Fiction Scribe

By Kaaron Warren

I’m an Australian short story writer with the incredible good fortune to be posted to Fiji for two years with my family. My fiction has a darkish bent so I tend to look for inspiration in the disturbing, unusual and the incongruous.

These things appear everywhere, of course, but moving to a new country makes them easier to find.

The history of a place, its language, customs and tabus (in Fijian, this is pronounced tambu) can all be wonderful places to find stories.

Leaving aside the cannibal culture for now, because, while it’s fascinating and bloody, it can be too prescriptive and predictable in a horror story, these are some of the tabus I’ve heard since I arrived. Some come from early European observers, so are not completely trustworthy. That’s the good thing about fiction though, isn’t it? We don’t have to let the truth get in the way of a good story!

Superstitious locals will avoid the Bau tree at night time because they say the ghosts haunt it then. I can see why; huge, with far-reaching branches, the trunk is twisted and almost appears to be carved. I’ve already used it in one short short story and will use it again, I’m sure.

There is a strong tabu against building on the site of an old village. You could lose your mind if you do so, or die an unnatural death. Fijians once believed there was no such thing as death by natural causes; your own behaviour led to your passing. It might be a debt to another village, or misbehaviour of some kind. There is also the possibility of a charm (drau ni kau) being laid on you.

The Fiji Museum sits on the grounds of the Suva Botanical Gardens, the site of Old Suva, which was burned to the ground in bitter fighting in 1843.

I’m not sure if permission was received to use the ground; but the place is fertile with story ideas.

The Fijian/English dictionary provides wonderful background for research. Each language has its own phrases, which tell us a lot about the culture and history of a place.

Ceru (pronounced theru) means to sip by applying to the lips, as yaqona (pr. yangona) left in the bowl after the party has finished drinking. Yaqona is kava, the root drink very popular for its numbing effects in the Pacific.

Lala means the order of a chief, requiring work to be done. Chiefs are very important in Fiji; The Great Council of Chiefs acts as a check and balance in Parliament.

Masimasia is said of the south wind spoiling breadfruit.

I could base a story around any of those three. If you want a writing challenge; 250 words inspired by definitions from a foreign language dictionary.

The history of a new place is interesting, too. We grow up with our own history, although it changes by year as new information and analysis is found. I’ve stumbled across a theory that Amelia Earhart’s bones are somewhere on the island. It’s the minutiae of history which can inspire, too.

I am always careful when I’m inspired by local legend and myth not to use it to the letter. It should be a starting point only; I try to never ‘appropriate’ these things which are so very meaningful to the people.

Kaaron Warren’s Livejournal

Kaaron’s award-winning short story collection “The Grinding House� is available from Australian Speculative Fiction