“An aptitude for making desirable discoveries by accident; good fortune or luck.” That’s the dictionary’s definition for serendipity. It’s a word that was coined by Horace Walpole, English writer and son of the first prime minister of Great Britain, in 1754, when he named a faculty possessed by the heroes of a fairytale he wrote called The Three Heroes of Serendip.
Serendipity is no longer just a fairytale. Imagine a vague idea starting to buzz around in your head. Maybe it was there today, yesterday, a year ago, two years ago or for who knows how long. It appears like a mischievous Tinkerbell that teases by flitting in and out of your thoughts, just beyond your grasp. And then, when you think it’s coming into focus, it’s gone again, dancing away, tantalizing. The next time, it might tarry a bit longer, and you think you can see it, hear it and begin to research and write it. During that process, Larry Block, award-winning crime writer, says, “Something else can grab your attention that “. . . turns out to be better suited to your needs than what you thought you were looking for. You have to be looking for something in order to find that something else, . . . .(Then) a door pops open, and out comes an idea. . . .
(A)llow ideas to happen . . . . (Be) receptive to them.” That’s serendipity.
Janice Hardy, fantasy writer, wrote a fantasy for adults that didn’t seem to work. When she went to analyze and research her idea files, she tripped over a brand new premise for a fantasy plot. That led to the realization that she was writing for the wrong audience, that her voice and style were “young adult.” The book, Shifter, ultimately became the first of a series for middle-grade readers, and a success.
Nathaniel Philbrick, narrative history award-winning author, based in Nantucket off the southeastern coast of Massachusetts, said during an interview that a lightbulb went on for him while researching material for one of his maritime epochs, Sea of Glory. The book concerned the sea explorers who sailed in 1838-1842 and discovered Antartica. During his research, Philbrick came across a reference to a little known collection of letters written by the Commander of the expedition, Lt. Charles Wilkes, to his wife while he was at sea. The letters, telling the Commander’s wife everything in his own voice about the voyage, had only recently been released by the family to Duke University, and were never before used as a resource. Philbrick looked into it further. According to him, the letters made Sea of Glory a different and better book than it might have been, because of details not found anywhere else, even in Wilkes journals.
When we stumble over these accidental treasures, we may call them kismet, we may call them fate, but we can certainly call them serendipity.
Lawrence Block: http://www.lawrenceblock.com/ – Most recent title: Getting Off (out Sept, 2011)
Janice Hardy: http://www.janicehardy.com/
– Series: The Healing Wars: Third book of series: Darkfall
Nathaniel Philbrick: http://www.nathanielphilbrick.com/ – The Last Stand (now out in paperback)
Chuck Leddy, who conducted the Philbrick interview, was a contributing editor for The Writer, a freelance writer, and a regular reviewer of history titles for the Boston Globe and other publications.
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