Inside a Writer's Brain

Should I subtitle this post  - A Scary Place to Live? Or, would you go with A Wonderful Place to Reside?

Let's chat about it.


I think for a writer, the scariest place to be is one bereft of ideas. I experienced that horror as I planned this blog. I'd been batting around ideas for my post, but nothing felt quite right.

I don't have a new book out right now, so I don't have that to write about. I've read some really wonderful books lately, but I didn't want it to seem like I was playing favorites. This is a really busy time at school, meaning there's not as much writing time, so nothing there.

Hmmmmm.

Lots of things were circling in my brain, but nothing felt "big" enough for a blog.

Please bear with me, I'm going to piece some of those thoughts together.

I was never one of those people who knew she was going to be a writer.

As I've mentioned before, I was too in awe of the people who wrote my beloved books to think I could ever be one of them.

Honestly, I thought I was too boring, 

But I always entertained myself with my stories. For as long as I can remember, I "read" myself to sleep by making up stories. There were two problems with this. First, I was kind of confirming the boring part in my mind because I made myself fall asleep each night. Maybe I should have marketed my fiction as a cure for insomnia.😧

The second problem was that I never finished a story. Each night, I'd start over and then fall asleep. Eventually, I got so tired of not finishing a particular story, that I wrote it down. The happy part of that was that it got me writing without worrying about boring anyone. I was only writing for myself.

Eventually I entered a contest - the Golden Heart. (Nothing like aiming high right out of the gate!)
I still remember my reaction when I got a call that my manuscript was a finalist. I was overjoyed because it meant at least some readers didn't find me boring!!!

I never did sell that original manuscript, but every once in a while I pull it out and toy with updating it. Maybe some day. It was historical and I write suspense now (mostly).

Which brings me to some of those other thoughts.


Honestly, inside a writer's brain is a wonderful place to abide!


On Tuesday, Jo Ann Brown was talking about where people get ideas for their stories. Then yesterday, Valerie Hansen shared some interesting thoughts about exploring history through our writing. Both of those posts tapped into some of the ideas that had been rolling around in my head.

What do people think about if it's not stories?

That probably sounds crazy, but my brain is always playing with ideas. I rarely go anywhere that something doesn't attract my interest and have me wandering down the "What If" trail.

For example, one day I was walking to work and saw a girl's First Communion veil in the gutter, all muddied and torn. You can bet my suspense writer brain went to work on that one!

I took my class on a trip - and started wondering, what if a family member used a class trip as a cover to kidnap a child?

For my current book, I was reading about the Amish who traveled to Texas to help out after Hurricane Ike, and I started wondering, what if they liked it and stayed - but ran afoul of the drug cartels?


Amish and drug cartels and muddied Communion veils are a far cry from the colonial girl rescuing a privateer that I first dreamed about. And I think that's what I love best about writing. There are endless possibilities to explore.

One of my favorite poems is by Emily Dickinson. It begins

There is no frigate like a book

To take us lands away 

These days, I find that line applies as much to writing those books as reading them. What an adventure this writing gig is!

And hopefully I'm not boring anyone. 😏


I'd love to hear from other writers. Does any of this resonate with you?
And readers, do you ever consider what goes on in the mind of the author whose book you are reading? Wonder what generated those stories?



And I promise I'm not playing favorites when I give a Thursday Shout Out to the wonderful writers I am privileged to work with at Love Inspired Suspense. These are the current May titles.

Letting Story Ideas Bubble and Simmer

With my sixth Boardinghouse Betrothal book, A Nanny for Keeps, out this month, I've been thinking

about how this series began. When 9/11 happened, my heart went out to the people in New York City as I'm sure was the case with most people in our country. As I watched them help each other while grieving over what had happened, I became more and more interested in the city and the history there.

As a writer I kind of knew I wanted to set a story there but it took years for the idea to expand into what the series has become. We lived down south at the time and after Katrina, when my husband retired in 2006, our family moved to Oklahoma. It was there that the story ideas began to bubble to the surface. Here and there, in bits and pieces. A character here, a plot there. A profession added in, then a backstory--or the other way around.

One thing I knew for sure was that I wanted these stories set at the turn of the century when women were coming to New York City from all over to join the workforce, but I wasn't sure just how to connect them.  And then in 2010, I saw a book advertised in Victorian Home magazine. It was called A New Light on Tiffany- Clara Driscoll and the Tiffany Girls, and I quickly ordered it.  Among so many other things, I learned that Clara lived in a boardinghouse and even met her husband there. The book and the photographs in it gave me such a feel for the city at that time--ideas for all kinds of work women could be doing began to simmer and I knew a series was in the making. I'd have a Tiffany girl in one for sure--and I did, but she didn't stay there long. She and Clara showed up in A Place of Refuge, book 2 of the series.
But at that time, I still wasn't sure just how to connect the stories.

