NOVA
asked
Sarah Noffke:
What made you think of the plot of the books? Do the characters resemble people in your daily life or your friends?
Sarah Noffke
Great question. Thanks! I'll answer the second part first, since it's a little shorter of an answer. My characters definitely resemble people from my life. In some instances they're conglomerations of people I've known throughout the years. In some instances, they're interesting people I worked with and knew had to become book characters (shhh...they must never know). And then in other instances they are constructed from small inspirations in my daily life: my friends, my daughter, myself. People who know me realize they're in serious danger of being put in my books. :)
How I came up with the plot for the book: Well, I’ve always been fascinated by dreams and the paranormal all my life. There was a time in college that I thought about becoming a paranormal psychologist. Instead I became a writer. Choices.
I was a work-at-home mom at the time that I concocted the idea for the Lucidites. I started by talking about premise ideas to my infant. She offered little feedback, but plenty of inspiration. The idea for an ancient villain came to me when I was reading about Zhuangzi, who was a Taoist philosopher. He said, “Once upon a time, I dreamt I was a butterfly, fluttering hither and thither, to all intents and purposes a butterfly. I was conscious only of my happiness as a butterfly, unaware that I was myself. Soon I awaked, and there I was, veritably myself again. Now I do not know whether I was then a man dreaming I was a butterfly, or whether I am now a butterfly, dreaming I am a man.”
Once I read this I quickly latched onto the idea of a villain who was once good, but became corrupt through greed. And so Zhuang was born, but he dreamt himself as things much more threatening than a butterfly. Maybe most writer’s start with creating the hero, but in my case I started with the antagonist. From there the idea of stealing consciousness through dreams took shape and everything fell into place…well kind of. That’s all a story for another time.
How I came up with the plot for the book: Well, I’ve always been fascinated by dreams and the paranormal all my life. There was a time in college that I thought about becoming a paranormal psychologist. Instead I became a writer. Choices.
I was a work-at-home mom at the time that I concocted the idea for the Lucidites. I started by talking about premise ideas to my infant. She offered little feedback, but plenty of inspiration. The idea for an ancient villain came to me when I was reading about Zhuangzi, who was a Taoist philosopher. He said, “Once upon a time, I dreamt I was a butterfly, fluttering hither and thither, to all intents and purposes a butterfly. I was conscious only of my happiness as a butterfly, unaware that I was myself. Soon I awaked, and there I was, veritably myself again. Now I do not know whether I was then a man dreaming I was a butterfly, or whether I am now a butterfly, dreaming I am a man.”
Once I read this I quickly latched onto the idea of a villain who was once good, but became corrupt through greed. And so Zhuang was born, but he dreamt himself as things much more threatening than a butterfly. Maybe most writer’s start with creating the hero, but in my case I started with the antagonist. From there the idea of stealing consciousness through dreams took shape and everything fell into place…well kind of. That’s all a story for another time.
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