Staying Fresh

As a writer I'm often asked, "How in the world do you come up with so many different ideas for your stories?" The answer isn't an easy one: part of what I do when I'm crafting plots for my characters comes naturally - I could no more find a way to define and analyze it than I could explain why I cry at certain sappy commercials or feel a sense of exhilaration when watching a flock of geese flying in "arrow" formation overhead. It's simply part of my personality and stems from whatever it is inside me that makes me "tick".

But there is another aspect to story-crafting that is a bit more explainable than that gut instinct part, and that aspect has to do with opening your mind and imagination to the possibilities that exist all around you. Inspiration can strike in many ways and come from varied sources; the key is to be ready to let your inner processes take over when that grain of something strikes a chord in you. For example, the plot basis and heroine for my June 2003 medieval romance, THE CRIMSON LADY, came to me full-blown while I was watching a documentary on modern-day prostitution in Third World countries. The deplorable living conditions and heartbreaking realities that these women - sometimes very young women - were forced to face stirred my indignation and sent my "injustice" meter into high gear. Anyone who's read any of my books can probably tell that justice, truth, honor, and the conquering of wrongs are recurring themes with me, and this idea was no exception. Suddenly, an picture popped into my head of a medieval setting and a young woman who'd been sold into a life she never wanted and yet could not escape. My heroine, Fiona Byrne, was born in that moment, and until I finished plotting out her story and how it intertwined with that of the hero she was destined to love, I could not stop thinking about her.

Of course there are other ways to stay fresh in your story-building. In another writing tip I already talked about the power of music as inspiration - listening to certain kinds of music once my basic plot is conceived never fails, over time, to provide me with flashes of insight into my characters or their stories that eventually become scenes; movies and videos can provide concepts or additional fodder as well. I can honestly say I never thought I'd be inspired to write a romance novel as a direct result of a documentary I'd seen, but it happened, as I mentioned above, with THE CRIMSON LADY. And yet if I hadn't been open to the ideas that sprang up as I was watching, it wouldn't have.

You've probably heard before that writers must be like sponges, soaking up all that is around them so that they can more accurately express the reality of the world in their fiction. I'd like to amend that a bit to say that I think writers should try to be open to all that is around them, not only to be able to convey the truth of the human condition in its many forms, but to let in inspiration. So open up and allow your creativity and imagination do its work!

Back to Writing Advice main page