The Idea Store

by Judy Merrill Larsen

A few years ago, I went to see the lovely Elizabeth Berg at one of her book signings/readings. She's delightful--kind, a little shy, funny, friendly. I love her. Someone asked her, "Where do you get your ideas?" She smiled and said, "Why, at the Idea Store!" Everyone laughed. I thought to myself, I'm betting she's been asked that same question a million times. And might be a little tired of it.



And I wondered if she'd mind if I stole her answer. Because it's perhaps the most common question authors get--along with wondering why we haven't called Oprah. (Answer: No one knows her number. And we'd probably all cut off an arm to get it.)

Because here's the thing--if I go looking for an idea, I'll never find it. And lots of really great, fabulous, amazing ideas never pan out. And, in general, I don't even know I have an idea that's going to work at first.

They sneak up on me and start nagging. I fumble around wondering what string to pull that will help the story. And I pull at a bunch of loose strings that turn into knots or are little scraps that pull out completely. But I never know until I pull.



Which makes for all kinds of fun.

With ALL THE NUMBERS, my first novel, the idea stemmed from a random conversation with my best friend as we sat on the dock at her lake house watching our kids playing in the water. One comment. And poof, an entire story.

Another manuscript started with a photograph from childhood and whispered stories about "that family next door."

Yet another came from a tiny, one paragraph news article about something found under a bed when a family was cleaning out their deceased grandma's home.

And of course, there are lots of other ideas that never survived the "string test". Or so I think now. But, down the road? Who knows what spark will bounce back to some of those strings. And that's thrilling because they are rarely what you think you'll be. Rarely where you think they'll lead. And, in many ways, the whole writing process for me is one of pulling and tugging at strings . . . a character sees something or makes a comment and before I know it, often without my consent, we're chasing down another road wondering what's around the next turn or over the hill.



Of course, all this wondering has made me wonder something else . . . just as I sometimes think I'd love to be able to pop in to an Idea Store after I've browsed the racks at J Jill, what would your fantasy store hold?

I live in St. Louis, MO with my husband, am the mom/stepmom to five kids (ages 19-27), and taught high school English for 15 years. I'm over on Facebook and Twitter . My first novel, ALL THE NUMBERS was published in 2006.

My Trip to Italy aka Writing, Cooking and other Wisdom

by Judy Merrill Larsen

There are many different paths to becoming a writer (and all involve rejection. Sorry to be so harsh. Hope you've had your coffee.).

My road has been both pretty normal (Loved reading as a kid. Always wanted to write. Got paying job. Put off writing to raise kids. Finally decided to write a book, because, hey, who can't (ha!). Got rejected. Got rejected again. Found my dream agent. Poof! Got published.) and unique (because each of our winding roads are uniquely true for each of us.).

Here are some things I've finally figured out.

First, go to Italy.





Drink in the sights and the wine. Savor the art and the food. Because Italians get it. Get that if you start with the freshest, best ingredients and work with joy and love, you'll create something wonderful. A big slab of perfect marble and years of work that's a labor of love. Fresh sage and butter and ricotta. Tomatoes ripened in the Italian sun. You don't need scads of ingredients; you need to use only the best and let the truth of the flavors do the rest.

A few years ago, when I learned how to make risotto, I wrote this, and traveling to Italy earlier this month continued my education (although I don't really think the IRS will agree that the trip was a work-related expense!).

Some of the writers on this blog have MFAs. Some of us teach writing workshops. We've all shared our "go-to" writing books. When asked for advice I always say, among other things, to read read read.

But my time in italy clarified and simplified things even more. As we stood in front of The David, I let the words of Michelangelo wash over me:

“Every block of stone has a statue inside it and it is the task of the sculptor to discover it.”

“I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free.”



And that's it exactly. My task is to discover the story through my characters. And in doing so I'm setting them free.

How easy is that?

And now, one more gratuitous picture . . .


And yes, we did throw coins over our shoulder. I have so much more to learn . . . oh, and more gelato to eat!

I live in St. Louis, MO with my husband, am the mom/stepmom to five kids (ages 18-26), and taught high school English for 15 years. I'm over on Facebook and Twitter . My first novel, ALL THE NUMBERS was published in 2006.

Crazy Little Thing Called . . . . Process?

by Judy Merrill Larsen

Process? We don't need no stinking process!

Oh, wait, maybe we, or at least I do.

