Why K-pop Is My Story Inspiration
And Why You Should Find Your Ultimate Inspo
Welcome to the Apple Hair CANON!
Here, I’ll explore creating a fictional universe, and I’m hoping you’ll follow along with your own world. I’m by no means an expert, so let’s discuss how to create a believable, magical, and captivating world. Let’s be storycatchers together!
Want to read Apple Hair, the boy band fantasy novel, from the very beginning? You can start here! Apple Hair is a fictional, Asian American boy band from Hawaii.
Welcome to the newsletter, and I’m excited to lay down the foundations of our storyworlds together, one word at a time.
Hi, storycatchers! In the last edition, I talked about how to battle self-doubt as a storyteller. This week, I would love to talk more about building a storyworld with your ultimate inspiration. In my upcoming novel, Apple Hair, it’s pretty clear that the plot was heavily inspired by K-pop! How about with your world? If you could narrow it down, what is your main source of inspiration when you create?
So, the boys of Apple Hair are big fans of K-pop. And this was heavily inspired by my own experience. As someone who found K-pop only in its fourth generation, I had a lot to catch up on.
In Apple Hair, you will probably be able to find little pieces from many boy groups. And most similar to TOMORROW X TOGETHER, Apple Hair has five members within an age range of a few years. You might think about TXT’s “Magic Island” music video, a masterpiece that is reminiscent of what the Apple Hair members face in Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi.
TXT has a brother-like bond, one that allowed them to endure the demanding trainee life. When Apple Hair goes through their turbulent months in training, I wanted them to also feel like they needed to rely on each other—especially through the many hours in the studio, feeling like giving up would be an escape. (But definitely not an option, when all five want to desperately debut.)
TXT has a story called the TU, which includes a lot of magical moments like in Apple Hair. And we can’t talk about the TU without talking about the BU. BTS’ storyworld could probably inspire dozens of novels. And BTS also inspired Apple Hair’s desire to create something that their fans could dive into, using the canon to inspire their own creative works.
I don’t have time to dive into BTS’ massive storyworld, which includes tons of theories and potential for deep dives, but I will definitely warn you before you decide to search up anything about the BTS universe!
Apple Hair references BTS during their training, especially when they sing “Not Today” during one of their monthly evaluations.
The other references to BTS might be a little more subtle. They draw on the many other facets I love about K-pop. For instance, when I found variety shows, I discovered my love for the “quieter” moments of K-pop. A prime example is found in Are You Sure?!. In this lovely reality show, BTS’ Jimin and Jungkook embark on an adventure through various vacation spots (one of them being the picturesque Hokkaido).
The five members of Apple Hair also enjoy their quiet moments. I found that these are my favorite moments to write!
Above all the lovely banter and episodes, Apple Hair is similar to K-pop boy bands in one way: They have a drive that courses throughout the whole story to meet their fans. Along that is their desire to create a story universe, which of course leads to a few magical moments on the island of Oʻahu.
Do you have something that lights a passion within you, something that you always like to write about? Maybe it’s not K-pop. It could be gaming, sports, or even cooking—which has inspired many animes like the popular Delicious in Dungeon.
Whatever your inspiration is, I recommend grabbing hold of that and running with it. I used to think that I needed to intimate my favorite authors. It’s great to admire other creators, but sometimes the biggest sign for your next story is right in front of you. For me, that was my love for boy bands (stemming back from the rise of One Direction!). For you, it could be anything—and maybe looking back at your first passions when you were young might help.
This ultimate inspiration might change later on, but sometimes it will inspire a whole series. Maybe even your magnum opus! So don’t stop the passion from flowing through you. Even if you think people might not like the topic, your excitement will shine through when you write about something that you genuinely care about.
Trust me! It helped me write a novel that I cherish. And for you, it could maybe mean an endless well that you can constantly drink from, refreshing your creativity.
So, what are you a fan of? If the people closest to you were asked to name your top three passions, what would they say?
Thank you very much for joining the CANON this week. What would you like me to discuss in the next post? Comment below. Or jump into my Chat or on one of my Notes, and I’ll be happy to hear your input. Let’s continue to support each other as we thrive as storytellers!