Ally's blog: Here's the lovely Alison Aldridge, Felixstowe's redhead blogger and author!

 

I have a theory that most writers start off writing fan fiction. I didn’t realise that was how I began. Not until I thought back to when my dream began.  

 

I was young, still at Fairfield Primary School, and in love with the Magic Key series. I started writing new adventures for the characters and when my teacher told me story writing was a real job, I knew I wanted to be an author.  

 

Fan fiction is really popular on writing social media platforms like Wattpad. There you can find Harry Potter style retellings, or stories about celebrity crushes. When I first discovered these sites I still hadn’t connected the dots that my early writing had been fan fiction.

 

I can’t say I’ve ever written about a celebrity, but I’m frequently inspired by the world around me. A huge influence for me was my hometown, Felixstowe. It provided the perfect setting for a teen mermaid Contemporary Fantasy. My novel, Ocean Heart was also inspired by a photo, a song, other movies, stories, and so much more.  

 

But it’s not only stories inspired by art. It’s all types of art. A song can inspire a painting. A painting can inspire a song. And, often it’s more than one thing, mixing together, to create something new. Something that is your own. And, what you create may inspire something else, carrying the cycle on. 

 

Next time you feel inspired to create, don’t hold back. Don’t break the cycle. Create and share your art, because your creative spark could ignite someone else too.   

 

Love,

Ally.

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