Wattpad brings you a guest post from writer J.A. Marlow on her writing inspirations:
My love for the written word started early. Both of my parents were readers, and I loved to climb on their laps with volumes of an animal encyclopedia full of pictures. Typical story children’s books weren’t enough for me. I thirsted for knowledge, and the answer to all those ‘why?’ questions every toddler asks.
I still remember being fascinated that the dark marks on the page could mean things. How I wanted to figure out what they meant so I could read to myself!
Fast forward to school. I took to reading and writing like a duck to water. Soon, I was writing my own simple stories, frustrated to get better so I could tell stories like those in the books around me.
My mother was a writer and she used to set up her typewriter on the kitchen table. Well, what kid doesn’t want to mimic their parents? When she realized I wanted to ‘write my own stories, Mom!” she put up an old manual typewriter for me to work on. When she wrote, so did I. I was so little and my fingers not very strong, so I had to push the keys down with two fingers to make it work, but, by gum, I was going to write my own stories, too!
“Dick and Jane” clinched that I wanted to some day be published. I can still remember sitting at my desk in class, looking at it and thinking, “THIS is what can get published and put in every school in the country? I can do better than this! Wow, am I gonna get published!”
Overall, I was pretty much doomed to become a writer.
Many things influenced the type of stories I would go on to write. Other than books, the sometimes campy television shows and movies of the 70’s and 80’s influenced me greatly. Which ones? Glad you asked!
1. Star Wars
The first movie came out when I was pretty young. The second movie, “The Empire Strikes Back,” is what stuck with me more than the first one. Then came “Return of the Jedi,” leaving the impression forever of fun science fiction adventure behind.
2. Battle of the Planets
This translation from Japan (original: Science Ninja Team Gatchaman) was Sandy Frank’s answer to the phenomena of Star Wars. Wow, did it catch on with me. Planetary invasions, an elite team, superhero bird suits, an imperfect team dynamic… what a contrast to what else was showing on TV at the time. The series has remained with me down to this day.
3. Buck Rogers of the 25th Century
Buck Rogers lasted for 2 seasons, with the second drastically changed from the first. The first season is the one I remember fondly. The moment the DVD set came out, I bought it. It’s pure fun action-adventure science fiction, with plenty of battles, fights, skimpy clothes, and space flight to keep a growing love of science fiction happy.
4. Battlestar Galactica (Original)
Campy fun. I still love watching the original Battlestar Galactica, and wish it had gone on longer than it did (I choose to ignore Galactica 1980. Heh.). The characters were great, story exciting, with the search of the ‘mythical Earth.’ There was so much to love in this show.
5. Might Orbots
This animated shot lived a short 13 episode series shown among the cartoons that filled the airwaves each Saturday morning. It was written by a US team, but then animated in Japan, giving it luscious visuals. The fun of the characters, the quality of the animation, and the fact that in the 13th episode it actually had an ending, set it apart from other robot animation and made up for the silliness of the narrator. It’s still a guilty pleasure.
6. M.A.S.K. (Mobile Armored Strike Kommand)
This was yet another of what are called a “30-minute toy commercials” combining contemporary cars with vehicle who can transform. I still remember waiting to see what the agents would be doing in their personal lives when the call came out for them to join the M.A.S.K. team on a mission. One of the things that set it apart from so many of the other toy commercials such as Transformers or G.I. Joe was the fun the writers had with taking legends and myths we have in our world and finding answers to them.
7. Star Trek: The Next Generation
The original Star Trek series was before my time, but thanks to syndication I did see all the episode. However, when “Star Trek: The Next Generation” started, I quickly became a faithful viewer. The episodes ranged across all sorts of adventures with engaging characters, a ship that was a character in and of itself, visited worlds of wonder, and pickles to get out of. The show carried me off into new places to explore, ideas to think about, and thereby expanding my own writing repertoire.
Other popular media helped shape me into the writer I am today, but those are the big ones. Wow, do they all bring back memories. Just thinking about them makes me want to write!
So, how about all of you? What science fiction movie, TV show, or animation do you find inspiring?
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J.A. Marlow is a science fiction writer who loves great plots, interesting characters, and exotic locales accompanied by a sense of wonder.
The Salmon Run series currently consists of 4 books, beginning with “Night of the Aurora” which is available here at Wattpad. They can be found at all major retailers including Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords. Print copies are available at Amazon.