Meghhnaa (On a Review-Writing Break!) asked Robert Appleton:

The night sky is your inspiration! It is mine too. How in different mysterious ways, does it inspire you, Robert? (I know the question may be lame, but would love to be inspired, by your answer) <3

Robert Appleton Hi Meghna! Great question. To be honest, it's the only reliable muse I know of - whether it's quick fix of child-like wonder or a deep, ruminative exploration of our place in the cosmos, a gaze into the night sky never disappoints. It's at once a glimpse into the past and into our possible destiny among the stars. It can provide a fathomless well of ideas or a striking mirror for our own flaws and achievements. But I also think it's an extension of my (and our collective) fascination with the ocean, a source of primal awe and fear and maybe even belonging. We're all made of star-stuff.

As a writer, the night sky excites me because of its indescribable qualities. It teases the imagination and almost dares us to articulate what it evokes. To reach for that elusive concept or phrase that, whether poetic or thematic, best encapsulates what it is about the firmament and the numinous that stirs us. I love that challenge, even when I (mostly) fall short.

Then there's the ten-year-old kid in me, who just wants to jump into the pilot seat and find out what's really out there. He'll never get to go, but I'll never tire of imagining it for him.

I could go on all day, but I'll leave it there. Would love to hear your take on it, how it inspires you.

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