Absolutely. Even in the fantasy genre, I find in order to create believable and relatable characters, little nuggets now and then of real lived experiences help to flesh them out. Usually the more unusual and odd nuggets make for the more intresting characters
J R R Tolkien because as a fellow student of language and linguistics I would love to discuss old languages with him and how he set about creating the languages of Middle Earth. William Shakespeare because a. I love his work and b. He's rather a mysterious figure, I'd love to know if he really was the son of a glovemaker or any one of the numerous suspected alternatives. Queen Elizabeth I. A fascinating woman. Also my admiration and love for her despite being born several centuries apart has lead me to conclude that I had a past life as one of her ladies in waiting 🤣
Frequently, it is one of the most ambition and soul destroying things and can often lead you to feel like giving up all together. To overcome it I would suggest to just step away, don't force yourself to write, if the inspiration isn't there, no amount of starig at a blank page with ignite it. Even if you take a break for days or weeks or even months, make sure you have some notes to come back to to help you pico up where you left off, but just know that you can always return whenever you want.
Yes of course. I love reading reviews, even the bad ones. You can't please everyone, people are individuals with their own tastes and expectations, ecen those in your target audience won't unanimously enjoy your writing. All you can do is write what you think is good and hope others will too. Reviews can help highlight the good and the not so good aspects of your writing so you can tweak it if you wish next time in order to attempt to satisfy more readers and improve and hone your skills.
Readers getting enjoyment from my stories, even if the numbers are small, a small number of satisfied readers to me is better than a large number of unsatisfied readers.
Something that is written from a place of passion. Yes good writing should have all the correct spellings, grammar and syntax, but even sloppy writing can be overlooked now and then if the story grips you because the author clearly has passion for the material they're writing about. A degree of honesty and vulnerability and if a writer is going to reference real aspects of the world in their writing, a modicum of research into the subject is always appreciated.
Have a support system. Other writer's to share advice or even just to vent to, people who understand. Also if writing for whatever reason becomes too stressful, always have another interest, writing might be part of your life but it shouldn't consume it. If you have family, spend time with them, if you have pets, spend time with them, if you have a garden, spend time with it. Whatever you need to do to recharge, do it.
