Today’s guest blogger is Elaine Faber. She lives in northern California with her husband and multiple feline companions (naturally). She is a member of Sisters in Crime, California Cat Writers, and Inspire Christian Writers where she serves as an editor for their annual anthology. And, she’s giving away a book to one of you who leaves a comment.
Pickles and Ice Cream?
- Where does an author get the inspiration for a fiction novel? This was the first question I heard today from an attendee at an Author Reading Event. Every writer has a different answer because there is no one right answer.
Some authors include personal experiences. Some writers base their characters on friends, relatives or next door neighbors. A gossip column or a newspaper article about a particular event might become the basis of a novel.
Many authors come up with a rough idea for a plot and characters, and then let their fingers do the walking and the characters tell their own story.
When I started Black Cat’s Legacy, I remembered an anecdote my parents told about me burying my toys in the sand and then my dad had to find them. I remember thinking, ‘what if a toddler buried something that showed up years later and was the clue to solving a murder?’
From that idea, I started Black Cat’s Legacy, but what was the rest of the story? Before I knew it, Black Cat (Thumper) jumped into the story and took over. He became the catalyst of the ‘tale’, working behind the scenes with his ancestor’s memories, to help solve the cold case murder in spite of the difficulty of people who ‘couldn’t see a clue even when he put it right under their inferior noses.’ The plot did eventually involve a toddler burying something that played into the mystery, but only in a very minor way. Who knew?
So a kernel of an idea can spark a tale that tells itself once we begin to write. My characters speak to me and I’m OK with that. Sometimes I don’t even know what’s going to happen next until the words are on the page. I have to follow their lead until the scene plays out. Many authors report the same thing. When characters kidnap the storyline, they can take it into a completely different direction than we planned.
When your character makes a provocative or unpredictable move, it can be unnerving. You’re staring at the computer screen wondering, ‘what the heck just happened? How am I going to get him out this?’
That’s usually when the mischievous character decides to take a vacation and leave you trying to resolve the muddle they just created. And your mind is blank and you’ve ‘got nothin.’
Which leads us to the second most common question asked in an Author Reading Event.
- What do you do when you get writer’s block? Again, there are as many answers as there are authors. But here is the best one I’ve ever heard.
In my novel, Black Cat and the Lethal Lawyer, at one point we had a
fire creeping toward the living room and a metal box falling off the mantle, knocking Brett unconscious. Now what? How could Kimberlee save him? What happened next? So I asked myself, ‘What’s the worst thing that can happen?’ Using that as a guideline, I conjured up several alternatives, picked one and ran with it.
Here’s an example: Your character is frying bacon and the skillet catches fire. What happens next? ‘What’s the worst thing that can happen?’ Maybe she pulls the fire extinguisher off the wall, but finds it empty…of course! So she grabs her cellphone to call the fire department. Dead battery.
So she runs out the door, screaming, “Fire, fire.”
A religious zealot is standing on the doorstep, handing out tracts. “You tell it, sister. Hell fire is for eternity.”
… And so forth and so on. You get the idea. Look how easily my imagined skillet fire scene just got away from me. I hadn’t planned anyone at the door. I thought she’d just grab a fire extinguisher and put out the fire. As usual, my 30-second character took over, and I was wrong…. But with my characters, I’m used to them being in control.
***
How do you answer questions about story concepts and writer’s block? Does anyone out there have another way to address these questions?
JIM: Okay, guys. She’s posed two questions. Anybody want to take a stab at answering one – or both? Elaine will give a copy of one of her cat books to someone who leaves a comment. I’ve read her Cat Legacy book and it’s fun. Might as well leave a comment and maybe win a book.
Here’s a brief blurb on two of her books.
Black Cat’s Legacy, a tale of intrigue and murder with a touch of whimsy. With the aid of his ancestors’ memories, Thumper helps pursue a cold case murder.
Black Cat and the Lethal Lawyer, a tale of betrayal and greed with a splash of fantasy. Thumper accompanies his family to a horse ranch near the Mexico border where they confront wild horses, embezzling, false identities and attempted murder.
Ms. Faber’s novels are available at Amazon.com. and on her personal website, www.mindcandymysteries.com
Great post, Elaine. The part about the man on the porch gave me a good chuckle.
