the inspirations for my fantasy writing career changed my life
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 2 ต.ค. 2024
- What inspired my novels? Weirdly, almost none of them are actual fantasy novels--I explain why that is, and how creative people and ideas can change your entire outlook and life. & as usual I'm just my nerdy self.
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"I started allowing myself to be as cool as the character in my books." Those are words to live by. I think a lot of us are scared to be those we aspire to because we don't want people to notice us or to disapprove.
Definitely!
I binged a bunch of your videos today and ordered Elfquest volume 1 and I think I'll grab the first Xanth book, too.
Clicked for elfquest in the thumbnail. My dad had tons of random comic books in bins downstairs that I'd occasionally rummage through. Elfquest was one I picked up specifically for the art style
"if all the characters gathered around a hot-pot with some cats" i think this ought to just be in every book tbh XD
I do have a similar tendency to write scenes of the characters just having a chat over a meal or a drink. It's not at all plot related, but it just feels more alive to have these moments showing how they get along and what that looks like in a casual setting.
Also, congrats on getting over 3k subs
Yeah, that was one thing that was drummed out of me in traditional publishing...editors always wanted the plot moving forward. One editor even told me cut the entire happily-ever-after epilogue, which I know readers LOVE. But in indie I got back to it, and I think readers really do connect with characters better when they have those moments, as long as the scene doesn't feel entirely pointless. It's a great chance to develop relationships and such.
You seem to have published in a variety of ways.. is that right? Could you make a vid about the practical side of things, the pros and cons of the ways of publishing?
Your comment about being sad that you don't make things your entire personality for a year anymore because stability is hilarious and way too relatable. I feel like I've been missing that obsessive passion lately.
Mm...obsession. Torturous and delicious. Yes, I do miss that. I can see how people get lost in nostalgia because I replayed Final Fantasy VI recently for the first time in ages and it gave me an echo of that old absorption. But I don't want to be totally sucked into the past.
@@lidiyafoxgloveauthor Oh, absolutely! I'm just hoping that I can get back to having that feeling for my own writing.
It's not surprising to me that you've gained a ton of followers in a short amount of time, you're incredibly authentic. Nothing about you is staged or forced. I'm working on my first book and these videos of yours are very encouraging. I play a lot of TTRP and so I'm quite inspired by DnD vibes and adventures in Faerun I've had with my friends.
Growing up i didn't actually like reading, I read a few books I liked but would rather watch TV. The most influential ones to me were Labrynth (speaking of David Bowie 😅), Willow, and The Dark Crystal. I started getting obsessed with books at about 25 and started writing at 32, hoping to finish my first draft soon
"Peacockery " I am TOTALLY stealing that word! 😂😂😂😂😂😂
It's a perfectly cromulent word.
Adaddinsane is such a good handle ohmigosh 😂
My interest as a teenager was science. Eventually I became a chemist. Cheers
You've made me realize a decade too late that Bowie also took over my writing. Most of my male characters are androgynous and/or flamboyant to some degree... though then again, my childhood crush was Cecil Harvey so HAHA
Heck yeah
I think what started my fantasy universe is Buffy The Vampire Slayer! xD
You had me at Zoobilee Zoo! Haha I haven't heard many people say they have watched that when they were little.
I know, it doesn't get much nostalgia love but I was sooo obsessed with it at the time
3k! 🎉 it's not all about the numbers but you're killin it! Thanks for helping me get back into writing with your delightful, cozy videos.
damn, i thought i was the only capricorn that wants to be a wealthy duck with a money bin.
I love the way you explain things and just relate a lot to you based on your style and inspiration ✨️
It's embarrassing now but my favorite fantasy series that got lodged in my brain for way too long was The Sword of Truth series and it did not age well. So much unnecessary ranting about the west being better than the communist east. Icky taste in the mouth, that leaves. But I loved his characters who would 100% sit around a fire and talk story.
