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Kari Trenten

Sources of Inspiration: Less Than Thick Skin

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All of my life, people have been telling me; I need to develop thick skin to truly be a writer.  I’ve never had thick skin. I felt everything intensely. Ever triumph on the page was an emotional high. Every failure was a blow, laying me low.  How could I develop this thick skin I needed? I had no idea how to get it. Besides, my sensitivity gave my writing power. Did I really have to lose it? The answer came to me while watching a Japanese anime called Naruto, named for its main character.  Naruto had a short temper. He … Read more

Sources of Inspiration: Fallen Idols

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All of my life; I’ve been smitten with people, stories, concepts. They show a beauty, a talent, a skill; which transforms them into an ideal, something I aspire to. If this ideal is a person, they become an idol. Too often, my idols fall.  I’ve lost track of the number of artists, writers, and celebrities who’ve disappointed me. The disappointment can be brutal, when they reveal a cruelty, a bigotry, or a predatory nature.  I tell myself I shouldn’t be shocked. The clues about this hidden truth were there all along. I just didn’t pick up on them.  Were the … Read more

Sources of Inspiration: Pain

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I’m feeling a lot of physical pain now; an ache in my joints, an itching soreness in my feet. Perhaps these are the natural results of age or having too much weight upon me.  It’s hard to talk about these things or even write about them. I feel like I’m whining, depressing everyone I discuss my pain with, including myself.  My inclination is to make a joke about my pain, to try to laugh about it with other people. It’s a lot better than being laughed at. For there’s fear at the heart of my jest; fear that my pain … Read more

Sources of Inspiration: Rudeness

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Courtesy is extremely alluring to me, even in story or real life. Rudeness I’ve always found repellent.  I try very hard not to be rude myself. I don’t want the rudeness in the world to grow, swelled by my own. At the same time, it’s very hard not to respond in kind. I find myself visualize doing all sorts of impossible things in retaliation.  I walk straight through the rude people, causing them to shudder with cold or share my hot flashes. My target feels my anger, like a blow.  I imagine the rude person changing into a form that … Read more

Sources of Inspiration: Power

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It’s alluring. It takes on many forms. It corrupts when hoarded. It strengthens many, when shared. It can be used to exploit entire nations, to ravage individuals of their self-respect, to prey upon the vulnerable. It can lift a person to lofty heights they’ve never dreamed of.  Power can be used for great good or great evil; for it can bestow greatness or reveal how small the wielder truly is.  What will you do with power? How will it change your characters? How will it effect everyone around them? Power can be the stuff of legends or nightmares. How it … Read more

Sources of Inspiration: Dualities

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Light and dark; the light casting a shadow. Good and evil struggle against each other, manifesting often in surprising forms.  These are not just the stuff of stories, but the stuff of legends.  I call them into question whenever I write. What is good? What is evil? What do we associate light with goodness while we fear the dark? True, there are things lurking in the dark that frighten us, but the light can burn and blind us.  I wasn’t certain if some of the striking dualities in fiction even existed in reality.  Now, I find myself wondering if they … Read more

Sources of Inspiration: Safe Spaces

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As I grow more and more fragile, I feel increasingly unsafe.  Plot may thrive on conflict, but I need a place, a space, and a time to channel that conflict into words. I need a place of safety to write.  All my life, I’ve felt as if I had to go through daily life, surrounded by enemies. I’ve reached out, searching desperately for allies, for kindred spirits while being screamed at, kicked, and hurt for simply being who I am.  I’ve tried to disappear, blend in, not wanting those enemies to know it was me they were screaming at, kicking, … Read more

Sources of Inspiration: Eternal?

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I call my blog the Cauldron of Eternal Inspiration.  Sometimes I wonder if the very title is a lie. It’s my blog and I’m not eternal. No one is.  Recently, a major source of inspiration dried up, was reclaimed as something I can no longer use.  It wasn’t eternal, any more than I am, but our words remain as long as people read and remember them.  Perhaps this is enough for a writer to be eternal. To be read and remembered.  Perhaps my Cauldron will bubble as long as there’s something to add, stirring the creative juices, sparking creativity in … Read more