Who says you can’t be a mathematician and a children’s author? Well, I’m not really sure if anyone actually says that, but if they did, I’d just point to myself as the counterexample. (In mathematics, a counterexample is an exception to a proposed general rule.)
I spent the day at a mathematics conference called Cha-Cha days. (Don’t be deceived. There was no dancing involved.) From nine in the morning to ten at night, mathematicians from the South Eastern region of the United States presented their current research. (Myself included. My presentation was on the Dynamics of Nearly Circular Vortex Filaments.)
Anyway, through the course of the day, I not only listened to these presentations from a mathematical standpoint but from a literary one. More than once I found myself taking notes on how I could take someone’s idea and turn it into a plot for my series of books about a teenage superhero.
For example, during a talk by Dr. Demetrios Christodoulides of the University of Central Florida about Optical Airy beams and bullets, I worked out what is going to be book 3 of the Priscilla the Great series. What are Airy beams? I’m glad you asked. Basically, they are self-regenerative beams of light that bend on their own depending on factors of diffraction and dispersion. At this point in the research, they can shoot a beam of light or a bullet of light and have it bend around an object. Of course, they can only do this at the nano level right now, but imagine the implications if they can replicate this on a larger scale. Imagine a bullet that could bend it’s trajectory at will after it’s been shot. Or rather, don’t imagine it. Just read about it in Priscilla the Great 3: The Bending Bullet.
What’s the moral of this story? Inspiration is everywhere. What do you love? What motivates you? What do you think about when your fingers aren’t typing away the next bestseller or begging an agent for attention? I bet your passion would make a great plot. Inspiration is everywhere.
Brilliant!! And who said Mathematicians were dull? Please! Bending bullets? That’s the coolest thing–I mean, I guess not cool if you’re the intended target, but you know what I mean. Fantastic blog on finding inspiration.
Oh, and, really? Vortex filaments? Damn. Way beyond my simple little brain. My head hurt just reading the words.
wow… a bullet of light. Do you know how cool that sounds? I’m mesmerized just by the thought of that. You’re going to be addicted to blogging if you aren’t careful. Doralynn
I’m addicted to blogging! I wish I had more time!
Great post, Sybil. Inspiration is definitely everywhere.
Your post reminds me of a debate I’ve had over the years about outlining and just winging it. In my mind I have always thought the ouliners were more linear in their thinking, more organized- more mathmateical. Do you ouline Sybil? I would be interested in knowing. (I am hopelessly disorganized and need a calculator to add- guess which I am.)
Ann
I do both. Sometimes I do a rough outline other times I just let the story take me. For this series, I find I need to have a definite idea to work around. There’s a lot of science in my fiction so I have to be sure it all works out and is plausible.
Awesome story. Thanks for sharing. I love finding inspiration in the most unexpected places.
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How fascinating! I never would have thought that. Great post.
And here I’ve always thought Math was boring, only to find that Mathematicians get to do such groundbreaking stuff. Yep, there’s inspiration here all right
If you can relate this to baseball, then I’ll be interested.
Love ‘ya Sybs!
Completely agree, however it isn’t math that spurs my juices. Listening to people around me talk about life and music makes my fingers start itching to get in front of my Mac and create.
Thanks for reading!