For me, writer’s block means I just start typing — anything. I can always go back later and somehow it usually turns itself around.
Your other question, to me, is answered by just paying attention to life, the people around me, the newspaper and anything that crosses my path.
I’m embarrassed to say I have one of your books and haven’t had a chance to read it. I have a feeling I’m going to love it.
Marja: I’m shocked and appalled that you haven’t yet read my book! Oh, how you’ve cheated yourself from one of life’s greatest pleasures! You must correct this offense immediately, else pay the price of a deprived life. You can also read it to your dogs…(they will love it)… as there are a couple of delightful Search and Rescue Golden Retriever dogs who play a role in the stories.
When I get bogged down in a story, I take a long walk . Vigorous exercise seems to stimulate my imagination.
Stories are everyplace – but – how do you avoid the guy who says, “I’ve got a great story for you?” I say, “Write it yourself.”
Thanks, Jim, for the opportunity to share some ideas about writing on your blog and tell about my books. I appreciate your kindness.
Great post, Elaine and Jim!
I try not to use the term “writer’s block” because I’m a very visual person and the whole idea of something (I picture a wall) blocking my ideas . . . well, let’s just say it’s not conducive to creativity for me. But, like every writer, I do get stuck from time to time. That’s when I walk away from it, sometimes for just a few minutes, sometimes for a day or so. I busy myself with other things, usually mindless tasks like vacuuming or washing the dishes. When I truly let it go, I always come up with fresh ideas, ready to continue writing.
Great idea. Changing the scenery from computer to other things can definitely bring fresh ideas to mind. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
It was very nice to hear about your process here, Elaine! I think you’re right that part of making a story is imagining the worst things that could happen to somebody you care for in a given situation.
I think many of my ideas come from other books, such that I need to make sure that I don’t really steal so much as emulate. Personal experience and vicarious get mixed. When I get stuck I sometimes take a bike ride and daydream, hopefully paying enough attention to the cars and the road to avoid death.
One of our cats, now living with my daughter, used to jump on my lap while I wrote and silently critique my work. His disdain was obvious.
Of course. In the mind of your cat, our efforts at genius are always over-rated and mundane! LOL. Luck with your plotting and writing. Thanks for visiting. Hope you will check out my books on Amazon. The e-books are just $3.99
Inspiration, for me, comes from reading other books, watching television shows, listening and watching people. My book Night Shadows was conceived after listening to a Coast to Coast AM radio show about shadow creatures.
Jeffrey Deaver, The Burning Wire came from a time when he had an electrician over and was playing assistant. The electrician told him he had to be careful with one particular part of the repair because if he made a mistake it’d kill him. Deaver became very interested, asked a lot of questions and wrote a novel.
How interesting. My son came by today and told us that plumbers are digging a five foot deep/three foot wide hole under his kitchen floor due to a broken pipe deep underground. What if the plumber found ‘old bones’ buried beneath the kitchen! OH MY! What a concept. Thanks for your comments. Hope you will visit my books for a fun read.
Since I’m a cat lover this story sounds interesting. As for the questions:
Concepts: I always say, pay attention to what’s going on around you. Listen in on people’s conversations. You never know when you’ll hear or see something that will spark an idea for a story. That happened to me with my current WIP. I was in the doctor’s office and one of the questions he asked got me to thinking about how I could use it in a book. That was the seed. As the story grew, it took a much different turn, but the idea came from that one little thing.
Writers’ block: This happens to me when I try to start a chapter. I may have the idea on the book clearly in my head, but come to a point when I just can’t get going again. When this happens, I look at books by writers I like…flipping through them and stopping to read random passages. It won’t be long until a word or sentence will spark an idea. This may not work for others, but it works for me every time.
~Ann
Great ideas! And here’s a clue for you. Any story worth telling MUST have a cat in it! Even as a minor character. Cats inspire love, intrigue, laughter… all concepts that can make your story come alive with building a ‘real’ world around your characters. Thanks for your comments. Hope you will check out my books. You’ll love them, I promise!
Ann – Congrats! You were chosen to receive one of my novels. Please contact me at Elaine.Faber@mindcandymysteries.com
so I can get your email address and we can discuss this.