You've reminded me that my first love was Speed Racer. 😂🥰
I really like your videos!! Thank you for sharing ❤
Hi again! (I commented last time from my cozy channel, Evie’s Hangout). I thought I had subscribed, but I had not, so now that’s been fixed! 😅
Anywho, I relate so much to this video. I have Cerebral Palsy and have been an odd girl since I was little. I’ve always loved writing, and I grew up with anime and manga and video games. Also have been loving slice of life fantasy books, too. I love the idea of having a novel play out during the campfires set in between the “main quest” of video games, so one of my inspirations has been fantasy video games like final fantasy and dragon age.
Have you played a game called Sea of Stars by chance? It’s got a lot of old-school rpg/adventure elements with endearing characters.
Anyways, great job on the channel and I have been loving your read along videos as well!
I'm so glad you're enjoying the channel! It sounds like we definitely have a lot in common! I haven't played Sea of Stars but I've seen some clips of it and it looks so charming. At the rate I'm going through my JRPGs I guess I might get to it before I die? Ahaha...
As for my own inspirations: Labyrinth and Dark Crystal for sure! but also The Point, an animated movie by Ringo Starr from the 70's full of Harry Nielson music, Animorphs, and One Piece.
Our friend who owns our local record store just mentioned The Point to us a couple weeks ago! I'd never heard of it before. How weird for this to pop up again. I need to check that out.
I think Fairy Tail is one of the pieces of media that shaped me. Despite the excessive fanservice, that blend of goofy fun while still having real angst like you mentioned made me love it. The wonder of being in a silly lil guild of mages and going on journeys is something I want to incorporate into my own work!
Zoobilezoo!!!! omg yes the fox guy
I'm 24 and grew up reading Xanth books because my gen X mom said she liked them as a teen and young adult, love them still! I definitely have a lot to check out from here!
The inking artist on ElfQuest is also the voice actor of Krillin and Usopp.
This was a wonderful video--I'm so glad i discovered your channel! We have a lot in common. Since i was young, my inspirations have been an odd mix of Star Wars and ElfQuest and Anne of Green Gables, with some Voltron and Gundam Wing thrown in. And yes, I feel very much the same way about Bowie
That is definitely my kind of mix of elements!
*Elfquest* what a memory!
BTW, I grabbed your Beauty and the Goblin King book yesterday. This is the first one of your books I have read. Is this a good one to start with for a new reader, or would you recommend one of your other books? There are a lot to choose from.
In a lot of ways it just depends on what grabs you. I don't have very many books that are like, ugh don't read that one, but I do have plenty that won't be to everyone's taste. Beauty is most popular, Demons in the Bedroom the best rated, and The Sorcerer's Concubine and Doll Girl Meets Dead Guy are my personal favorites.
@@lidiyafoxgloveauthor that is a good starting list. Thanks 😊
I've never watched something so relatable and validating in my life. 😅 Also, Velvet Goldmine is a masterpiece!
Oh man. Final Fantasy II. When Cecil sacrificed himself in the underworld, my 11 year old mind was utterly blown. The asides, the melodrama… Completely formative for me, as well. Thanks for the video!
That game just hit so hard when you're a kid
The Legend of Zelda is probably the only piece of media that truly became a part of my identity. In high school I was well known for wearing a different Zelda t-shirt every day😂
D&D starting in 3rd or 4th grade, then being introduced to Elfquest in 6th grade by a friend that was always reading Piers Anthony and she even kinda looked like you. It was at the time Marvel ate crow and started publishing Elfquest after initially passing, so I collected Cutter and crew along with X-men and Spider-man and more.
That is SO nice to hear! Thank you!! I will definitely do a series video soon.
To add another comment, I think my biggest inspiration has been most works by CLAMP. Although I leaned more toward the darker titles like Tokyo Babylon and X/1999. Magic Knights Rayearth has also been a huge inspiration. In terms of humor, my dad raised me on Mel Brooks movies. Meanwhile, my mom fed me a healthy diet of Beetlejuice, Addams Family, and other macabre gothery.