And then, as most writers can relate to, just before I fell asleep or woke up--I can't remember which--only that I was in bed, it was as if the Lord was nudging me, telling me what should have been obvious by now. The connection was with the boarding house!
Oh my, I can't tell you how thrilled I was to have those pieces fall in place and I couldn't wait to get started! And I did, writing with joy and enthusiasm I hadn't experienced for a while!

I've so loved writing this series and although my editors have decided that they'd like me to move on  to something else and the Love Inspired Historical series stops with this book, the series will continue on. Instead of Boardinghouse Betrothals, they will now be called Heaton House and I'll be able to 'link' them to the LIH series. I hope my readers will be glad to know that the series will continue as long as there are stories to tell. Next up is Julia's story. It's about time, don't you think? I have ideas for more, of course, but if you have any ideas for more Heaton House stories you'd like to read, I'd love to hear them!

And for those writers out there who have an idea that hasn't come together yet, but just thinking about excites you, don't put it away--just let it keep simmering until it does!

Oh, and I could use some ideas for new LIH proposals as I haven't come up with anything that excites me just yet. Anywhere you'd like to see a new series set?  City life, out west or where? Time period? Late 1800s, early 1900s, or something else? I'd love to hear those, too!

Until next time,

Janet Lee Barton

Blessings and Book Ideas

Rhonda Gibson here:

You know that moment when you know you are truly blessed? Well, today I feel that way. I love that Love Inspired publishes historical romances. The month of June is when Pony Express Hero comes out. And, I'm blessed to share the bookshelves with these other three books.





I've had the pleasure of reading other books by Janet, Karen and Lily and know their books are great! So I'll be buying all three when they show up at my Walmart. It is a blessing to be in such great company.

I'm also blessed that I come across such interesting things that bring about the ideas for my books. The idea for Pony Express Hero came when I read an article about a hugh Texas ranch and how the owner died leaving his daughter in charge of the ranch. The author of the article jokingly wrote, "I wonder if she had a hard time finding an honest husband?" That question got my brain to thinking and soon Pony Express Hero was born.

If you are a writer/author, how did you come up with the basic idea for your current book?
If you are a reader, have you come across any ideas that you'd like to see as the basic idea in one of our books? Inquiring minds want to know.

Stories, Stories Everywhere

by Jean C. Gordon

Readers often ask, "Where do you get your story ideas? "My short answer is "Life." Maybe I should refine that to "Ordinary Life."

For instance the idea for my first published book, a sweet romance, came from the experience of another family that was adopting a Korean baby from the same agency we used to adopt our son. The Korean agency had a strict rule of allowing only married couples to adopt its children. Sadly, after a child was placed with a local family, the mother died before the adoption was finalized. Initially, the agency wanted to take the child back. I don't know what actually happened, but the resolution in my story is a happy one--naturally.

An article I read at work in The Wall Street Journal  planted the seed of my second book. It was about a financial planner who scammed older people. In my book, the hero's grandmother was scammed. My heroine works for the practice that scammed her. Of course, she knows nothing about it. But the hero doesn't know that.

Small-Town Sweethearts, my first Love Inspired Romance grew from a comment a family member made about how she liked their new church because it was more formal, and she could worship privately there. In contrast, I really like our church because of the fellowship the congregation shares. I started thinking about the value of Christian fellowship and how different people perceive it, and the story unfolded.

An incident my daughter experienced as a midwife inspired my latest Love Inspired, Small-Town Midwife. I thought, what if Autumn, my midwife heroine, no longer has the confidence to catch babies. Then, I brought in Dr. Jon Hanlon who exudes nothing but confidence in his technical app roach to delivering babies. How could a romance not develop?

Think about your life. How many story ideas do you see?

How do I come up with book ideas?

One Ranch, Two Sons and a Contest, what could be more fun?

 

That was the question a friend of mine asked me one night when I was trying to come up with a new historical book idea.  I popped back, two mail-order brides who want their men to fall in love with them and not because of some silly contest their mother cooked up. And so Taming the Texas Rancher was born. 

 

I'm often asked how I come up with book ideas. My answer is always the same, ideas are everywhere.

 

But, I'll be honest my best idea generator is my husband. He starts the ideas rolling and I find myself scooping them up. Often they don't look anything like what he had planned, I keep telling him he needs to write his own books, but I love that he's willing to put the ideas out there.

 

That's just one example of how I come up with ideas.

 

What inspires ideas in you?

 



Need a story idea? Try the Lost and Found!

Where can you find a good story idea? How about the lost and found? Hello, all. Dana Mentink here and there’s nothing more intriguing than a Lost and Found. It’s a tiny snapshot into the crazy world of people’s passions and playthings. If you’ve left something on a train, bus, cab or coach during your jaunt through England, you can visit the Lost and Found in the basement of Baker Street, Central London. For 75 years the place has been collecting items left behind by travelers. Not just the expected collection of brollies (though the basement houses more than 7000 lost umbrellas a year), you can find such nutty items as a puffer fish, clothing, false teeth, watches and two urns of ashes. No reports on whether or not Jimmy Hoffa has surfaced yet. I can’t help thinking this would be a great place to start a suspense novel. What if the clerk at the Lost and Found happened upon something…say a small black notebook with some hard to decipher writing? Or a round disk with a series of numbers printed on it? And what if this discovery soon had her running for her life? What do you think? And what, pray tell, is the strangest thing YOU’VE ever lost or found?

