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I was driving home from a conference in another town (not a writing related one, but one related to my day job) when different songs playing on the radio made me pull out a napkin (where is a sheet of paper when you need one?) and jot down some possible titles for future books. Last summer I was at a weekend outdoor music festival. As I listened to one group play, I pulled (yes, you guess it) a napkin from my bag and wrote down some plot ideas. By the time I left that weekend, I’d plotted out a whole new book.
I never know when inspiration will hit. But it usually is at theatre or music events….or my favorite….driving in the car. Long stretches on the interstate are especially helpful. Sometimes I’ll dream a plot or an upcoming scene for my current work-in-progress. Occasionally ideas will come to me in the shower.
For much of my adult life, I didn’t write. But once I started, it seemed that ideas that had lain dorment all these years clamored to the surface. It seems to me that creativity breeds creativity.
Sometimes I wonder what other people who don’t write think about….I can’t imagine not being able to make up stories….and I thank God every day for giving me this wonderful gift.
Filed in: Jaunty Post
Sep 23rd
2006
3:38 am
Shirley Karr Said:
The shower is the absolute best plotting tool, ever.
Now if only someone made the equivelent of Post-it notes or a white board that would survive the damp environment…
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Sep 23rd
2006
8:34 am
Robyn DeHart Said:
Yeah, questions like these and the “where do you get your ideas?” always make me cringe. Most writers seem to have really great answers, but me, not so much. For the most part my ideas are all manufactured. Meaning I deliberately sit down to think of a new idea. On occassion I have a snippet of an idea, like I want to write a book that deals with Sherlock Holmes – that’s how A Study in Scandal started. I have an idea file that is filled more with character types than plot ideas. I guess that’s just how I think.
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Sep 23rd
2006
9:01 am
Shana Said:
I’m with Robyn. Most of my ideas nowadays are manufactured, too. I do get snippets of ideas, but I have to work to flesh them out and I usually have to be in the mode where I am consciously thinking about plots. It’s kind of sad because sometimes I do wonder if I’ll ever have a spontaneous idea. but then I start writing and the story evolves spontaneously for me on the page, and that is fun.
Like Cindy, I wonder what people who aren’t writers think about, too. Eight times out of ten, if I am driving a long way or have time to think, I’m thinking about the book I’m working on. I’ve always made up stories in my head.
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Sep 23rd
2006
1:06 pm
Rainy Said:
Everything and anything can be an inspiration. I feel especially inspired by nature, like when I take my walks underneath marshmellow clouds and just feel open to everything around me. Maybe “being open” is the operative phrase. How many inspiring stories happen when we’re feeling angry, hopeless or apathetic?
I’ve heard so often that writers should keep a notebook full of ideas or characters that just pop into our heads. The other night a really good story line did just that. Pop into my head and I figured I’d write it down (where, I don’t know) a bit later. Well, it’s gone into that vast wasteland or unrequited ideas. So, I’ll try to get myself organized enough to have a notebook handy for the next idea. And there is always a next idea.
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Sep 23rd
2006
2:21 pm
Anne Mallory Said:
Shirley, do I get a finder’s fee?
http://www.ubergizmo.com/15/archives/2005/12/erasable_shower.html
“The $16 Shower Note Tablet complements those who think best while taking a soothing bath. Jot down ideas and inspired moments using the waterproof crayons that come with the package. It measures 9 x 10”, providing more than enough writing real estate for everyday use. Suction cups are included to preserve the dignity of the bathroom walls from being invaded by nails.”
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Sep 23rd
2006
2:37 pm
Anne Mallory Said:
I always keep a notebook in the car, and a mini notebook in my purse (and my purse is small, so I’m talking mini). I get ideas for lots of things, art projects, jewelry, books, and want to draw a sketch (badly) or record something about a character/plot or just write down a song I like and want to check out later.
So I always have some form of paper handy. I’m the queen of scraps of paper. They are so easy to write on. My book folder is littered with them. But they are a big pain in the neck when you need them later, let me tell you…
Funny thing is that I tend to daydream about stories I’m not writing, but that are fun to explore. Weird, eh? I can’t daydream about my books because then I need to write things down! Daydreaming and pencils don’t go together for me. That’s plotting. And that falls under work, not daydreaming.
As soon as a daydream topic gets written down as a story idea…it’s not daydream material any longer!
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Sep 23rd
2006
5:00 pm
Margo Maguire Said:
I keep a pad of paper in the car, and I usually have some kind of paper in my purse (sometimes just a receipt) … And I jot a lot of notes to myself.
When I first started writing, I had ideas coming out of my ears
. Not so much any more. I’ll often be inspired by something I read in a history text(i.e., I wonder what happened to the *real* people of the era) and go from there.
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Sep 23rd
2006
10:35 pm
Shirley Karr Said:
Thank you, Ann! The board is now on the top of my birthday/Christmas wish list.
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Sep 24th
2006
9:42 am
Robyn DeHart Said:
That’s interesting, Margo, I’m the opposite. When I first started writing, I always worried I wouldn’t have enough ideas. I would hear about these people with these huge idea files and I just didn’t get it. I’ve since learned what an idea is for me and how to harness my creativity to produce ideas. So they come when I need them now and I actually do have a file.
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Sep 24th
2006
12:45 pm
AndreaW Said:
Awesome, Anne! Thanks for posting that link! Like Shirley, I get ideas in the shower and have added the “Shower Note Tablet” to my Christmas list! My husband is surely going to give me a weird look! LOL!
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