fairy Tales, and high fantasy – they all are keepers of language, culture and social settings, politics and religion – albeit indirectly in most instances.
Fantasy and science fiction ask the “what if” question. They explore both possibilities and impossibilities. They make the reader think about new things, and new ideas.
Science fiction and fantasy are not passive reads. They are journeys outside of the daily humdrum – sometimes dystopic, sometimes with aliens, or sometimes with Hobbits, but they deal with many of the same societal issues and problems that we all encounter. In imagined worlds, maybe the sky is a different color, or there are two moons, or maybe, like in my novel, Flowers for Gaia, a genetic mutation gives a group of people mastery over an element like earth, fire, water, and air.
Honing writing skills
Switching gears from academic and medical journals to writing fiction came with some unique challenges. For example, no longer was just telling the story enough. Text needed to be more than just facts and arguments. Fiction deals with experiences, conversations, and emotions. A very different kind of writing.
Skillfully done, writers of any genre can help a reader feel the emotions of their characters and experience life from different perspectives and circumstance. Readers can learn something about other people, other lifestyles or other beliefs.
On any world you can be poor, or a member of a minority group, or be a thief, or spaceship captain. It doesn’t matter if the setting is present, past, or future, many themes and lessons of life are ageless. But, to make any of these stories feel real, the author must first imagine it and then write it.
Is there a better way to develop such a skill than writing speculative fiction? You can elasticise reality, choosing your own rules, and your own worlds.
Are the characters humanoid or not?
Are they blue skinned?
Do they have magical abilities?
Are they ghosts?
If you can imagine it, you can create it.
You can draw attention to world problems through a fictitious lens. Problems such as racism, cultural appropriation, corporate greed, global warming – like I do in my novel, in a different setting and time, showing the impact of such things but in a more subtle, less in-your-face way, with young people as always, leading the charge.
The challenge of world-building
The worlds that writers create need to resonate with and make sense to readers. Those worlds need to follow rules and have a structure that is understandable and rational, just like the hodge podge of societies and cultures that live within our own communities and cities.
The imagery written needs to be rich enough for readers to see the world and the people. The story may deal with villains, heroes, or just ordinary folks. Some will be likeable, some not, but the soul of the book remains the storyline.
If you are fortunate enough to have a story published, it then becomes real. Readers will evaluate it. They will interact with your narrative and get to know your characters, setting and story. Their minds will respond with emotions– curiosity, sadness, excitement, approval, anger or maybe even dislike – to the words, characters, or plot that you have created as they journey into your world.
Every author hopes that their words will not only entertain the reader but also inspire new thoughts and discussions with family and friends. The medium chosen doesn’t necessarily matter – comic books, graphic novels, cartoons, movies, e-books, paperback novels, hardcover books – it’s the message and the creativity that people seek.
Why I write
That’s probably why I write. I enjoy creating stories that I hope entertain and teach. I still remember how books made me feel as a youngster, how they opened up worlds to me and stoked my curiosity and imagination.
I guess I hope to do the same for others.
About the author
John David Grant is a lifelong fan of science fiction, fantasy, and the paranormal, be it in books, cartoons, movies, video games, or comics. A forty-year career working in health care—as a medical officer in the Canadian Air Force (Portage la Prairie, MB), a general practitioner in Cape Breton (NS), a pediatrician in both Sydney (NS) and Kentville (NS), and a pediatric emergency physician at the IWK Health Centre in Halifax—predates this second career as a writer and novelist. Flowers for Gaia is his first published novel.
“Creating a fantasy world and a meaningful story filled with characters that breathe is both a daunting and thrilling undertaking,” says John. “Being able to share this with readers is even more amazing.”
John and his wife live in the beautiful Annapolis Valley of Nova Scotia.
About Flowers for Gaia
Call her Earth, or call her Gaia, years from now, our planet is almost uninhabitable as a result of worldwide environmental chaos and war. In the middle of the ocean, two small, conjoined islands still thrive and serve as home to a unique population of survivors, the Wiconi. These peaceful, agrarian-based islanders have genetically evolved affinities that allow them to influence earth, water, air, and fire, talents they use to protect and aid the Earth Mother. They are her Guardians.
When three Terran ships from the dying, outer “civilized” world land on the Wiconi islands, cultures collide. The newcomers, with their advanced technologies and cultural arrogance, subjugate the peaceful islanders and build industries that quickly threaten the natural balance and sustainability of the islands. The Wiconi call the Terrans “Gila,” after the venomous Gila monster, and begin resisting their destructive practices. In response, the Terrans put a bounty on the Wiconi people and hunt them like animals.
Calix loses his parents, his memory, and the ability to speak all on the same day. Bounty hunters. An elderly Terran widow takes him in and hides his Wiconi roots from the Terran authorities.
She helps him learn about his Wiconi heritage and his Earth affinity. He also learns that each of the elemental affinities has its own catalyst flower that must be ingested for energy to flow: the windflower for Air, water lilies for Water, red roses for Fire, and the common dandelion for Earth.
Calix trains with other Wiconi youths, including Brooke, his best friend, to become full-fledged Guardians—and to wage war on behalf of Gaia.
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