The Machinery Of The Universe

When I was thirteen years old, I used to get tonsillitis on a regular basis – really badly sometimes. I remember one occasion in particular. I was off school, in bed with a raging sore throat and a high temperature, alternating between fits of shivering and feeling as though I were burning up. I fell asleep in the middle of the morning and woke several hours later to find the room filled with unearthly music that seemed to be coming from somewhere outside the house.

Struggling out of bed, I staggered weakly over to the window and drew back the curtain. I will never forget what I saw. The sky was full of golden clouds and, as I watched, they slowly parted while the music swelled climactically, as though some enormous celestial organ were being played. A great gap was revealed in the sky and in that gap I could see cogs turning, wheels revolving and pistons moving back and forth. I realised that I was being granted a vision of the machinery of the universe.

Okay, so I was hallucinating. But that hallucination was one of the most beautiful and awe-inspiring sights I have ever witnessed and it has remained with me for the rest of my life. It’s the reason I have chosen to write fantasy. Of course, I know the universe doesn’t really have the inner workings of a giant alarm clock. But imaginary representations of the forces that determine our world can be tremendously profound. They can hint at truths we cannot easily explain, except through symbols, imagery, allegory and myth.

I think I’ve always, instinctively known this. That’s why, when I recovered from tonsillitis, I didn’t dismiss that vision as the product of a fevered brain. I tucked it away in my memory and returned to it frequently, to remind myself of what I'd seen. And I made a promise that one day I would find a way of generating such visions that did not require a raging temperature.

Of course, this is why people take mind-altering drugs. They want to be able to inhabit the state in which such visions are available on a regular basis. However, I’m pleased to say I’ve found a way that is more reliable than tonsillitis and much less damaging than psychedelic drugs. It’s called fiction.

Romeo And Rosaline

The number one question every author gets asked is this: ‘Where do you get your inspiration?’ So I’ve decided to tackle it head on. The way I see it, getting an idea for a story is like falling in love. How do you go about falling in love? Well there are plenty of theories. You’ve probably got your own. One of the most popular seems to be that it just happens to you by itself. You’re sitting on the bus, a woman/man gets on and bang! Cupid’s arrow has hit its mark.

While I like this idea (I have to confess, I’m a big romantic), I don’t think it describes the experience completely. For one thing, it leaves out the necessary pre-condition for falling in love. You have to be open to love. You have to really want the experience. If you don’t, you just look up when Mr or Ms Right boards the bus, your heart skips a beat, but then you say to yourself, ‘Naah! What am I thinking of?’ and go back to staring gloomily out the window.

Of course just wanting to be in love isn’t enough on its own. You do need to exercise a little judgement and you can’t always be guaranteed to get it right. That’s why so many people who end up falling in love in a big way, often have a false romance first. They’re so keen to fall in love, they jump the gun and convince themselves they’ve found the person they want to spend the rest of their lives with. Then, when the Real McCoy comes along, they have to do some nifty footwork to disentangle themselves.

Shakespeare recognises this phenomenon. Romeo and Juliet, regarded by many as one of the greatest love stories of all time, begins with Romeo besotted by Rosaline. That’s why he goes to the party where he first sees Juliet – he thinks Rosaline will be there.

It’s just the same with ideas for stories. You can’t make them come just by whistling but you can help the process along by being receptive. You have to put yourself in positions where you will encounter ideas that might suddenly spring to life in your imagination. You have to stir up your creativity by reading books, watching films, listening to music, looking at art, travelling to places you’ve never been before, revisiting places that once meant something to you – anything that might spark your imagination and set the ball rolling. And then you have to wait and hope that sooner or later a story will hop on board your metaphorical bus and it will be love at first sight.

Of course, like Romeo, you may have to contend with a few false starts. In the world of the writer, there are always more Rosalines than Juliets. You think you’ve found a fabulous story, get all fired up, tell your friends and family how great its going to be, sit down and start to write and it all turns to ashes in front of your very eyes.

Don’t get disheartened. Keep on believing. Sooner or later that perfect plot will appear and when it does, don’t turn away and stare out of the window. Do the right thing: invite it to share your life with you. Because if you want to turn it into a novel, that’s what it’s going to take.