It goes kind of like this . . . my own 12-Step Process

1.) Ohmygawd this is the best idea ever! I can knock this baby out in no time. My agent is gonna love me. Oh, man, I am so excited.



2.) What was that idea again? Crap. (Twiddle thumbs. Play solitaire on line.)

3.) Okay, Judy (you know it's bad when I start referring to myself in 3rd person), this is serious. You need to write that book. Or ANY book. Sheesh. Oh, but wait. Isn't there laundry to do? And when did you last refill all the soap dispensers. DO THAT NOW!

4.) Whine to husband. Pour another glass of wine. Repeat as necessary.



5.) Trudge up to 3rd floor office. Go back downstairs to refill coffee mug. Look at headline from yesterday's NYT. Start to reach for the crossword puzzle. Slap own hand.



6.) Sigh. Loudly.

7.) Actually sit down in writing chair (amazingly novel idea!). Open laptop. Take a deep breath. Type: Chapter One.

8.) Keep typing. Ignore sound of dryer buzzing. Do NOT look at Facebook. Okay, turn airport OFF. Good girl (pat self on the back).

9.) Reread the 867 words you just wrote. Tweak them. Rewrite first paragraph again. Keep writing. Read over everything from the beginning. Smile.

10.) Glance at clock and realize you still have all those errands to run. Keep writing because you want to. Then write some more when it gets a little hard. Allow yourself to write in all caps--THESE SENTENCES SUCK. You'll fix them later.

11.) Stop for the day even though you can't wait for what's going to happen next to your characters. Spend evening thinking about your characters while appearing as though you're listening to your husband (he knows and you know he knows, but it's all good).

12.) Wake up with a great new plot idea for your characters. Ignore steps 1-6 and dive in to step 7.

Repeat as necessary until you've got a complete draft.

There. You've done it. Now you just have to revise. But that's okay. You wrote a novel! 1500 or so words at a time. Hot damn. Cool beans.



So, what's your process like?

(As I post this, I'm a teensy bit more than halfway through my latest novel. I promised my agent she'd have it by Sept. 1. Wish me luck, okay?)



I live in St. Louis, MO with my husband, am the mom/stepmom to five kids (ages 17-25), and taught high school English for 15 years. I'm over on Facebook and Twitter . My first novel, ALL THE NUMBERS was published in 2006.

Where'd you get that idea???

by Judy Merrill Larsen


I'm never quite sure where my next story idea will come from. Not that I'm ever at a loss for suggestions--helpful or not. Friends and family are always telling me I can "use this" in my next book. If only it was that easy. I mean, between the 5 kids, a sweet but very stupid 7 year-old Golden Retriever, and 15 year-old senile diabetic cat, you would think I'd be chock full of story ideas. But, at least for me, it doesn't work that way.

For me, it tends to be so much more random. Not exactly a bolt from the blue; more like a wiggle or squiggle or edge of an idea slowly worming its way in. Usually, I don't even know it at first. But then, I'll realize a particular sentence has been rolling around in my head for a few days (and, no, it's not the ever present question ALWAYS in my head asking if we have enough wine.).



I'll hear voices. Or just one very insistent voice. Often on my early morning walk. I mean, there I'll be, huffing and puffing away, convincing myself to take the long way, that this hill will soon level off and then I can go home and enjoy some more coffee, when I become aware that inside my head, there's a whole life waiting to be told. It's like someone has taken up residence right behind my eyes. And I know, if I'm patient and LISTEN, there's a great story there.

But, just like when I meet someone new in my real life, the story might not come out all at once. And it might take a lot of hanging out and some wine and more long morning walks than I really want to take to truly get to know this person's story.

But that's part of the fun and mystery and adventure of it. There will be sadness too, because there are always hard parts to open up about. Stuff we survived but weren't sure we could . . . or weren't even sure we wanted to.

And for me, sitting down to write, it's figuring out which string to pull. And allowing myself to follow it ALL the way. I can't tug too hard because it will break. And I definitely don't want to let it go because it might fly away. So, I have to be gentle with it and let it unwind. But when I'm patient, and when I let the characters tell their story (rather than what I think it is), I know that I'm going to have an incredible adventure and when I get to the end and have to tell them goodbye I'll feel sad . . . because I've spent so much time with them and I've gotten to know them so well. They've become family to me. But just like taking your kid to college, it's time to let them go and make their way into the world, as scary as that can be, and you know that when they're out in the world they're going to meet some amazing people and they'll still come home to tell you all about it.

