People often ask where I get my ideas from. There are many sources of inspiration, and I exploit all of them shamelessly. The more I use those sources, the more ideas come flooding into my mind.
This particular story was inspired by the names of the 'three sisters' Karimba, Maraka, and Okarina. The day before I wrote the story I had been researching names for characters for my fairy tales. I had been looking up names of instruments from all over the world and jotted some down in two categories — 'male' and 'female'. (This idea came to me out of the blue, I can't recall any particular reason for thinking of this.)
The following morning, I woke up with three names in my head: Karimba, Maraka, and Okarina.
'Oh, three sisters,' my mind went immediately, 'I wonder who they are and what their story is...'
By lunchtime, the first draft of the story was finished. So this fairy tale has literally grown out of the names of the 'Three Sisters'. I had no plot or message in mind before or while writing the story. It came from 'the other side of the woods' somewhere in the unknown parts of my inner world.
Cover photo: Suheyon Choi on Unsplash
YOU ARE READING
The Three Sisters
Fantasy"Life is hard enough as it is." - This is the motto of the village where the three sisters are at home. The motto makes everyone continue to struggle on their own, rather than ask for help. Neighbours hardly know one another. Parents are too busy to...
