In Case of Inspiration Emergency: Write an Author Manifesto

Whether you’re a planner or not, there’s one thing every writer will need as they prepare for NaNoWriMo: inspiration. We’ve challenged some of our favorite authors and the NaNo staff to inspire you by sharing what’s inspired them… and challenging you to prepare a specific jumpstart for that inevitable idea drought:

The Inspirer: Marissa Meyer, author of the Lunar Chronicles series

The Inspiration Sources:

The Lord of the Rings , by J. R. R. Tolkien
Pride and Prejudice , by Jane Austen
Sailor Moon

The Jumpstart: What do you love to read and write about? Write a 100-word Author Manifesto for the type of stories you’d like to be known for writing, whether that includes creating new universes, timeless human stories, or awesome girl superheroes.

Why This Will Inspire You: It’s impossible for us creative-types to go through life without being influenced by the art and storytelling we come across every day, but we don’t always recognize our major influencers until we take a moment to reflect.

This year, NaNoWriMo has asked us to do just that.

Here are three works from pop culture that I can now recognize for having had enormous impact on me over the years.

The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien

My uncle gave me The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings when I was in 5th grade, and I can remember reading it during a family camping trip and being so annoyed when I was expected to do things like—go hiking. Or go swim in the river. Or roast marshmallows.
Although I’d read some fantasy before, LOTR were the first books I read in which the author created an entirely new universe. From the mountains to the languages to the orcs to an epic, complex history, everything came out of the author’s imagination. This was eye-opening to me as an aspiring writer, the idea that there was nothing in our real world that could limit me. I could make up my own planets, my own rules, my own everything.

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Elizabeth Bennet has all the hallmarks of a strong, empowered female character, yet this book was written 200 years before strong, empowered female characters were all the rage! While the rules have society may have changed with time, Austen’s works show us that some things simply don’t change all that much. We still want to be appreciated and respected for who we are on the inside, we still want happiness and love and stability in our lives, we still yearn for strong friendships and family bonds.

Trends will come and go, but a timeless story is one that continues to speak to us on a human level, no matter what era we live in.

Sailor Moon and Fanfiction

The biggest obsession from my teen years was the Japanese anime Sailor Moon, which impacted me on so many levels. Though I had always loved the idea of superheroes, this was the first show I remember in which the girls (girls my age, no less!) got to save the world, time and again. It also focused heavily on the importance of friendship, standing up for what’s right, and being true to yourself, all messages that teenage-me needed to hear.

On a more writer-y level, Sailor Moon introduced me to the awesome world of fanfiction and a community that would go on to motivate me to this day. Thanks to the Internet, even kids with the most unusual of interests can find a safe place to let their creativity shine. For me that safe place was Sailor Moon and I’ll always be grateful for it.

Marissa Meyer’s 2008 NaNo novel, Cinder, debuted on the New York Times bestseller list. Marissa lives in Tacoma, WA, with her husband and three cats. She’s a fan of most things geeky (Sailor Moon, Firefly, color-coordinating her bookshelf…) and will take any excuse to put on a costume. She may or may not be a cyborg.