I can appreciate this entire list!
I read lots of books especially fantasy throughout my life (although not in English), I'm thinking of becoming a fantasy writer though have no experience writing before, do you have any advice for me about how to start, since I really like your writing opinions.
Read a lot, read some different books on craft because everyone has a different way and you need to find yours, get some critique partners or just motivational writing partners to keep you accountable, if possible. I'm sure I'll be talking more about it in depth in future videos.
The Eggchild. It's a rare book by Lorna Baxter that came out in 1978. Four magical families and a mysterious glowing baby. I loved the elemental magic and relationships of the characters. It's simple but effective, and the only book I've read more than twice. I was about 9 or 10 when I found it in my school library. Now, at 50, I still love reading it. It encouraged my natural wonder of the world. I'm now a published author, hopefully helping others imagine new possibilities. Love your content!
I was definitely heavily influenced by all the delightful horror around in my youth. I grew up reading Stephen King and also the horror short story collections that were aimed at early teens, and Christopher Pike, and all of the Fear Street etc books of the era! My brother was a goosebumps kid and I read all of those too even though they were a little young for me. I still love a good chill!
Yes, I have been on both the trad and the indie side, and I think it's on my list of future videos already but either way, yes.
Love this channel
I'm dying with the saxophone music montage 😂👌🏼
I loved final fantasy as a kid! My favorites were probably four as well, in addition to six and nine.
It plays a huge part in my world building to this day anytime I look back and actually analyze where my ideas are coming from
4, 6, and 9 are the BEST. The only ones I revisit really. You can tell 4 really impacted me because my my fantasy world still has Big Important Crystals That People Steal In Wars 😂
Hi Lidiya. If you need an idea for a video. I would be interested to see one where you go over an old story you have written, and show some of the initial first draft. Maybe how you brainstorm a story and get the initial skeleton down. Then how you do rewrites, with any tips you can think of. Its really cool to have such a prolific writer being so upfront about themselves. I havent read any of your books yet. I just got the Beauty and the Goblin King. It seemed to be the most popular. What is your favorite story of yours? Thanks! Kade
This is a good idea, I will definitely add to the list, thanks! My favorites are The Sorcerer's Concubine and Doll Girl Meets Dead Guy. (Despite very different branding they're in the same world.) Those take place in my long running fantasy world so to me, they are the most "me" and have the most vibrant characters.
For me it was Anaïs Nin, I found her erotic stories and diaries some of the most profound and touching writing I had ever read. It felt like she herself touched my soul with her writing. I was 17 and still I have this experience when I read her writing
I have her books, she has INCREDIBLE diction, just this way of pulling your heart right into the protagonist's body.
Did you know Anaïs Mitchell, the lady who wrote the musical Hadestown, was named after her? If you love that feeling Nin gives you, the Hadestown soundtrack is a treat 👍
I def use characters and games as inspiration, not books!
I played TLoZ A link to the past back in like 1994 (I was 6..) and -that- is what got me into fantasy. Honestly, TLoZ is so much of my personality its almost silly and inspires me so much. Goosebumps got me into horror. I was always playing pretend and writing fanfic (before I even knew thats what it was called). I still use video games to help me write.
It's really nice to see videos like this !!
Tad Williams’ War of the Flowers is an excellent story if you want more of the complex interrelations between a fantasy world (of elves/faeries) and our world, and tech vs magic.
Ooh, I love Tad Williams but I haven't read that one
Velvet Goldmine! When I was 16, I had the biggest crush on JRM who played Steerpike in the BBC adaptation of Gormenghast and sought out to watch all the movies he starred in. That means scoping out all those Angelfire fan sites in the early web days. Velvet Goldmine was hard to acquire back in 2000. From that movie, I learned what Glam Rock was and who David Bowie was (I was completely in the dark outside of Backstreet Boys).
I love how David Bowie is your musical muse. On the opposite end of the spectrum, I feel the same for young Bruce Springsteen lol. He got me through a huge writer's block yet in a strange twist, characters in my earlier books were very androgynous (must be the JRM influence).
