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 Idea Bank

by Maria Geraci

The other day I went out to lunch with a good friend of mine (names changed to protect the innocent).

Friend: We're joining my friend, Annie, who loves your books!
Me: Awesome!
Friend: Yeah, she has some really great ideas for your next book!
Me: Awesome! (not)

So we went to lunch and had a perfectly lovely time. And yes, Annie did pitch her ideas to me, which I politely listened to.

Me: Those all sound great. You know, you should write your own book.
Annie: Me?
Me: Sure! Why not?

I really hope Annie doesn't take offense when none of her ideas show up in any of my books. Not that her ideas weren't funny or cute or whatever. They just weren't my ideas. And for me to spend a year of my life (between writing, rewriting, editing, revising, etc....) on a book, the idea has to be personal.

People always ask writers where they get their ideas from (probably the most cliched interview question ever) but it's still a great question because most likely, no two writers will answer it the same.

On average, all my books have stemmed from ideas that I've been spinning away in my head for at least a year. I believe the original thought comes from some place in my subconscious (yes, I'm going to get all woo-woo here). It's brought out to my conscious self by a seemingly innocent conversation, a newspaper story, an image, or something that all of a sudden makes me sit up and take notice. I then store it away and try not to think about it anymore. But... then I can't stop thinking about it. It marinates in my brain and keeps popping back to me until I feel really passionate about that idea and feel that I have to write about it.

The idea from my third published novel, The Boyfriend of the Month Club, actually came from the visual of a really tacky Florida gift shop. I envisioned that gift shop over and over in my head until it seemed that it was actually real. Then I thought about the manager of that gift shop and how she hated working there, but it was a family business and she was caught up in it, and well... you get the drift. That gift shop became the backdrop to the boyfriend club meetings and although it was a location, it seemed more like a real character.

The idea for my upcoming novel, A Girl Like You, came from a thirty second conversation on Real Housewives of Orange County (at least that's what I think the show is called because I'd never seen it before or since). I was flipping the channels and came across two women talking and one mentioned to the other that she'd just dropped her daughter off at college and how all the women in the dorm (or sorority house) were gorgeous and how was her daughter ever going to shine without an ugly friend next to her?

I immediately thought, "oh, no. What if you found out you were the ugly friend?"

I laughed, then put the idea out of my head. Only it wouldn't go away. It kept resurfacing until I saw my main character, saw her friends, saw the bar scene in which she overhears herself referred to as the "ugly friend." Those scenes wouldn't go away as well and I began to feel passionate about them. Until I felt enough passion to sit down at my computer and start to write.

So that's where my ideas come from. From my own personal idea bank where thoughts get deposited and sit and sit until I have to take them out because I can't allow them to just sit there any longer. My ideas become part of who I am as a writer, blending with my voice and my own personal themes. Because in the end, that's what its all about. You must feel passionate about your stories. You must love your story and love your characters. Because if you don't then no one else will.

How do you get your ideas? How do you flesh them out and create them into stories?

Maria Geraci was born in Havana, Cuba, and raised on Florida’s Space Coast. Her love of books started with the classic, Little Women (a book she read so often growing up, she could probably quote). She writes contemporary romance and women’s fiction with a happy ending. The Portland Book Review called her novel, The Boyfriend of the Month Club, “immensely sexy, immensely satisfying and humorous.” Her fourth novel, A Girl Like You, will be released August, 2012 by Berkley, Penguin USA. For more information, please visit her website at www.mariageraci.com

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.

And Now For Something Competely Different

When the student is ready, the teacher appears

By Hank Phillippi Ryan

So we’re talking about resolutions. I’m in the midst of writing a new novel. Almost, almost finished! And semi-frantically wondering what will happen. I think--I HAVE TO FINISH! And then I realize—it’ll be done when it’s done.

So I’ve “resolved”—maybe, “decided to allow,” is there a word for that?-- to discover the flow, and be there. And as sometimes happens, just when I needed it, I found this.

Does that happen to you too?

Maybe this is one of those times.

Learning the Characters (Yue Liang — The Moon) by Koeeoaddi

My hand,
stiff as horsehair
falters and balks.

"The moon," he tells me
and draws the lines.
Listen to me.

I grind the ink,
look into the wet black slab
but see no sky.
I worry my hand
across the page
the sun fastened tight
to obstinate dusk.

"Watch" he insists.
His lesson forms
in rock and light.
I retrace his strokes,
and he smiles —
my crude moon
climbs a crumpled sky.

But later
alone at my desk,
I sketch the spiny shadow
of the asparagus fern,
a cat on the sill
looking into the night

And the moon blooms
like an orchid
underneath
my astonished brush.

**********************

Agatha, Anthony and Macavity-winning author Hank Phillippi Ryan is the investigative reporter for Boston's NBC affiliate. She’s won 26 EMMYs and dozens of other journalism honors.

Her debut PRIME TIME, won the Agatha Award, and was nominated for two RITAs. FACE TIME and AIR TIME are IMBA bestsellers, with AIR TIME nominated for the Agatha and Anthony. (Sue Grafton says: "This is first-class entertainment.") DRIVE TIME's Library Journal starred review says “puts Ryan in a league with Lisa Scottoline.”

DRIVE TIME is now a nominee for the AGATHA AWARD for Best Mystery Novel of 2010!

Hank's short story “On the House” won the Agatha, Anthony and Macavity nominee.

She’s on the board for New England Sisters in Crime and the national board of MWA.

http://www.HankPhillippiRyan.com

My Journey So Far... By Stephanie Julian

I've been a writer all my professional life. I started writing in high school, took creative writing classes at a local arts institute after school, and knew from an early age that I'd go to college to get an English degree. Of course, I had no idea what I'd do with it.

Luckily, just before I graduated, my dad told me to apply for a job at the local newspaper. Journalism had never been a career I'd considered but I needed a real job because I knew I couldn't work at the movie theater all my life. I actually loved working at the theater because it fed my two-film a week habit for many years.

I started freelancing for the paper, mainly because I wasn't very good at traditional journalism. But I had a gift for writing features. It took almost a year but I was finally hired full-time and given my own municipal beat. Which I absolutely hated. I wanted to be back in features. More specifically, I wanted to be in the entertainment department.

It took a few years, but I got there. I got to do movie, theater and music reviews and any and all entertainment features. I've interviewed blues legend James Cotton, the original Steve from "Blues Clues" and, just after the release of her first album, Taylor Swift. I've interviewed book cover artist extraordinaire Chip Kidd several times and I reviewed Broadway stage star and "Glee" guest Jonathon Groff before he became a Broadway star.

When I had my first child, my husband and I decided I would quit full time and go freelance. Again. It was a struggle to work at home with a baby but it was also a blessing because after I had my second son, I decided I was going back to my first love. Writing romance.

My husband, a born and bred newspaper man, was working nights at this time and I can remember writing my first novel at night after putting my 2-year-old to bed while I rocked the 3-month-old in his carrier with my foot. I spent my days writing for money but my nights were spent dreaming.

It took a few years to sell my first and second book. Then it took another four years to sell the third in a completely different genre. Next week, MOONLIGHT TEMPTATION, the fourth book in the Lucani Lovers series, will release. It's my 12th release from Ellora's Cave in the past 36 months.

I've been lucky to be able to write exactly what I love to write, whether it's a theater review or story about Etruscan werewolves and witches.

It's been an exciting journey to get to this point and it's a journey I hope continues for a good long time.