Where do our ideas come from?
Every time I meet with a group for a reading or a signing, this question gets asked. And to be honest, I never have a clear answer.
There are a few guesses I could make: the subconscious mind; dreams, which come from the same source. If I were a sci-fi writer, maybe I would say that my ideas get beamed down from space.
I say they come from the Muse, which may be a combination of all of these things, or none of them. There is a certain level of mystery to the discovery of an idea, an idea that usually emerges when I am up to my elbows in soapy water at the sink, or driving down the highway, unable to reach for a pen. I have learned to value these sudden flashes from the Void, to dry my hands and find my pen, to pull over when I can and make that note. Because the more I value the ideas that come to me, the more they grow…into characters, into stories, into adventures that I would otherwise never get to have.
Once again I say, hurray for adventure. Hurray for the subconscious mind, for the Void, for dreams, for the Muse. Please keep those ideas coming.
Everywhere. They come from everywhere. Usually when we have no paper handy. 🙂
LOL “Everywhere” and the Void are in cahoots 🙂
My ideas come from research. And they’re not always scenes or books that *I* should write, but books I’d love to read. You can find plenty of mysteries, scandals, and true crime in annals or court records from hundreds of years ago. So is there a pool of historical writers out there, eagerly waiting for the next book idea? Probably not.
That is an interesting point, Christy R…for me, my historical fiction always began with the character’s voice, but it makes sense that you would find your ideas in your research. Very cool…
I think in some alter world these characters are real and are screaming for their stories to be heard. They find people like you who are sensitive enough to hear them and can do their story justice. Yep, that’s my opinion 🙂
I love that idea, Leah 🙂