Love this video! It's so interesting to see how the things we love as teens shape our stories.
I don't know what happened here, a comment from another thread ended up here instead!
I had never heard of glam rock either when I saw that movie! Which I guess makes sense because it was a very British thing. It really hit me hard at that age.
Bruce Springsteen is not a bad choice either! He was also pretty easy on the eyes in a very different way from Bowie! I also enjoyed that movie Blinded by the Light about the British-Indian kid obsessed with him and I felt like that was very relatable as to how music can just hit you so hard.
@@lidiyafoxgloveauthor I love that movie! Pretty much summed up my life! Especially love how it visualizes the Boss' lyrics.
I look forward to more inspo videos from you! Please do a video on time management as I'm always fascinated by prolific authors and how they focus and get so much done.
@@teresachaotic.corner I got a request for a day in the life so that one will certainly touch on time management...though I feel like I'm so bad at time management, I can't believe I get this much done. -_-
I love your videos because they are inspiring, informative, entertaining, relaxing and calming. In this crazy world it's a wonderful place to put my attention once in a while.You remind me that I too have a creative life. And even though it's a bit neglected at the moment I will be able to get back to it. Also - love the advice in a previous video to allow yourself to make mediocre art. It's always a good place to start. Thank you!
I remember reading Elf Quest with my best friend while listening to the first no doubt album. Every time I hear their songs, it takes me back to Cutter and his world.
The detailed lives and personal story arcs were the hook for me, and I find myself focusing on that the most in my own writing.
Other inspirations are Gilmore Girls, Thea Beckman (a dutch author in the '80-'90's, and unusual myths and legends.
I really appreciate you and your channel. Thank you 😊
That's so funny, I have this association with Final Fantasy IV and "Linger" by the Cranberries. It's like the secondary main theme to the game for me because it was big when I was DEEP into the game as a kid and the atmosphere of it just became linked for me, so I can really understand how this happened to you too!
You’re an incredible story teller.
Instant subbed.
My first hard crush was Cutter ❤
I had never thought about it before watching this video, but since I read The Bloody Sun from the Darkover Series (I was fifteen maybe?), I got a liking for the male protagonists writen by women.
I think my stories inherited a lot from that kind of emotionally injuried characters.
So, funny you should ask what inspires us, as I was just given a list of questions for a video shoot that happens in a week and one was what inspires my creativity. I make a lot of pottery serving dishes and trays and I imagine them being passed around at a family dinner, or a friends gathering, or a group,of people getting together. And then I add textures, and fun elements so that it doesn’t look like a China set or something from a big box store. So your comment made me think of how to answer this…. Thanks.
“The men, the men, the beautiful, damaged, vulnerable men.” 😅 you just described most of my dating life.
Also, I got shaped so much by Jhonen Vasquez’s comics, especially JTHM, and I reread Silk by Caitlin Kiernan every year for ages. Dark, weird, magic and blood. Yum.
LOL
9:42 Wow, I never really thought of it like that! I knew I had a preference towards male leads, but I was never sure why. Hearing that makes a lot of sense to me, especially since growing up, (alongside many other girls) were taught to fear men/male strangers whether by the actions of men in our lives or being told they would kidnap us.
Gender is so interesting when you start breaking down why we assign certain attributes to certain physical features. There's an excellent video essay called "Twilight" by Contrapoints that gives the best explanation I've seen for what we're describing!
Ursala LeGuin talked about this too. She said something like "I am the male voice; I am a man." Basically, we all got a little of both inside us ✨
If you like Bowie, have you heard of a musician called Momus, kinda like the indie music Bowie. Also have you ever read anything by Quentin Crisp? Thankyou for sharing your inspirations. Mine are: the poetry of Baudelaire, aforementioned Mr. Crisp, novel series called The Masters of Rome by Collen McCullough, Serge Gainsbourg and Francoise Hardy, alongside Bowie also :) and the writing of Hitchens, Blake and Didion. ❤
Ooh, I will look up Momus and also Quentin Crisp. I certainly am fascinated by anyone whose Wikipedia entry primarily describes them as a "raconteur"...