Anyway, that's what it's like for me. That's where my ideas come from. Speaking of which . . . there's this amazing woman I'm just getting to know really well and she's smack in the middle of filling me in about her life. I have a hunch something pretty cool is about to happen . . . something she doesn't even see coming, so I need to go watch that happen.

But what about you . . . how do your ideas arrive?

I live in St. Louis, MO with my husband, am the mom/stepmom to five kids (ages 17-25), and taught high school English for 15 years. I'm over on Facebook and Twitter . My first novel, ALL THE NUMBERS was published in 2006.

The Long and Winding Road . . . and Book Giveaway

by Judy Merrill Larsen



I received my first rejection letter circa 1971 from Tiger Beat magazine. I'd entered some contest to write "My Dream Wedding to _____" I picked Bobby Sherman. (I still know all the words to his big hit "Seattle" and will sing it if asked. Seriously. Just ask.) I don't recall being particularly upset about not winning which perhaps suggests I was just preparing for the 321 (or so. Not that I'm counting or anything.) rejection letters I would get when first querying agents. I recall being more disappointed about not winning one of his puppies in another contest they had.



But, I digress.

As I was saying, that first rejection did not deter me in any way. I filled notebooks with diary entries, wrote stories, plays, and poetry. Lots and lots and lots of poetry. Really bad teenage girl angst-filled poetry. My top topics were boys and war. And, no, you can NOT see them. Ever. I will say, though, in their defense, that very few of them rhymed. I am proud of that.

I got more serious about writing in college where I was an English major and took lots of creative writing classes along with all the lit courses. I learned how stories were told and fell in love with words.

Flash forward. I got married, had two babies, got divorced. I suddenly found myself not only surprised to be an ex-wife but needing to tuck away the writing dreams and focus on providing for my sons as a high school English teacher.

Little did I know that my education as a writer was on the right path. Long and winding, but right.



My days filled with my sons, growing up before my eyes, and the words of the masters, and exposing my students to those words. Discovering with them how stories get told, how characters get into our hearts and stay with us (Atticus Finch, anyone? Elizabeth Bennett? Tom Joad?).

And then, in the spring of 1999, a friend and I were drinking wine and talking late into the evening, and I said into the dark, warm air that someday I was going to write a novel. She looked me hard in the eyes and said, "So go do it."

I did.

I wrote the first draft that summer and began collecting rejections. Lots of rejections. (I still say I didn't know how to write a query letter.) But I truly believe that things happen when they are supposed to. And in the summer of 2004 (yes, 5 years later), an agent said yes. The right agent. The perfect agent. And then a couple months later we sold ALL THE NUMBERS to Random House.



Amazing.

It was released in July 2006. And since then, the road continues to twist and turn. There have been more rejections . . . and more yesses. The book has traveled the world and become a best seller in Taiwan. And even though I still get all stressed when a manuscript is on submission, and rejections still sting, I can look back at the road I've traveled and know that things happen how and when they are supposed to. And I still look forward to seeing what's around the next curve.

What do you hope is ahead for you? Leave a comment (with your contact scoop) by midnight CST on Dec. 22 and I'll randomly select one winner to receive a signed copy of my novel.

I live in St. Louis, MO with my husband, am the mom/stepmom to five kids (ages 17-25), and taught high school English for 15 years. I'm over on Facebook and Twitter .

The Writing Life (or, "So you want to be a paperback writer?")

by Judy Merrill Larsen

A few weeks ago, Mary, one of my best friends called to ask if she could pass my name on to the college-aged daughter of a friend of hers. It seemed that this young woman was an English major, and one of her assignments required her to interview a writer. Of course I said yes. I too had once been an English major (how great was that--you read and write AND get credit!). So, we arranged for a phone interview and it was fun. She asked thoughtful questions, laughed at my stupid jokes (always a big plus in my book), and had genuine curiosity about what it was like to be a writer. The process, the product, and everything in between (and after).

The call was good for me, too, coming on one of those days when I felt nothing like a writer. I was far removed from any sense of the wonder and joy of writing. But, as I talked to her, I started remembering how much I do love being a writer. And not just the wear-your-jammies-to-work aspect of it. I mean, this has been my dream since I was a little girl and first realized that on the other side of the books I adored was a person who created worlds I could disappear into. My husband reminds me that lots of people have big dreams when they are 8 (his was to play first base for the Chicago Cubs), but only a lucky few get to see those dreams realized. I'm in that group. Amazing.