EVER WONDER WHERE CHARACTERS COME FROM?

Sandra Orchard here, debut Love Inspired Suspense novelist with the release this month of Deep Cover. When acquaintances learn that I’m a writer, they instantly bubble over with questions. At first I dreaded these with something akin to the panic in my hubby’s eyes when our young son asked, “Daddy, where do babies come from?”

No more! I’ve learned to have fun with them.  

“Where do babies characters come from?”

Well, I’m so glad you asked. The ideas for the characters that populate my books can come from the most unlikely of places. For example, this past summer my husband and I spent a day at the African Lion Safari and I came home with a camera full of new characters.

No, I didn’t snap photos of unsuspecting tourists, although that probably would’ve been a great idea. I’ve discovered lots of great mannerisms for my characters by simply watching people in restaurants and airports, on buses and in meetings. Photos of people with a variety of expressions, colorings, dress, etc. would be a wonderful resource. But I digress.

I snapped photos of animals, and they are quite the study in character. Take a look at this guy, for example. I call him “The Grouch”.

Can’t you just hear him saying, “What part of get lost don’t you understand?”

Then there’s the deer I like to call “The Social Butterfly”.

Can’t you just hear him saying, “What was that? I missed what you said.” Of course, that’s stereotypically a female character, but I’m pretty sure those horns mean this deer is a fella.

The monkeys alone were a treasure trove of character ideas. I call this little guy “The laid back type”.

 “This is the life!”

Then there’s the “People Pleaser” type. This mare was a real ham. She posed for about ten minutes as if she wanted to be sure I got the perfect shot to accentuate her beautiful fur coat. I could almost hear her say, “How’s this?”

And of course, no character study would be complete without a villain. I call this fellow “The Tough Guy”.

He’s saying, “Do I look like I want my photo taken?” Then to prove it, he charged a car!

And what romance writer’s character study would be complete without a hero. Although this particular hero wouldn’t be my first choice. I call him “The Casanova.”

“What can I say? The women love me.”

I hope you’ve enjoyed my little “birds and bees” talk on where characters come from.

If you’re in the mood for a little romantic suspense this month, please check out Deep Cover, the first book in my series…Undercover Cops: Fighting for justice puts their lives—and hearts—on the line.

Your Turn: Have some fun suggesting alternative descriptions and dialogue for our array of characters. 

I'm here! It's Lenora :)

Last night, I saw on my calendar that today was my day to blog. Then I got involved in a chapter and finished that up and promptly slinked downstairs and fell into my chair (where I got bleary-eyed and decided to go to bed.) So I'm standing in the kitchen this morning, drinking coffee while I looked out over all my lovely saga palms that are now brown and dying from intensely cold temperatures and suddenly it hit me--Lenora, it's your day to blog! I don't usually move that fast in the morning, let me tell you. Even forgot to take my blood pressure medicine.

Now I'm here, writing away when a dear writer friend calls and we laugh and talk about being in the middle of a conversation and suddenly going blank because a plot point has just popped in out heads. That got me to wondering--what was the strangest place you ever came up with a story idea? It's usually in church for me, during a beautiful hymn. I can't tell you how many three books contracts I've gotten out of the words of a hymn. My "In the Garden" series is based on that beautiful hymn, of course. (Three books--set on an estate in South Louisiana.) This Sunday, I was sitting there listening to a guest speaker, thanking God for allowing me to finish the first draft of the latest work in progress and suddenly, I realized I needed to change the ending of the book. Something the speaker said prompted that. I grabbed paper and pen and jotted down some notes. My friends just smiled. (They know me so well.) Back to "In the Garden". Adding to the idea I got in church while singing that--a few weeks after that Sunday, we left early one morning to travel to Georgia to see relatives. There had been an ice storm in our area and I saw a convoy of tree service trucks heading back to Mississippi. They had come over to help out during our crisis. That gave me the idea for one of the heroes in that series. He would own a tree service company and he'd come to the estate to help cut back some trees after a big storm. And the heroine would have a phobia--she'd be deathly afraid of the dark. Why? Well, that was part of the fun.

So ... this is why we sometimes forget to blog, why we sometimes forget to take our medicine, feed the cat, cook the meals and wash the clothes. This is why we stare off into space at the oddest times and why even in church, we might do what I call the Scarlett O'Hara gasp (remember the scene where her mother is giving evening prayers??)and go blank. It's because a writer's brain is wired just a bit differently from "civilian" brains. We're always sniffing out stories. And that's just part of the fun of our jobs. So ... what was the strangest place you ever came up with an idea for a book??