A. M. Dunnewin

The Inspirations, Ugly Truths, and Things That Make You Go “Huh?” for Under A Melting Sun

A is for ART

Have you ever been in the middle of writing a story and realized halfway through that you forgot an important ingredient in your plot line? Some of us forget their character’s appearances, or described a scene to only realize that we had described it in our minds and not on paper. Well, something like that happened to me rather recently. My misfortune had to do with why Reese was even in the Amazon. Yes, he’s studying a tribe, but why? Why go to the Amazon when you’re in the middle of studying a tribe somewhere else? It just seemed so mediocre and, honestly, a bit like a cop-out to just leave it as “Jungle Jim decided to trample through a dangerous rain forest to see how a tribe lives.” Sorry boyfriend, the countless explorers and invaders beat you to it. There’s nothing special or interesting with just that.

So in order to establish a reason for being there, and to also add more personality to Reese, I took a break from writing and decided to retrace my footsteps back into anthropology to find some meaning behind my character. Anthropology, for those who don’t know, has a lot of off branches (little tributaries, if you will). There are anthropologists who study language, plants, sex, rituals, etc. And that’s when I stumbled onto what would become Reese’s passion:  Art.

I’m extremely passionate about art, so its only fitting that my main character is, too. His passion to find a tribe who creates art just as well or even better than Western civilization is what causes him to agree to go to the Amazon with Arthur, his cohort whose research mainly focused on plant use among primitive cultures. Arthur’s research regarding plants ends up adding fuel to Reese’s fire when he’s left behind in the first part of the story. Reese could care less about plants, which is something he becomes vocal about as the story goes along. 🙂

So why would I consider art as an inspiration? Because my love for art came from my grandmother, who (unbeknownst to her) is the person that gave me the idea for writing this story. More on that will be disclosed later. 😉

Why it may deter you:  Some people don’t like reading about art or how art is used in daily life. Art is a very broad subject with a clash of views, especially over what IS art? This book explores that same question, which may or may not step on some toes.

Why it may not deter you:  If you love art or are fascinated by how art can influence life, then you’ll want to check this story out. Instead of just referencing artistic works, this story goes into the passion behind making art. It also explores the concept that art isn’t only created on canvas or out of clay; it can also be functional and sometimes unexpected. Much like life. 😀