My last post gave the rundown of The Agency and I cut it short before I went into detail about the inspiration behind it because I draw inspiration from a lot of sources and knew that the inspiration section might get a little long. Still, I wanted to share the inspiration with you because I like to give credit where credit is due and possibly point other writers to sources of inspiration they might be able to use in their work to put their own spin on things.
The Agency Inspiration
The Agency draws inspiration from a variety of sources. The format for the stories were first and foremost inspired by The Magnus Archives, a podcast involving an archivist and the supernatural centered around the Magnus Institute. It's a great podcast so feel free to check it out here.
The Agency is also somewhat inspired by the SCP Foundation, at least as far as there is an agency that works to contain entities that cause unusual events. That's where the similarities end, however. Admittedly, I'm not that familiar with the SCP stories, though I do love that it's a collaborative effort. You can find them here.
When I joined Reddit, I found that there was a user who posted stories on r/nosleep that were in transcript format as well, though theirs involved more description. Their stories were weird, eerie, and sometimes scary enough that I thought twice about reading them at night. Their stories kept me hooked and even now I get excited every time I see they've posted a new one. If you're fond of the transcript-style of stories or just want to read something unsettling, you can find their work here.
"Location 078U", one of the stories in the collection, is inspired by the creepypasta story, "The Disappearance of Ashley, Kansas" (available here) and also the short story "The Night Wire" by H.F. Arnold, written in 1926 (found here). If you've got the time, you should consider giving these both a read. They have some similarities and contributed to the creation of "Location 078U."
Aside from things found on the internet, The Agency is also inspired by real world events. The lost colony of Roanoke, Centralia, the Dyatlov Pass Incident, the Salish Sea and the feet that wash up on shore, Chernobyl, the Bermuda Triangle, the RMS Titanic sinking, the destruction of the Essex, the Tunguska Event, and the Flannan Isles lighthouse with the vanished lighthouse keepers are all sources of inspiration for stories in The Agency. Currently, the only ones written inspired by real life events are the ones inspired by Centralia and the Tunguska Event.
Going on a different tract, I once read a post on a website that I can't remember the name of now given that it was several years ago, that had stories of real-life creepy events that effected one person. One of these stories was about a lighthouse statue, a wicker one, that this person saw at two different suicides and in photos of a couple others. The same lighthouse. This story in particular stuck with me, clearly, since I can remember details about it but not where I found it or whose story it was, and inspired the first story I wrote for The Agency.
In my spare time, I also enjoy listening to the YouTube channels "Top 5 Scary Videos" and "MostAmazingTop10," as well as "Buzzfeed Unsolved Network." I can't remember for sure which of the first two it was, but one of them mentioned a well that is supposedly cursed while there's been at least two mentions of a house being watched for its "second coming." Naturally, these three channels are full of inspiration. In the case of "Buzzfeed Unsolved Network," it's also good to watch if you're interested in cryptids, aliens, ghosts, demons, and unsolved disappearances and murders. This also inspired an entry based in part on the Cecil Hotel.
Another source of inspiration comes from my familiarity with role-playing books, specifically the World of Darkness game lines. In particular, the book Mysterious Places inspired two different entries, only one of which has been written ("Location 014Q").
I've also drawn inspiration from movies that I've watched. An artifact that the Agency will need to retrieve was inspired by the Syfy movie Snowmageddon while a location the Agency will likely quarantine (if they can figure out how) was inspired by the movie YellowBrickRoad. Snowmageddon is a good movie for a bit of holiday horror with a dash of action while YellowBrickRoad is more of the cerebral "what did I watch" kind of horror movie.
I'm also inspired by cryptids, folklore, and historical events. For example, Spring-Heeled Jack sightings from 1837, the Pied Piper of Hamelin, and the Devil Whale are all sources of inspiration
I'll end this with one last source of inspiration. One as of yet unwritten story was something that happened to me when I still lived at home with my mother and her dog. She bought a long red coat that she loved, but she only kept it a few nights, then took it back because when she hung it in front of her closet (it wouldn't fit in her closet), her dog would sit on the bed and stare at it all night. The coat went back to the store and everything went back to normal. Naturally, that's inspired an artifact for the Agency to send collectors after.
This is just the list as of now. I'm still working on The Agency which means that the list of inspiration could grow. I didn't just list off all my sources of inspiration for fun, though I do actually enjoy making lists. I made this list to show that inspiration can come from anywhere. I know this seems like something that should be obvious, but it's important that writers know that it's the truth.
When I was young, back before I was able to write, I would ride in the truck with my parents (both truckers) and look at the landscape. One of my earliest memories is of sitting in the passenger seat staring out at the flat, almost desert landscape and telling my mother a story I made up on the fly about a little girl who lived in the desert, got lost, and needed coyotes to help her get home. Was it as coherent as it was here? Likely no. Was it a good story? Again, no. But that was the first story I told and the inspiration for it was the scenery around me. Another example of scenery as inspiration is a story I wrote that involved a fight with a demon masquerading as a mall Santa in a crowded mall featuring an escalator that collapses. The inspiration? I was in the mall and happened to see an escalator. That's it.
Inspiration strikes at the oddest of times from the strangest of places sometimes. And it doesn't always involve locations. I've been inspired by jewelry, music, books, movies, TV shows, role-playing games, cartoons, anime, manga. If you're a writer and you're struggling for inspiration or if you want to start writing but don't think you have any ideas or know where to begin, that's okay. It will come to you in time. Take a break, stop staring at the blank page you're trying to fill with words. Take a walk, read, watch something. Anything. Don't try to force inspiration. It happens when it happens. There's also no shame in being inspired by something you've read or watched.
Barbara Grizzuti Harrison said, "There are no original ideas. There are only original people."
The idea of a school for wizards did not spring into existence because of J.K. Rowling. The idea of an agency that collects the strange and paranormal and documents it is not unique to The Magnus Archives, SCP Foundation, or me. What makes the ideas unique is the creators because no two people can be given the same topic and come up with exactly the same thing. There will always be something different about it. Creators will always put their own spin on things and that will set their work apart.
For examples, when I say the words "space opera" what springs to mind? If you said Star Wars, you're right. If you said Star Trek, you're also right. Both of these fall into the genre of space opera, but they're completely different. Even some movies from the Marvel Cinematic Universe qualify, though most wouldn't think of that.
So, I say again: There is no shame in being inspired by things you read or watch. Don't plagiarize, but let it inspire you.
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