My writing inspirations

Inspiration 1

One of my favourite ever writers is Thomas Hardy, he gave voice to the common folk and in Far From The Madding Crowd, gave voice to a young girl.  This book has made such an indelible mark upon me.  Ever since reading it way back in my teens I think about that book a lot, not daily but weekly I'm sure, impossible to speculate but suffice to say I think about it a lot.  It drifts in and out of my thoughts regularly.  I can't actually remember much about it, all the facts, the twists and turns. But I do, still to this day retain the feeling it left me.  So much so that when I was writing The Highwaygirl it seeped in and out of my thoughts a lot.  Bathsheba Everdene, the heroine, the name alone gave rise to great inspiration, let alone her actual story.  She was feisty and naive, I loved her and her struggles as a young woman trying to find herself.  She faced those struggles all alone, no guidance, no mentors.  She relied on her gaul and her wits, I loved Bathseba Everdene and I love Thomas hardy for bringing a young woman's voice to the fore.  She was tough, a survivor to the core.  She inspired my Beatrice in The Highwaygirl.  Thomas Hardy's Dorset countryside also inspired.  As a lover of nature I tried to let the nature also seep into The Highwaygirl.  I think Far From The Madding Crowd inspired me more than I had consciously thought.  Only now writing this blog and bringing my thoughts to light and onto paper does this become apparent.

Inspiration 2

My next inspiration was the BBC series Gentleman Jack.  Again I loved it.  The true story of a woman running her own love life, her own farm and her own business back in 19th century England. Whenever I thought my book was too outlandish of an idea, I would think of Gentleman Jack which would then squash those doubts.  Ann Lister like Bathsheba,, was a landed gentry woman.  She ran her farm and businesses defiantly as a woman, living against the grain and the social norms. 

Inspiration 3

I saw a documentary years back about the real life scandalous story of Lady Worsely, also known as  Seymour Dorothy Fleming.  She stood defiantly in the face of 18th century society, in the face of public shaming, in the face of bigotry and hypocrisy.  The court case she was involved in was a scandalous affair but despite its shaming, Lady Worsely remained unapologetic of her behaviour.  She definitely inspired me for my character of Beatrice in The Highwaygirl.  Her grit behind the aristocratic veneer.

Inspiration 4

The zodiac sign of Aries.  I love this star sign, bold, leadership, impulsive, courageous, determined, honest, impatient, fiery, competitive, attention seeking, passionate, brave, rebellious. Beatrice was all of those and more.  This star sign just continually breathed through me as I wrote.  Ariens are tough, have a thick skin, they are survivors!  Beatrice was a survivor, unapologetically so.