So when this young woman asked for advice, along with suggesting she line up a paying job (at least to start with), I also told her to never give up. And to read everything she could. And to write for the love of it no matter what. No matter how many rejections piled up or how many people doubted or how many times she started over. And as we chatted I was reminded of a quote I love, attributed to Doris Betts, a short story writer, who said "Writing is a hard way to make a living, but a good way to make a life.”

And that's it exactly, isn't it?

So I repeated this quote to my interviewer and I really hope that if she took anything from our phone call, it's that quote. And it won't mean much to her today or even perhaps in the next few years. But, if she sticks with it, I'd love it if someday she thinks of that quote and smiles in satisfaction and understanding.

And now, let me ask you--what's your best advice for writers? What's your suggestion for how to achieve a dream?



(This was taken the night of my launch party . . . a dream come true!)


I live in St. Louis, MO with my husband, am the mom/stepmom to five kids (ages 17-25), and taught high school English for 15 years. I'm over on Facebook and am always eager to make new friends, too!

Hey, Whaddya Know?

by Judy Merrill Larsen

Hello! First off, I'm loving all the fabulous book recommendations and I have two to add to your already tottering TBR piles . . . Lynne Griffin's beautiful Sea Escape (and if you haven't picked up her debut Life Without Summer, grab that one too!) and Anna Quindlen's Every Last One. All three of these books will make you smile, cry, and feel like you understand yourself a little bit more. They deal with families, heartbreak, loss and love and when you turn the last page you'll wish you could start all over.



When I was writing my first book, All the Numbers, I had no idea of all the things that I didn't know. I mean, thanks to my kids, I knew that I was completely clueless about many things, but the whole world of being a published author was still a mystery to me. I laugh now when I compare what I thought it would be like to the reality.



Before the book came out, I dreamed about finally meeting Oprah (still waiting on that call), wondered if the Today Show set would look bigger or smaller than it does on my TV when I was sitting there dishing about my book with Meredith Viera (yeah, I still can't answer that one), and hoped I'd be all cool and collected when I spotted someone reading my book on an airplane (that skill hasn't yet been tested).

But, I could also have never imagined how amazing it is to have readers e-mail me and tell me how much my book meant to them. To have complete strangers show up at a book signing/reading and want to meet me (and to know my mom didn't pull them in off the streets). I remember when my editor told me what the first print run was going to be, I panicked thinking, "Ohmygod, I don't know that many people!"

It's so much more than I ever imagined.

Fast forward to working on my next book . . . and, in the same way that after you have one baby you think (wrongly) hey, how much harder could another one be? And of course, that next baby, along with stealing your heart in ways you never imagined because you absolutely adore the first one, also lets you know, from Day One, that he has no intention of doing ANYTHING the way his big brother does it, so you are a brand new mom all over again . . . here are some things I've learned this time around:

~what you think will be your next book often isn't.

~then, what you are sure will be your next book, sometimes still isn't.

~but then, after you've ranted and raved to your author buddies (who you never would have gotten to know without that first book) and cried to your husband (who knows enough to just listen and pour you more wine), you suck it up and open your laptop and start AGAIN with Page One and discover that maybe you can write another book.

and one more thing you learn . . . is how to knit.

Yes. Knit.

You see, in this next book, one of my characters knits. So, last winter I signed up for a beginning knitting class. I wanted to know what I was talking about. I didn't expect to love it as much as I do. Two felted purses, three scarves, and one hat later (along with several in progress projects), I am a bona fide knitter (my husband might say obsessed, but he'd be wrong. Sort of.). It's incredibly relaxing. Kind of zen-like for me. Without this particular character, I might never have learned to knit. It's so cool to get something from a book I'm writing. It has me thinking that perhaps my next book needs to have a character who goes to a tiny Tuscan village to learn to make pasta. Or maybe a little town in the South of France to learn anything. Just an idea . . .

Anyway, back to reality (which is highly overrated these days). It's really neat to learn new things even at age fifty (Eek.). Next up, I think, is learning to make artisan breads. Oh, and I want to dust off my piano and start playing it again. These things might come in handy for a character someday, but even if they don't, I'll be able to smell bread cooking while I play some sonatas with a handknit scarf wrapped around my neck to keep me warm.

So, what have you learned lately? What's on your "to learn" list? I'm convinced everyone should have one . . .

I live in St. Louis, MO with my husband, am the mom/stepmom to five kids (ages 17-25), and taught high school English for 15 years. I'm over on Facebook and am always eager to make new friends, too!