Wednesday, May 7, 2014

My Writing Process: Story Seeds


 Suzanne Warr tagged me and asked if I’d like to join the ‘My Writing Process’ blog hop. Be sure to check out her post, if you haven't already.

Usually, when I write about my process, I go on about how I like to use turning points, book maps and index cards to plot.  This time I’ve decided to step back to the true beginning of my stories—to story seeds.

I think the perpetual need for inspiration is one reason writers have to make sure to get out of their writing cave and experience real life.  Seeds can come from anywhere—from a painting in a museum (that’s where the love interest in my current WIP came from), to visiting a craft fair or farmer’s market (that’s how I learned about glassblowing and got a boatload of ideas for my published novelette THE BRAIDING), or just from driving around. With the addition of a few 'what if' questions, a unique building or a tree can sprout into a story. Sometimes it’s a snippet of an overheard conversation or an expression on a stranger’s face.

I carry a small notebook and pen with me at all times—and, yes, I’ve used paper scraps pulled out of the trash and napkins too. I take photos and videos. And, when I get home from an inspired trip, I add all the new seeds into my ongoing writing journal. Having them all in one place, saves time and avoids frustration. 
Some seeds never grow into anything. But, usually, I end up combining a bunch of seeds from different times and places to come up with a more surprising and complex plot idea. Often the combined seed ideas end up getting trimmed, but better to start with more material than too little.



So go out, enjoy spring and see what ideas hit you—just be sure to record them all for future use. You never know which one’s will sprout into something fabulous.


8 comments:

  1. Great post! I love to go out and absorb, but lately have gotten lazy about keeping my scribbled thoughts organized. In fact, I'm not even sure I could find my card file of ideas without a fair amount of digging. Time to pull that out, I think, and put it back to use!

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  2. Thanks for asking me. It's always fun to think about the process :)

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  3. So true. Without getting out and seeing things, we'd have nothing to write about.

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    1. What amazes me is how stuck in the cave I can get.

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  4. Ooh, I accidentally planted a new story seed today. And it seems to be growing pretty fast!

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    1. Yay! I hope it grows and blooms into something wonderful.

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  5. It's lovely to hear how you get your ideas, are clever enough to write them down somewhere (as opposed to me), and allow stories to grow from these new seeds. I'm too picky and throw out 99.9% of my story ideas. Maybe I should let more seeds grow. ;)

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  6. I throw out a ton of ideas. What drives me nuts is when I can vaguely remember one, but not enough to bring it back--that's why I write them down. If anyone looked at my seeds, they'd probably think I was totally crazy :)

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