Searching for Inspiration Across Centuries, ‘Passengers’

“Diverse experiences are often said to greatly aid in writing.”

Recently, I watched a movie called ‘Passengers’, where the protagonists awaken from hibernation due to an accident while traveling to a colonial satellite. The film’s heroine, Aurora, is a budding writer who joins a historic 300-year round-trip space migration. Her motivation is unique: she wants to surpass her father, a renowned author, by creating a literary masterpiece. She believes his success came from his rich experiences.

I mean, a 300-year journey! For someone like me, who lives life without plans and struggles with dinner appointments a week away, it’s unimaginable. What if, after all that, nothing comes to mind when you pick up the pen? Fortunately, they wake up mid-journey, avoiding centuries of misfortune. Of course, upon return, she might have written dozens of volumes like a mad genius, just like someone from the Joseon era writing ‘Wanwolhoemaengyeon’.

Many writers draw from experience, like Hemingway. Had he not lived through World War I, we wouldn’t have ‘A Farewell to Arms’ or ‘For Whom the Bell Tolls’. If he hadn’t mingled with Cuban fishermen in his later years, we wouldn’t have ‘The Old Man and the Sea’.

As for me, preferring to stay home rather than travel, I probably would’ve struggled as a writer. But then again, I’m not exactly living large in my current job either.

There are prolific authors like Keigo Higashino, who churns out books as if dispensing drinks from a vending machine. His works often delve into mysteries filled with crime and murder. Imagining him experiencing such terrifying events annually is chilling. Probably not, right? Yet, he unveils new works every season, like pulling fresh clothes from a closet. His typing speed must be unparalleled. Speaking of which, my typing speed tops 800 strokes too.

Back to the movie, it’s a romance disguised as sci-fi, boasting the most kissing and bed scenes among space-themed films. If you’re waking up alone in space with Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt, well, it’s kind of inevitable, isn’t it?