[Forward][ Back ]

How do we write? How do we come up with an idea for a book? Well, for my first book, Quantum Earth, I was deeply interested in what the Mayan calendar says is the end of all time, which is supposed to happen on the Solstice in the year 2012. That's all I had to start with. Then I created a strong female character. I wanted her to take the lead in the story. Then I added a secondary male character to balance things out. Shauna and Hawk also had a secret romance. I liked that. Then I had them being the leaders of a metaphysical group looking into all the major disasters happening around the world, like tsunamis, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions. I was writing this around the time of Katrina. I gathered some more characters, one by one, with different personalities, but with the same goal: to find out if the Mayan calendar prophesies had any merit.
At first I didn't have an idea for what genre this book would be under. I don't think that's important until you get into your characters and story. Basically you're just winging it with your imagination. Just let your imagination take over. Don't stop and think about all the little details. Just get it down on paper. Quantum Earth ended up being a paranormal thriller. Once I had the story set up, I realized that's what I wanted it to be and ran with it.
Something interesting can happen once you've introduced your characters and plot; the story starts writing itself almost. I would just sit at my computer and wait for the right words to come, and they usually did. There were only a few times my imagination failed me, but for the most part I just flew through the manuscript. I kept asking myself, what if...? What if this happened or what if that happened? A lot got thrown out because I thought it didn't sound plausible.
Another thing that I think makes a book shine is putting in some little asides, like: He brushed off his pants, or she thought he could use a haircut. This is the salt and pepper that takes a plain story and gives it spice. Have a cute little dog trot by now and then. Have the sky turn a brilliant orange at sunset. I believe this is what sets apart a regular author with a really great author. But it's hard to remember to put these little things in your story when you're constantly trying to focus on the characters and plot. It's also a timing thing. You don't want to crowd these things together too closely. Maybe one or two per page. Or more if it works for the story.
This is stuff I learned on my own just by studying as I read. I've also read the magazines and books that supposedly teach one how to write and taken classes. Although I've never been to a conference yet. It seems like I've had to throw all that out when I write. It just doesn't compute when I actually sit down and try to find the right words to put down on the page. I guess I'm sorta a seat of the pants writer. When it comes to formulas and memorizing it fouls up my imagination, and that's what I use to write with. But different people use different methods. Some of you may do very well using books on writing. It just doesn't work for everybody, so don't worry if you don't get a lot from the books. I'm a firm believer in learning from the kinds of books you'd like to write.
I'd like to try writing a mystery sometime in the future, so I've been reading a lot of them. I also read period fiction. I've been reading a lot about the 12th century lately. But my favorites are paranormal thrillers like Stephen King writes. I doubt I'll ever come close to his caliber, although I was highly disappointed with his latest book, Under the Dome. I don't feel it's necessary to flesh out characters until you practically know what color underwear they have on! Dean Koontz is another favorite, as is Patricia Cornwell. I like to write books where I can use my own personal knowledge that isn't widely known. They say 'write what you know,' and they're right. If you do that then you're halfway there.
I think it's a good idea to keep a journal. Write down your dreams in it, too. You'd be surprised how many ideas you can get for books just from your dreams. That's where I got the idea for my second book, Deadly Lucidity. I was having a perfectly wonderful dream, when I thought I woke up, but it had really turned into a nightmare. That scared me to death. I kept thinking about it, and it turned out to be the perfect premise for a book. Deadly Lucidity is about a woman who can lucid dream, which means she's aware that she's dreaming, and can do whatever she wants within the dream. But her dreams turn into a horrible nightmare she gets stuck in and must somehow find her way back to reality. I'll write more about the process of writing Deadly Lucidity tomorrow.
Thanks for stopping by!