@@lidiyafoxgloveauthor Hi Lidiya :) yes, Mr Crisp is kinda like the Oscar Wilde of the 20th century. He was a very witty and perceptive writer.
Also I know you like Bowie, and I am a musician also, I just released this and it was my attempt at a glam rock sounding collection of songs, experimental but perhaps you might like it also? :) the cover has me in a Bowie shirt 🙈 it's called Femme in Public - th-cam.com/play/PLykh4JAR13Uk8SP14cBNNB2O4ubrvfolI.html&si=6w1fZwKOjY5E60-K
Some of my big inspirations, throughout middle school at least, were James Patterson's Angel Experiment series, and The Office and the newer Doctor Who--9th, 10th, and 11th Doctors specifically!
The shameless Char Aznable thirst interlude made me surprised I hadn't already subbed. Incredible stuff.
Hey, I’m loving your channel! You mentioned you’ve watched a ton of space opera, what are your recs? I’m desperate to know!
*My favorite anime, period, is Legend of Galactic Heroes. The original one. I haven't seen the newer version, it might also be good. It is long and has some very boring political episodes, and I'm not even sure how easy it is to get your hands on it? I had to buy Chinese knockoffs with somewhat awkward subtitles. But even so... the character investment was SO deep. I have had two cats named after characters from this show (Oskar & Reinhard), Yang Wen-Li as my desktop background, and three cells from the show hanging in the hallway...it's one of those lonely obsessions where you never meet anyone else who has seen it...!
*Everyone has a favorite Gundam, mine is the original and Zeta, and then Seed/Seed Destiny (I think this was one was less popular in the US because the character designs are a little juvenile, but I liked it quite a bit).
*I LOVE the Space Battleship Yamato reboot. Can't wait to see the new season.
*Five Star Stories never got a great adaptation but it's still worth seeing if you can, IMO, because it has such interesting design.
*Macross: Do You Remember Love? is one of my favorite anime movies, unfortunately it can be hard to see much Macross because of the rights issues with Harmony Gold.
*Next on my list to see is Ideon.
@@lidiyafoxgloveauthor
* WOW I WAS HOPING YOU'D SAY THAT. I've very coincidentally been researching Legend of the Galactic Heroes for the past week, which is why this sentence in your video made my ears perk up. I guess I'm gonna have to finally go in on the original, even though it's a pain to find and watch (HiDive is apparently the service to use to watch it? I think the LotGH subreddit is our friend here, but the first movie is here on TH-cam).
*This is great to know because I've always been curious about Gundam but really really don't know where to start, ditto for Space Battleship Yamato.
*On a related note, I would love to hear your take on why Epic Sci Fi Romance basically isn't a genre on par with romantasy. Or at least it appears to me, but I grew up on the boy-coded side of nerddom, so I've got blind spots.
@@Jack-gs6sd Oh, that's good to know. The first movie is a great taste of LoGH. Hopefully you can find the rest, it's such a bummer that it's really hard to share with anyone, although it's also not a series you recommend casually...
Also with Gundam, I would begin at the beginning. It's classic for a reason. But if you have limited time, there are a few movies that condense the original series down and they do quite a good job. That was how I first watched it.
I suspect sci-fi romantasy isn't as much of a thing because sci-fi IS very male coded, especially in the west. I think that might be cracking a bit? It'll be interesting to see how the next 10 years go with that. There have certainly been some good ones here and there. Tanith Lee's Silver Metal Lover is one of my favorite SFF romantic stories, though it might lean a little sad to truly qualify as a romance.
I really enjoyed this video. For me my first inspiration was comic books, I loved Batman, Superman, Flash and Green Lantern. Later, I discovered Edgar Rice Burroughs. I read Tarzan and then John Carter of Mars and all of the more obscure books Burroughs wrote. From there I found Asimov's Foundation and robot series, and later The Lord of the Rings. I think Anime is wonderful, but it was not as accessible when I was a kid. My sons love it, though.
