All writers need
inspiration. Where do you find yours?
For me,
inspiration comes from the “what if” scenario: What if your neighbor turns out to be a serial killer?
What if the supermarket at the end of your street is a cover for an
international drugs cartel? What if the pale-skinned old man who owns the second-hand
bookshop is actually a ghost?
Most writers
relish these observations and use them as a launching pad for stories. When my
husband and I were battling through a dense thicket of bushes and small trees
wedged between the Snake River and the cliff bank soaring above us, I remember
telling him, “Wouldn’t this be a great place to find a body?”
That remark grew
into So About The Money, a fun,
amateur sleuth my agent currently has on submission.
Recently, I been
crazy busy between the day job and packing (shredding, wrapping, tossing,
gifting) everything we own in preparation for a move into a place 1/4th
the size of our current digs, while we build a new house. Well, while assorted
crews of craftsmen build the house, but I digress.
So… there’s no
time to write, other than in snatched moments. Those snatched moments, however,
can lend humor. I’ve discovered the voice recorder on my phone returns
gibberish – or maybe it’s my Southern accent that turns reasonable statements
into sentences that…well…aren’t remotely reasonable.
But the
resulting text is enough that I can at least, sorta remember where I was going
with the scene idea. Then there are the
scribbles on the backs of envelopes and sticky notes. Where would we be without
sticky notes?
And I’m dreaming
like mad. For some weird reason (I’m sure the mental health people can analyze,
except I’d really hate it if they did), when I don’t have the creative outlet
from writing (or painting or fusing glass or oops, another tangent), all those
wild ideas invade my sleep.
What about you?
How do you handle it when the rest of your life is overwhelming your writing
time?
13 comments:
OMG! I am totally a what iffer. Sometimes to the point of obsession. When my children were small we played a storytelling game. What if. I'd start it off with something crazy then they would finish the story.
I get into trouble with what ifs when they get out of control. Last shopping mall trip we had a zombie apocalypse meeting place :)
I can't wait to see your new house, Cathy :)
When I can't write I get snappy and hemmed in.
I have a huge pile of small, tattered notebooks that fit in my purse. Walks, the subway and buses (Waiting for them lately with all the construction going on in the city) gives me an opportunity to observe. Have also discovered--rather late in life--that I can write on the bus. Get home and transfer plus usually add when I get to my computer. When your new house is finished, please post a photo, Cathy.
Yep, that would be hubby and me, off in some remote place and imagining how it would fit into some exotic/deadly/adventurous story line. Thanks for the fun blog.
Rita - love the "what if" game with your kids!
Shh- I secretly hate all the button mashing toys kids are handed instead of letting them exercise their creativity (what if!) and experience hands on doing
Rant over
There could TOTALLY be a zombie apocalypse while you're shopping, Toni! (reading Cold Dark Place, by the way :) ) Awesome that you anticipated that event
I hope you enjoy, Cathy 😃
Good luck with the move, Cathy! Sounds like a lot of work.
I'm a huge fan of sticky notes - color-coded by character POV, of course. I have them stashed in a couple places in the house so if an idea strikes, I can jot it down, then stick it in my planner or in the project notebook (if it happens to be nearby). ;)
Went to a lecture this morning by mystery writer Hank Phillippi Ryan. At the end of her talk, she said the most frequently asked question of all writers is, "Where do you get your ideas?"
After giving a couple of instances that were the germinating starts to her books she said a famous person (didn't name him) was once asked where he got his ideas from and he said, "Schenectady."
Witty comeback?
@Elise - I started carrying those little notebooks when I was reduced to scribbling on the back of a check one day. I found a stash of them while clearing out/packing up my office!
It may be a while before a photo is available. The architect was 4 months late delivering construction drawing so we're putting most of our belongings into storage for the duration. Hopefully there will at least be progress reports :)
@Sandy - thanks for stopping by.
And you know, that a completely legitimate reason to head out for someplace new and exotic. Honey, I need inspiration for my next book :)
I love sticky notes @Anne Marie!
Yes - one color for each POV character :)
Since my last two books have been single POV, I use different colors for internal and external conflict (and the dog has his own color to make sure he shows up in all the appropriate scenes!)
@Jean - well, of course we ALL go to Schenectady for our ideas
There's an idea factory there. Granted, it's a covert operation - we'll fill you in later if you haven't already learned it's secret location.
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