But with that being said, I used to drive 3 hours, willingly, to hike on my favorite trail in the Whiteshell region. I am drawn to places dappled by the sun; by babbling brooks; by hidden, moss covered, gardens.
When I started writing the first drafts of Become a few years ago, I never thought that I would be moving from the flats of Manitoba, to the rocky outcroppings of Thunder Bay - a place I had never visited before, yet was completely willing to throw my roots down in. I naturally gravitate to the foresty places of the world, which is hard when you live in a city like Winnipeg. Even so, Become (the story with a hundred WIP names) was always inspired by the Canadian Shield, a place I once vowed to own a "writing cottage" in.
As the drafts progressed, it became easier to write scenery based on the natural beauty of my new home city. I can literally drive ten minutes and be at a place called The Cascades, where the name doesn't disappoint one to the end destination. There is one scene in Become where characters are at a river with a bed of shale, which was inspired directly by the Current River (specifically: Trowbridge Falls).
It never ceases to amaze me how accessible all of this wilderness is, and I am truly thankful for the beauty around me. I imagine that I will continue to be inspired by the locales of Thunder Bay, even if it isn't specified in my writing, for years to come.
No comments:
Post a Comment