We are the stuff of stars, to paraphrase Carl Sagan. Everything we were, everything we are, everything we will be—all formed within ancient celestial bodies now scattered throughout time and space. And when the day finally arrives, and we are no longer shuffling along this mortal coil, we will nurture new life within the earth, and the cycle will continue.
I have often wondered to myself, what if stories, too, are part of this cosmic ebb and flow? What if ideas don’t solely belong to us but instead drift through the ether, waiting for their pattern to be noticed and captured by an attentive mind?
In her book Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear, Elizabeth Gilbert suggests that ideas are independent entities, seeking a willing collaborator to bring them to life. If a writer ignores an idea, it doesn’t disappear—it moves on, seeking someone else. By that logic, are any writer’s ideas truly theirs, or are they simply plucking their essence from the currents of the cosmos as they pass by? Author Christopher Booker, amongst others, suggests that there are only seven basic plots in all the world’s storytelling. That may be true, but the ways in which those seven elements can be woven together are nearly infinite.
However, like trying to count grains of sand in motion, capturing a fleeting story idea can be a challenge—one moment, it’s a crystal-clear vision; the next, it shifts, tumbles, and becomes unrecognisable. As a writer, my task is to reach out and grasp that little part of the code, to recognise the pattern and make a note of it before it slips away and is gone forever. Thankfully, like a good little writer, I keep a notepad handy for just such an occasion.
Perhaps storytelling is a form of cosmic archaeology—unearthing fragments of something timeless, something vast, still waiting to be discovered out there somewhere. If so, then every sentence I craft, every paragraph I polish, and every chapter I put to bed is not just creativity but a continuation of an ancient process as infinite and boundless as the universe itself.
And speaking of universes, it’s now time to bring you up to speed on all things new in the Berryverse and CLAW Resurrection. As a subscriber, you know Resurrection has had a production delay due to circumstances beyond my control. However, this negative has a positive side. Now, the novel is even more action-packed and I believe I have cranked things up to eleven on the action-adventure monster mayhem dial. CLAW Resurrection should be everything for which you’ve been patiently waiting, and much, much more.
Despite the delay, I haven’t been idle and have been actively working on an entirely new addition to CLAW Resurrection’s manuscript! It’s a wild ride, to say the least. Writing it has been cathartic, in a way, and has helped me ease me back into the groove. And just an aside, this new chapter was all thanks to a passing comment made by a good friend. And like a good little writer (see above), I grabbed that idea, ran with it and made it part of the Berryverse.
Next month, along with another update on Resurrection, I will be giving you a NEW chapter preview! On top of that (as if it couldn’t get any better), Abandoned Book 1: Arrivals and Awakenings has been selected for Amazon Prime Reading from March 1st to May 31st. That means if you’re a Prime member, you can now read the first novel in the Abandoned series for FREE! This is a great opportunity for new readers to dive into the series—or if you’ve already enjoyed it, the perfect time to tell your friends they can check it out for free if they have Prime.
And this, finally, brings us to the monthly prize draw portion of the Katie Berry Books Insider Subscriber Newsletter. This month’s autographed copy of a novel of their choice goes to: kimbajl@XXXXXX.com . And this month’s audiobook of their choice goes to: kelly_winxp@XXXXXX.com . Congratulations to you both, and a huge thanks to everyone for being a subscriber. If you didn’t win, there’s always next month for two more chances. And if you’re not a subscriber yet, what’s to lose? You get a chance a two great prizes each month along with two FREE novelettes and two short stories in exchange for your email address, something which I will never, ever share. You can sign up here: https://katieberry.ca/become-a-katie-berry-books-insider-and-win/
So the next time an idea finds you, consider it a cosmic invitation to jot it down. After all, that’s how I wrote CLAW, its sequels and prequels, along with the rest of the Berryverse. Now, the only question is: when inspiration strikes, will you capture it—or let it drift away to find someone else?
Good health and great reads,
-Katie B