I love your content.
That saxophone song during your Char montage! Ha! Wonderful.
The most time consuming part of this video was trying to find suitably sexy sax music in the YT free music library!!
@@lidiyafoxgloveauthor You succeeded! It was perfect! Thanks for the pixel art link, btw.
The Emily books remain my favorite comfort reads from childhood. There's just something so magical about them.
I write all the genres 🙃well, second world fantasy (dragons and such), near-future SF (post-apoc-ish), Steampunk (crime fiction, action-adventure, erotica) ... when I was young, I consumed every yellow-jacketed Gollancz book I could find in my library (SF & Fantasy), my Dad was an SF fan so I had all the SF classics plus tons of 1950s Astounding Science Fiction mags. I read female authors too: Andre Norton (Alice Mary Norton), Louise Lawrence. I watched Dr Who from the beginning (yes, I'm that old and British), Blake's 7, Star Trek, all the Gerry Anderson TV shows from Fireball XL5 to UFO and Space:1999. Later I hit Sam Delany's Babel 17 and Dhalgren, which blew my white middle-class mind.
Did they inspire me? Honestly I don't know but they were the foundation.
Despite all that I didn't start writing until I was 15 and "by accident" started to read Laurie Lee's "Cider with Rosie". I was shocked to discover that words could be beautiful and I wanted to do that. I never have, of course, I'll never write like him but I do write like me and people seem to like it.
hmmm you know I always re watch the pirates of dark water. so sci-fi fantasy stuff also ELFQUEST! I looove it!
For the last year or so, I've decided one of the things I needed to do was reconnect with my long ago, almost-reviled youth. I was passionate (oddly so, because everyone's ubiquitous remark ,"You're weird!" still resounds) and a lot of my moral and inner workings had yet to slide into that slippery slope of toleration and out-and-out embracing).Swaths of time periods, art especially, but also music, dance and Goddess-knows, the books carried me to the shores of "Iwannabethere". I really enjoy your channel! Thank you for sharing. I'm an old lady with few teeth, in an unattractive setting, who can do "stuff". I have a lot of interesting people I've met through out my days. I've not been able to get past the revulsion side of me to get to the sharing-is-caring side of me to find things to upload to TH-cam. I will not only have to spin a new tale I think, but really work harder to reach past all these despite. Thank you for putting yourself out there.
I would absolutely love to see you do a break down of some plot, world, characters, themes, and even more about your personal interest in Elf Quest! I love hearing the way you talk about it. I don't know if I would like to sit down and read the whole thing myself, but I think you definitely make it sound super cool and I'd like to know more. :)
I do have a "world-building of Elfquest" video on my list at some point, so there will be at least one deeper dive & maybe more if that one has interest.
3k already????? Let's go!!
I think this has helped me understand anime more and why people (esp of my generation) respect it so much. I guess it has always been more advanced in character depth compared to western cartoons. It's kind of sad really how much us western sci fi fans have *wanted* more of those character moments - like even in the 70s most Star Trek/Wars fanfic was just about giving us the chance to see our heroes hanging out.
I dated someone once who loved Velvet Goldmine and had it on VHS...but i still haven't seen it. Love Bowie's music though.
Yes, it's really weird to me how a lot of western media just didn't get what fans wanted. ESPECIALLY female fans, though spec fic fandom in general was rather misunderstood here. And yet somehow in Japan I feel like they were just much better into tapping into those desire. I find this very fascinating.
