Where do you get your ideas for a book? People have asked me that question many times in the past and I’m not always sure where they come from. I think there is a little tiny place in my brain that mysteriously manufactures them–sometimes like an assembly line and sometimes one item at a time, slow and laboriously.
I wake up in the middle of the night with an idea or some plot point in my book. I’ve learned I have to get up and write it down or I might forget it by morning. There are times I am amazed at how the creative process works; there are times I’m desperate for the creative process to work.
I do think you have to train yourself and get yourself in the mold of brainstorming with yourself (or others). Be open for everyday things to trigger an idea. A speech I heard at school gave me my subplot for Tidings of Joy coming out from Love Inspired in October 2006. Loving movies like Romancing the Stone and African Queen led me to do my Love Inspired Suspense, Heart of the Amazon (January 2007). I wanted to capture the flavor of those stories–the sense of adventure.
And don’t forget real life is rich with potential ideas for stories. Watching and listening to people is a wonderful way to spark those creative juices. So where do my ideas come from? Everywhere–life.
