In the previous article, we learned what general ideas I used for inspiration. I wanted to drill down into some stories with specific influences. Stay tuned for big (not really) (not so) secrets.

Runner’s Rise: Road to Pro. This was almost a direct influence from a song. Problem by Nova Rockafeller. I will warn you that there is some adult language in the music. I can’t tell you how I found this artist with me being a rock and metal heavy listener. The song had given me a vibe and I started to run with it. The emotions and energy inspired a short story which then grew into a whole novel.

The Candle. This short story, and many of the others I have written, have come from some form of tabletop roleplaying game. It was written during a time of learning Pathfinder. The idea came from going through the many books I have. Page after page of inspiration for Game Masters and players alike in how to form the characters and the world. The Bestiarys are great sources for lore and story ideas. A lot of the Dungeon Master or Game Master books come with world-building tips as well.

Surprise! I have work that is currently not finished and not named! I have another novella that is in the works and is horror. The influence for this song is Animals by Ice Nine Kills which is a metal cover of the Maroon 5 song. This was another short story that morphed into something much larger. I took this song more literally than figuratively when writing the story. It is likely this story will see some form of publication in the future.

And that is it, for now. There are a lot of influences that I can’t pinpoint as well for specific stories but have come from the collective experiences I have. I hope you enjoy the read and would love to hear about the inspiration you have had! Thank you and have a great day!

-Vincent