Girls' Last Tour was something that heavily influenced me. It's a slice of life anime and manga that has two girls traveling the remains of a war torn world. Keep making stuff, your videos are really inspiring! It makes me want to start writing
Capricorns unite! 😉🥰👍
What a great video!! I’m so glad the algorithm plopped you into my “recommended list.” :) 100% same with ElfQuest. I discovered EQ when I was around 11 and it became one of the biggest creative influences in my life. My other massive influences: probably D&D (roleplaying games in general), and a whole long list of ‘80s fantasy & sci-fi movies. 👽⚔️
great video, i grew up on elfquest and Cutter was a badass. keep going with the videos i feel like your my twin as a writer, just on the other side
Glad there are some more Elfquest fans here!! Thank you!
I loved Susan Cooper’s “The Dark is Rising” series, but I honestly skipped most of the pre-teen books or young adult books and when straight into adult fiction by the time I was 11.
I mean...they didn't even really have YA in the 80s, 90s & before, or barely. My library had one little spinner rack. It was mostly problem novels with girls in big sweaters...
Precisely. I’m 37 and when I was first really getting into reading there were plenty of kids books and maybe a handful of options for YA and none of them appealed to me - I grew up wanting to be the knight rather than the damsel in distress. Still do for that matter.
I just love creating fantasy in my mind but I have never found any books to match up with it. I am probably going to give some of your books and reading list a try.
I've been influenced by a ton of media over the years, but Legend of Zelda shaped me more than anything. So much of my creative drive was sparked by that series in early elementary school, and it is still such a huge part of me.
Great story to hear (even though I have no idea who you are, I found it very interesting and relatable). I aslo did a similar journey in clothing style, started wearing a lot of vintage, black and then skirts. Today I basically only wear skirts, and they've become a defining part of my style, but i remember being sooo nervous about it the first time I tried it. (No-one cared at first, eventually I got compliments.) One doesn't need to have a thought through style, just one piece of clothing that you like at a time will eventually build up to something that'll just feel like yourself after a while.)
I loved Elfquest for the first several years it was published.
I grew up reading lots of comics and science fiction and that is all influencing my writing now.
But my primary influence is the TV series Twin Peaks.
I'm a consummate dabbler and a sponge, so even today (well into middle age), I'm finding new things to fold into my inspiration mélange. "Mélange." Ain't I fancy. Even though I get obsessed with things, that obsession tends to be short-lived, and then the object of that obsession either falls away or becomes part of a giant seething mass of brain-chaos, to be randomly spit back out while I'm trying to write. Over the last 15 or so years, a lot of new inspiration has come from history and science reading, as opposed to fiction. But once in a while, I'll still read something that changes the way I think about telling stories.
I discovered Elfquest at about the same age you did, and I remember being blown away by it. I recently picked it up and read it again for the first time in 30+ years, and it's still an impressive work, and wild when you see its place in comic history. Other books I found around the same time that had profound influences include stuff like A Wrinkle in Time and A Princess of Mars. I also read a ton of Andre Norton books. If you'd asked 10 or 11 year old me who his favorite author was, it would have been her. Norton's work could be a bit repetitive (orphan boy turns out to be special and saves the day...in space!), but she was great fun to read at that age. Island of Blue Dolphins is another book I remember being obsessed with as a youngster. I was (and am) a rabid movie watcher, and seeing a bunch of Humphrey Bogart films when I was 10 or 11 definitely rewrote my brain a bit. A lot of my male leads have at least some of Bogart's Rick Blaine and Sam Spade in them.
I wonder what it says about me that I often connected with female characters, especially the bold, weird, or convention defying ones. Two of my first crushes as a kid were Amelia Earhart and Sally Ride (Uhura from Trek, Lynda Carter's Wonder Woman, and Wilma from Buck Rogers being the others). And I frequently sided with the Femme Fatale, or wanted the movie to eventually do so, when watching Film Noir. I was 12 when I saw Beetlejuice in the theater, and Lydia helped define my early teen years and Goth-dabbling phase. I know a lot of that makes it into my writing. Two of the protagonists of my current WIP are hyper-competent, outsider women who defy cultural expectations, and get the job done while others waffle. One is inspired by Josephine Baker and the other is my take on Conan.
