For
the past month I’ve been introducing GLIAS readers to some of the unique
experiences their favorite authors go through when writing and promoting a
book. On the Writer’s Road is sometimes a fun place to be and other times a
really frustrating place to be, but it’s definitely always interesting.
Especially when readers ask questions! One of the most often-asked questions is
“Where do you get the ideas for your books?”
Writers
always have vague, rote answers but I got to thinking about specifically where
story ideas come from and although there are truly limitless answers, I came up
with five of the most common ways stories are born.
Traveling
Every
time I go anywhere, be it to the store or across an ocean, I can find the seeds
of a story. Sometimes an interaction at Target can spawn a conversation in a
book. My husband and I still tent camp and I have used the sights, smells, and
experiences of being in the woods in several of my books. The most current
example of turning travel into story is my hiking trip to Scotland a year ago.
Because of that trip I am writing a completely new contemporary Scottish
series.
| Above and below: The bonnie banks of Loch Lomond |
| The Highlands |
Pictures
of Celebrities
How
many people don’t fantasize about singers, movie stars, athletes, and other
well-known figures? Not many! The difference a writer brings to her fantasies
is that we write them down! I’ve had so many celebs “star” in my books that
sometimes I’m embarrassed to say who they are. But not most of the time. Here
are a few of my favorite stars turned book heroes!!
Brainstorming
Working
with other writers is a gift all authors love to get—and give. Sometimes just
talking about the thread of an idea can spur a group of writers to weave entire
stories by bouncing ideas off one another. Same for solving a sticky situation
in a book that’s underway. One of my favorite moments of brainstorming came
when working on
Personal
Experience
“Write
what you know,” is advice authors are given all the time. We don’t always take
it, because it’s super fun to research someplace you’ve never been and then
write about it. Still, drawing on things we know is very often the best way to
create characters, to describe settings, and to really be able to make a story
authentic. My first series “Love From Kennison Falls,” is set in southern
Minnesota. I know exactly what the scenery looks like, I know what farms in the
area look like, I can describe any kind of weather. Why? Because I live there!
For the same reason I always have horses or equines of some kind in my books
because I’ve had horses most of my life. When we’re an “expert” in something—we
definitely use it.
Pure
Imagination
Finally,
sometimes we purely and simply make stuff up! A prince comes to town, a plague
hits the world, we live a hundred years in the future—on a different planet. We
can ask ourselves “what if?” and write a whole story based on that. “What if a
mutant animal showed up on your deck one afternoon?” “What if you were running
head down through a drenching rain and ran smack dab into another person—and he
was famous? Or a wanted man? Or a misunderstood teen?” The possibilities are
endless.
So—you
put all these possible inspirations together and that’s how you come up with a
book. A lot of people say they want to write a novel. Most people say they
wouldn’t know how to begin. An author is just a person who didn’t stop her
imagination once it started going, picked up a pencil and paper, and wrote down
the fantasy. It’s a magical thing.
But
do you know what an author’s best inspiration of all is? A reader who discovers
her books. When we’ve worked hard on a novel and then dare to put it out into
the world— it’s like sending a child off to school—the true magic happens when
it gets opened. And if the opener is someone who ends up loving the story—that’s
the very best way to get a writer to create one more book!
Have
you read books that inspired you? How about stories that transport you to a
place you never want to leave? I’d love to hear what wonderful things you’ve
found in your reading pile!