Inspiration part 19 - the circus

Welcome back,

           Inspired by April's Fools, the theme for this month's inspirational post will be about something that has brought many people both joy and dread. It is not many subjects that can inspire such diverse reactions from people, but after reading this article, I am sure you will understand why.

I am speaking of course of the time honored tradition that is the circus. The idea came to me at work, as I was clearing copyright for old school circus posters for an online exhibition project. I learned quite a bit of the history of circuses in North America since the late 1800’s, and thought this would be a great subject for April’s inspiration article.

Circus parade around tents, in lithograph by Gibson & Co., 1874

           The circus has been entertaining spectators, young and old, for several generations now, with it’s attractions, games, performers and animals. With so many different features, it comes as no surprise that the circus can be a such great source of inspiration for writers. Let us take a look at some of the circuses most prominent aspects.

Common circus acts include acrobatics, gymnastics, aerial acts, juggling and a variety of other routines. These also include Daredevil stunts such as the human cannonball, fire eating/breathing/dancing, knife throwing, or sword swallowing. These routines are meant to be breathtaking and exciting, and describing them in narrative can be very useful for action oriented storytelling.

Speaking of circus performers, another mainstay to the big top are clowns. Clowns are common to most circuses and are typically skilled so that they can accompany any of the other performances. Clowns can be a great tool for someone trying to write a comedy.

Though they have been around for decades, these flamboyant comedians have a received mixed feeling from the public. Many will find their antics hilarious, while some find them creepy and off putting. For this reason, the fear of clowns, or coulrophobia, can be useful for authors writing horror or thriller stories.

Joseph Grimaldi as Clown

Ferenczy Clown 1910

1870 photo of British duo the Payne brothers as Clown and Harlequin

Polack Bros. Circus 1965 clowns

Standard clown

Horrific clown

Animal acts have been part of the circus going as far back as the early eighteenth century. Many different types of animals have been used; from big cats, elephants, horses, birds, sea lions, bears, and even domestic animals such as cats and dogs. The earliest involvement of animals in the circus was just as a display of exotic creatures, but it eventually moved on to live performance such as equestrian acts or lion tamers. It should be noted that in the past few years, the inclusion of animals in circuses has been highly scrutinized, as cases of animals being mistreated or forced into poor living conditions had been reported.

Sideshows are also part of some circus activities, and may include chapeaugraphy, magic acts, the strongman or the infamous ‘’freak show’’. Below are some genuine color posters from the Coney Island Sideshow dating back to the 1930’s/40’s (Source: The Library of Congress). Though meant to entertain, it is obvious that some of these attractions were meant to shock or scare patrons. From a writer's perspective, some of these could be very useful for horror or paranormal mysteries.

 

 

 

The final element is mostly in regards to how a circus can help add color to the setting. Some circuses were known to be accompanied by carnival rides, such as ferris wheels, pendulum rides, drop towers or funny/haunted houses. A carnival can be a great setting for a romantic story, or an abandoned amusement park can be a great hiding place for a villainous character.

As you can see, a trip to the circus can be especially beneficial for a writer looking for inspiration. Maybe you need references for a character working as a full-time clown, various rides for a theme park setting or maybe ideas for a creepy urban story. Bottom line: go visit one, you'll be surprised at what you will find.

           I hope you enjoyed this month's inspiration post and that I encouraged you to go out there and experience it for yourself.

Until next time.

Cheers,

Patrick Osborne

**Please note that most of the photos below were taken from free stock images sites such as StockSnap.com, or were found doing a public domain search via Google.**

Inspiration Part 15 - Costume Shops

Welcome back!

October is one of my favorite times of the year, and this post is directly inspired by one of its most colorful aspects; Halloween. This holiday is known as that one time of the year where everyone gets to tap into their imagination and bring it to life.

               In celebration of Halloween, people dress up in garments meant to represent a wide variety of fictional characters. Costume stores offer their patrons all manner of disguises, anything from classic creatures like vampires or werewolves, to modern day icons like super heroes. These shops are also a veritable fountain of inspiration for writers and creators of all sorts, looking for ideas for anything from protagonists, antagonists or settings.

               The following are pictures I took from a locale Halloween Costume specialty store back in October 2015. These are a good example of how these establishments can be a good source of inspirational material.

 

 

 

 

 

               In closing, I recommend to every writer who is having issues creating a character to take a trip to a costume shop and take a look around. I can guarantee you will walk out of there with a few ideas.

    Until next time.

    Cheers,

    Patrick Osborne

Inspiration Part 13 - Comic Book Conventions

Welcome back!

           I got the idea for this month’s inspiration post after having spent a weekend at the Ottawa Comic Con back in May. While representing Library and Archives Canada (LAC) at the con, it was my responsibility to talk to people about whom LAC is and what we do. This gave me the opportunity to meet many enthusiastic people and see a lot of interesting things.

           It was at this point that I realised just how much inspiration can be found at a Comic Book Convention. I figured there was enough content to cover to make an inspiration post out of it. So I created the following article using pictures from various conventions I went to over the last few years.

           First off, the most obvious part of a convention are the crowds! If you are looking to get some inspiration on how to describe large gatherings of people, you have come to the right place. Comic Conventions have been known to draw people by the thousands, so be prepared to have your personal space invaded.

Mega crowds at the Montréal Comic Con.

More crowds in Montréal, with Wolverine posing for pictures.

My wife, who is not impressed by the long lines of people waiting to get in.

           Next are the vendors; people who put up kiosks to sell Pop Culture related merchandise. Comic Con vendors will have all kinds of comic book inspired paraphernalia: from movies, games, costumes, clothing and of course, comic books.

 

One of the many vendors at this year's Ottawa Comic Con.

Overview of some of the vendors at the Montréal Convention

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Original Ghostbusters merchandise. Just some of the cool stuff you could find at a Con.

Gaming dice. No nerd can go without them.

           Another common sight at Comic Conventions are Cosplayers, which has gotten so popular, that some people actually make a living off of Cosplaying. For those who don’t know, Cosplay is a shortened term for Costume Roleplay, where participants wear costumes and fashion accessories to represent a specific pop culture icon.

Poison Ivy from Batman lore.

Chewbacca from Star Wars

A Predator seen posing with Ghost Rider.

Master Chief from the Halo video game.

Captain Canuck, posing by the Library and Archives Booth.

           One of the main attractions at Comic Cons are popular props and replicas from famous movies or television shows. These objects are often displayed in a way to allow visitors to take pictures with them.

The TARDIS from Doctor Who.

The Delorean from Back to the Future.

Various costume from the Star Wars franchise.

Group of Daleks from Doctor Who.

Batmobile from the 1960’s Batman TV series.

Ecto-1 from the Ghostbusters.

The black, 1967 Chevy Impala from the Supernatural TV series.

R2-D2 and landspeeder from Star Wars.

           And finally, one of the most exciting experiences of any Comic Con, is the opportunity to meet one of your favorite icons. Actors, Artists, Creators and so on, are invited to conventions, either too speak at panels, meet their fans at the autograph stand or have their picture taken at the photograph booth.

Adam West from the Batman TV series, being escorted to his booth.

The kids meeting Norman Reedus from the Walking Dead. Great guy!

My personal favorite, Stan Lee, the creative genius from Marvel Comics.

As you can see, a trip to a Comic Convention can be beneficial to a writer looking for inspiration. I hope you enjoyed this month's inspiration post and that I encouraged you to go out there and experience it for yourself.

Until next time.

Cheers,

            Patrick Osborne


** All photos were taken by me, and are under copyright. Please ask for permission before using these photos**