Read the following excerpt from the article "Vision, Voice and the Power of Creation: An Author Speaks Out," by T. A. Barron and answer the question that follows:
Right now, I am spending a lot of time listening to the voice of a particularly compelling character: the young Merlin. In the end, I finally heard the voice of Merlin thanks to a surprising source: the haunting, mysterious hooting of a great horned owl outside the window of my Colorado home. As I listened to that owl's resonant [echoing] call in the pre-dawn hours one morning, something about it gave me a whole new cadence [rhythm], a whole new sound. And then, a whole new voice.
In this paragraph, what is the author's explicit message about his inspiration for Merlin's voice?
(10 points)
a
He had difficulty finding Merlin's voice.
b
His inspiration was the owl outside his window.
c
His old ideas were not working for Merlin's voice.
d
He spent a lot of time thinking about Merlin's voice.