Ah writing. Where we try desperately to put on paper all the weird things in our brains that we should probably tell a psychologist, and hope complete strangers enjoy reading it.
This is such a great list. I was Lydia for Halloween when I was 10 or so! The cartoon version, because that made for a more recognizable outfit & it was hot at the time, although the movie was of course much better! My pen name is, certainly, in part because I have loved the name Lydia ever since. (But I spelled it differently because there was a real Lydia Foxglove out there when I googled it...)
You my dear, are brilliant. I'm so excited you came to the Tube and I found you. My inspiration was TV in the 70s which led me to fanfic. I honed my writing skills on oh so many hurt/comfort tales, torturing my TV heroes so they could then be emotionally and dramatically saved by -- yes usually by the "male" me. So yes, you are in every way, speaking my language! Keep em coming.
Awesome. I'm glad this was identifiable!!
Redwall was my obsession. Swords and cute animals! What more can you ask for in a series. Also Anne Mcaffrey and Mercedes Lackey, though they were when I was in high school.
I also wanted to write male characters. It's only in my late twenties that I started exploring female characters more.
One of my good friends when I was 11, 12ish also loved Redwall. It wasn't my thing at the time buuut it probably would be now. I'm all into the comforting reads and food and such now...
I've got the first Redwall and thanks for the other series recommends! I like Kpop "characters" male and female :).
@@PauladaleMcLean I haven't read them since middle school so I don't know how they hold up. Some species are inherently good and some are evil, which I find less appealing as an adult. But I think that sort of simple morality still can work in a fantasy setting. And there were more nuanced characters too.
My brain chemistry was altered when around the age of 10 I discovered the series of books on metro 2033. it's a long series about the post-apocalyptic world, which ultimately led to me currently writing my first book with a big love for apocalypses. The same goes for Warhammer 40k, the world so big it ingests you and your soul). and, as for the love of fantasy, the doctor who series helped a lot. It was a first ever show I watched and fell deeply in love.
My partner is into Warhammer! I can really appreciate the depth of lore there.
Growing up I lived directly next door to my elementary school and right across the street from my small public library. It was my second home! Back then there was a lack of fantasy books in mine as well so I ate up The Hardy Boys, choose your adventure books and archeology books. When my teacher asked everyone what they wanted to be when they grow up I responded with “Indiana Jones & a keeper of mysterious books”. I think I stumped my class, teacher included.😂 I loved your inspiration books and I’m awe of your Elfquest book! Congratulations on your growing channel♥️
Oh yeah Choose Your Own Adventure were so awesome. I had some of the fantasy ones as well where you'd roll dice and stuff. I had some fantasy novels from our awesome used bookstore, but there, too, the book 1s were usually absent! Very envious of living in walking distance of a library, I dreamed of that as a kid & would have LIVED there.
Hahahahaaa if Henry Higgins was less gay 😂😂😂😂 i wasnt expecting that, I haven't watched that movie for so long 😂
ZUBILEY ZOO ME TOO BRAVO FOX SAME SAME
VELVET GOLDMINE! BOWIE! CHAR ANSIBLE! I am probably misspelling things but whatevs, joy.
What!?!? Have we ever talked about this?
NOPE I was obsessed with that show as a kid.@@lidiyafoxgloveauthor
noice
Poor, poor books 😞📚.
Great Vid!
Do you read Elfquest in color or black and white?
I read them all originally in single issue black and white, painstakingly collected from comic book shops over a couple of years pre-internet, but do have some of the color graphic novels as well.
I want to like BW... I know it is authentic to how the work was originally experienced, etc. But. Color pretty.@@lidiyafoxgloveauthor
@@thebeaglebeagle I like both, and I also gotta have the letters sections and stuff so I have largely single issues. Although I also really preferred the color in the original Starblaze graphic novels which apparently Wendy HATED, so I feel kinda bad about that! But I can't help liking them!
I am s so happy I found this channel. I enjoy how down-to-earth and genuine you are. Watching your videos makes me feel like I'm just chilling with a cool writing aunt!