Where Do You Get Your Ideas?
I thought I should ask that -- since everyone always asks me.
And the fact is, I have way too many ideas. Ideas are everywhere I look. They're in everything I read, everything I hear, everything I see. Ideas aren't the problem -- at least coming up with them is not.
The problem is -- can they sustain a book? Lots of ideas are great setups, cute meets or what ifs that get you started. But what if they die on page 19? What if they don't have the stamina to make it to page 220? What if they're sprinters not marathon runners?
And figuring out which ideas are worth spending several months -- or more -- of one's life with is a challenge indeed. Sometimes it's easier than others. Sometimes you get a character who just hangs around and prods you until you say, "All right! All right! I'll write your damn book!"
If you don't know what it is about yet, that's a little tricky. But at least you know you're going to have a good strong voice there helping you along every time you get stuck. That's what's happening right now for Spence and me.
Spence turned up at an inopportune moment in Theo's book, demanding a book of his own. He wouldn't go away. And he turned out to grab a chunk of Theo's book (and would have grabbed a lot more if my editor hadn't slapped his hands and told him to wait his turn!) and he did a nice job there. But of course that didn't satisfy him. It merely whetted his appetite.
So, fine. I had handsome, rugged, intense, determined, overbearing Spence breathing down my neck -- and no story at all. He wasn't content to be an idea, either. He wanted substance. A plot.
Plot is, in case you haven't noticed, a four letter word. Plot and I wrestle a lot. Right now Spence and I are wrestling with a plot. A plot is, let's face it, a lot of 'ideas' which grow out of other ideas which in turn change a character's life. I asked Spence about having his life changed, and he thought he should be the one to change it. I agree. But it seems that sometimes things you do backfire on you when you least expect it (or when you don't expect it at all).
So it is happening to Spence. Now, together, we are exploring various ideas to see which ones fit who he is. It's an interesting process.
So far there are no palm trees. I think there could be, though.
Weird.
And the fact is, I have way too many ideas. Ideas are everywhere I look. They're in everything I read, everything I hear, everything I see. Ideas aren't the problem -- at least coming up with them is not.
The problem is -- can they sustain a book? Lots of ideas are great setups, cute meets or what ifs that get you started. But what if they die on page 19? What if they don't have the stamina to make it to page 220? What if they're sprinters not marathon runners?
And figuring out which ideas are worth spending several months -- or more -- of one's life with is a challenge indeed. Sometimes it's easier than others. Sometimes you get a character who just hangs around and prods you until you say, "All right! All right! I'll write your damn book!"
If you don't know what it is about yet, that's a little tricky. But at least you know you're going to have a good strong voice there helping you along every time you get stuck. That's what's happening right now for Spence and me.
Spence turned up at an inopportune moment in Theo's book, demanding a book of his own. He wouldn't go away. And he turned out to grab a chunk of Theo's book (and would have grabbed a lot more if my editor hadn't slapped his hands and told him to wait his turn!) and he did a nice job there. But of course that didn't satisfy him. It merely whetted his appetite.
So, fine. I had handsome, rugged, intense, determined, overbearing Spence breathing down my neck -- and no story at all. He wasn't content to be an idea, either. He wanted substance. A plot.
Plot is, in case you haven't noticed, a four letter word. Plot and I wrestle a lot. Right now Spence and I are wrestling with a plot. A plot is, let's face it, a lot of 'ideas' which grow out of other ideas which in turn change a character's life. I asked Spence about having his life changed, and he thought he should be the one to change it. I agree. But it seems that sometimes things you do backfire on you when you least expect it (or when you don't expect it at all).
So it is happening to Spence. Now, together, we are exploring various ideas to see which ones fit who he is. It's an interesting process.
So far there are no palm trees. I think there could be, though.
Weird.
posted by Anne McAllister at 7:19 PM
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