Christina Hollis - The Dangers of Pure Imagination

Walters Art Museum

I've just finished writing a novel, Bright Danger, which  centres around the discovery of a priceless work of art. Everything about my story is completely fictional, including the beautiful gold and lapis necklace at its heart. I work with inspiration boards pinned with pictures of locations and characters to keep me on track, but there was one glaring omission from Bright Danger's Work In Progress file. I didn't have a picture of the necklace, because it didn't exist.

The idea had come to me in a dream one night. It was after a visit to the British Museum, although as far as I know my imaginary necklace is unique. When I scribbled down the details next morning (I knew keeping a notebook beside the bed was a good idea!) I didn't realise this would pose any sort of problem. It's only now, when I'm going to be working with a cover artist, that I've discovered a big problem. I can't find pictures of anything online that remotely resembles the pictures inside my head.

The closest I've come to it is the beautiful Byzantine necklace you can see here (above). Unfortunately, it's more likely to have been worn by Elena in my latest release, Jewel Under Siege, than by Julia from Ancient Rome. All this has made me  think twice about the things to include in my next book. Online, images are everything. If a picture can't be produced, a piece lacks impact. Bright Danger will definitely have a suitable picture on the cover, but how closely it fits with my idea is something that will need work.

I wish now I'd found a picture to write about, rather than relying on pure imagination. I'm not keen on the idea of sorting out loads of royalty-free images for an inspiration board before I start writing my next book. It might take away all the spontanaeity. On the other hand, I might come across something unexpected which fires my imagination. Don't you love being distracted like that, when you should be looking for something else entirely?

Have you ever been inspired by a work of art? Comment to be entered into a lucky dip for the chance to win a signed book from my backlist.

Christina Hollis writes both contemporary and historical fiction - when she isn't cooking, gardening or beekeeping. You can catch up with her at http://www.christinahollis.blogspot.com, on Twitter and Facebook, and see a full list of her published books at http://www.christinahollis.com. If you'd like to keep up to date with the progress of Bright Danger, email Christina at christinahollis(at)hotmail.co.uk.