The number one question I get asked (which surprisingly I get asked A LOT for someone not published yet) is where do I get my ideas? Well, there IS no real answer to this. I don’t really know. They’re just in my brain. Sometimes they come fully formed liked they did for RENEGADE, or just the general plot is there like the one I’m working on now.
Obviously, they have to get there somehow, though, right? I have to say a huge THANK YOU to my husband and son for this, I think. Because they play a LOT of video games and I tend to hodgepodge ideas from some of those. Plus my husband is always buying new animes for me to watch as research. Most of the time I listen, but don’t watch because I’m more of a comedy minded girl when it comes to animes, but it must filter in a little.
But I think my biggest muse is real life. Yesterday I was at a birthday party where I had the pleasure of sitting across from the most delightful man and his beautiful wife! He and his wife were HILARIOUS.
The man had this LONG white beard and my husband called it his food retainer and the guy nods all serious like and says, “You better believe it, son. It’s saved me plenty o’ winters.”
When I asked what he meant, he went on to say, “Well, whenever we’d get snowed in, I was the first on the dinner menu. Me being the most…husky of the group.” (SIDE NOTE: HE was in NO WAY husky. LOL.) “But, then another would suggest, just strain water through his beard! We can make a soup! So, instead of eating me, they’d make soup from my food saver.”
It went on like that for hours. He’d make comments about people passing. The kids in the group. The parents. Even when my daughter decided to beat up one of the other children (SIGH it was my DH’s boss’s son, of course), he smoothed the tears and ruffled feathers by making some joke about her “starting her training to be a dominatrix early, which is always a good sign.” It was enough to get even the boss to crack a smile.
And I KNOW, beyond a doubt, this man is going in one of my books somewhere. He was too funny not to. And I also realized that real life is the most influential muse we writers have.
So what about you? What real life experience did you just HAVE to write about?
Real life has always been my fount for ideas. A lot more of my writing comes from life experience than not. Nightmares become fodder for thrillers.
ReplyDeleteMy neighbors are inspiring a story right now. At least I can take my angst out in words, right?
The old man sounded like a pure delight to be around. (Hugs)Indigo
It's not really just 1 real life experience for me--I pick up on little bits and pieces from my observations and place them in my WIPs. I love stealing lines that I overhear. :)
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