by Nancy Matuszak

Inspiration

I was sitting in a pub with two of my friends one night when I learned that the place in which we were sitting had been featured in a movie called An American Werewolf in London. Happy to be so close to fame, we had some drinks, ate some grub, and wandered on our way. When I returned home I rented the movie for some entertainment. Perhaps we were not so close to fame! I decided I needed to commemorate our evening, and the pub, in a tribute. So I started a short story. Three characters and a pub. Something would happen and be resolved, all in a few pages. That was the plan.

Having no grand scheme in mind, I pulled up a two-paragraph file of an idea I’d had years ago and went from there (because with no plot and thus no real inspiration, I was at a loss as to how to start). Somehow what was supposed to be a short, personal, and unserious “tribute” grew into something more like an actual story. And it kept growing. I wrote from the beginning, plowed my way through the middle, and made up a cool ending, only leaving in a few story gaps that I sincerely hoped my friends would not notice.

They did.

So I had to go back and fill in the gaps. And the story kept growing. Not only did it grow, it mutated. Before I knew it, that two-paragraph beginning I’d borrowed from a long ago idea was gone, and in its place was something coherent, determined, and demanding. Every time I went back to make a change here or there, a new idea was sparked that added to the depth and complexity of the story.

From these humble beginnings sprang Reversal of Days. It’s still growing. I’m not done with it yet. My friends are getting impatient. Tell it to the beast!

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