Finding inspiration in strange places: Cemetaries
One of the wonderful things about being a writer is that there is so much inspiration around you all the time. Much as 'place' is essential in your story, and perhaps even in your writing process, places can spark stories.
Cemetaries are fascinating places. I love the sense of peace and the stillness that they seem to have. They are a good place for reflection and to find a moment of calm. Today's blog looks at how you can use a walk through a cemetary to inspire stories.
Stories are about people, and headstones carry carefully weighed epitaphs which aim to reflect their lives. There are so many stories contained in the headstones.
If you are in need of inspiration, find your nearest cemetary
- Wander through it (armed with your trusty writer's notepad / recording device)
- Look at the headstones, and read the inscriptions. Find one that piques your interest, or hints at a story. One of my favourite poets is Robert Frost, and his epitaph is "I had a lover's quarrel with the world." Other great epitaphs are Winston Churchill's: "I am ready to meet my Maker. Whether my Maker is prepared for the great ordeal of meeting me is another matter. " Or Bette Davis' "She did it the hard way". Those few lines hint at a myriad of stories. How do you quarrel with the world? Think about how you could develop the epitaph into a story. (Be aware though that the actual words may be copyright, so don't use the actual epitaph in your work.)
- Look at the dates and work out the ages, did they die young or old? Is there any indication of how they died? Was it in a war, famine, epidemic, illness, natural disaster?
- Look at relationships - who rests alone, and who is surrounded by family? Are there any conclusions you can draw from that?
- What kind of jobs did they do?
- What does the headstone tell you about the social status of people?
- Can you work out anything about the person's beliefs (or lack thereof!)
- Does anyone still visit the grave? - is it maintained? Are there flowers?
- Look at the names people used, and how they change over time (these can be very useful for character names, but remember not to use someone's whole name - pick one person's first name, and another's surname)
- if none of these questions lead you to a story, then pick any grave, and study it. Write a story about the person resting there, and how they came to rest. (of course, in your story, they don't have to be there still... in which case, why not?)
if you wander from the newer headstones to the oldest, you will see a variation in these answers that reflect the world at different periods of time. That too can create a story.
The trick is to find a thread of something that catches your eye, and then to unravel it, and knit it into a story of your own.