At least 3 of my novels have been partly inspired by nostalgia. “The Poor Singer of an Empty Day” came to life while I was living in Herrenberg, Germany. One morning I woke up feeling nostalgic for England and, in particular, for my childhood – hence the dedication and the fact that the book takes place in the places in which I grew up. I clearly submitted to these fond memories and moments I wanted to recapture, and the book is proof of that.
I wrote “The Schoenbuch Forest” after returning to England and I found that photos of my stay in Germany, certain smells or pieces of music were setting off thoughts of Herrenberg, walks in the Schoenbuch Forest, and the grave in the forest clearing.
“Whispers in the Hearts of Men” was also a product of looking back and evaluating my life and asking questions like, “How did my one-year stay in Jordan influence me?” I think the novel reflects this question. The protagonist, Richard Chambers, returns to the region and finds himself trapped in the past against his will.
If nostalgia begins to take over your thoughts and feelings and you start to think that the past was a better place than the present, take heed! Remind yourself that our imaginations tend to recall the past in an unrealistic light. Memories are, perhaps, rather like the photos we take on our phones. At some point after the pic is taken we use PhotoEditor to touch them up before posting them on Facebook. As time goes by, it is the touched-up photo we recall and not the original event.
So, the truth is one thing and, perhaps, the edited photo is quite another. Indulge in your fantasies if you must but please do not fall into the trap of believing that everything was better in the past. Be more positive and use nostalgia to write your novel!
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