My Inspiration
When I write, I find a lot of inspiration through music. I think building a soundtrack for a book is a great way to figure out the aesthetics of the story and helps set the tone for the novel. Listening to music that matches the mood of the narrative, whether that’s chapter by chapter or the book as a whole, it’s an easy way to get past writer’s block and put yourself back in the right headspace without much effort. I love to create playlists for most pieces I write and this one was especially fun because of the setting. I tried to find music that emulated the emotional struggle and isolation of the main character Katie, but also the turbulence and whimsy of the Black Hole.
I first discovered this interview last summer when I fell into a youtube hole about the science behind the movie ‘Interstellar’. Kip Thorne is a Theoretical Physicist who, while working on the film, discovered a new layer of horizon that surrounds the astrological phenomenon. I became completely enraptured by this interview, especially his discussion of how someone passing through a blackhole doesn’t realise they’re crossing the horizon until it’s too late. As someone who has struggled with mental illness, it reminded me a lot of my own bouts of depression, how I didn’t feel myself slipping away until I was already gone. I also was fascinated by the part where he talks about watching someone on the outside of the Black Hole speed up through time and wither away before you. I was struck by the image of someone watching time and space warp around them, seeing a thousand reflections of themselves, all passing through the threshold, over and over again. It hit me that that was how I felt, like I could see myself continuously falling into a hole but couldn’t do anything about it. From there, Void took form. Whenever I hit a roadblock, I always came back to these videos and I’ve enjoyed my scientific self-education just as much as I’ve enjoyed writing this story.