Have you ever gone somewhere you’ve been before, but seen it
in a completely different way?
This happened with me this weekend. We went to one of the prettiest spots in Orlando, Leu
Gardens and, while I’d been there before (in fact Evie’s gardens are based on
the Rose Garden there--see below pic), I saw it in a completely different way.
It was not just a pretty place with beautiful flowers and
lakes, it was the setting for a historical novel that’s been sitting in the
back of mind for a while.
I could see the “ghosts” of my characters walking through
the house that’s on the property.
While the tour guide was spouting historical facts of the house, I was
seeing my characters walking through it, stopping to point out several things
they thought to be important, and telling me their story.
Then while I was walking over the pathways of the “gardens,”
I saw my post-apocalyptic surface world.
Gavin’s world. Or at least
part of it. It wasn’t the clean,
pretty, organized gardens that were really there. My mind was showing me what it could look like after 50-60
years of neglect.
My favorite was the clock. While it wasn’t in bloom for this
trip, can you imagine seeing that in some near future and trying to figure out
why it was there?
It’s really put
me in Gavin’s head and I’ll be able to use that when I go back in for
revisions.
I can’t wait to go back and do more “research” and see what
my mind shows me next.
