The Elusive Muse
Where do ideas for stories come from? For me, it’s a combination of everything I see, my experiences, and things I’m interested in. Is that vague enough for you? Honestly, my best ideas are born out the things I feel most passionate about.
My mixed-genre (fiction and poetry) work, “Loss for Words,” came from some feelings I have toward my father. My father’s health is not great, and my sister and I were discussing how I would feel when the man who abandoned me – who is mostly a stranger – died. The novella-length work was divided into five parts – the five stages of grieving – as I explored how people write on each other and scar each other with their actions. Very morbid stuff, but I can’t tell you how cathartic the process was.
With my first novel, TOUCHED, a YA suspense novel with hints of sci-fi and romance, inspiration came from a very different place. I saw the movie TWILIGHT and read all four books in three days. While Stephanie Meyer is a great storyteller, there were things I reacted to in a not-positive way. I wished Bella was stronger. I wanted her to save herself instead of always waiting for a man to save her. I mean, even her power was a passive one in MIDNIGHT SUN. I also didn’t want her to be so ready to throw away her entire future and family for love. Shouldn’t this be a balancing act?
After my marathon TWILIGHT weekend, I couldn’t stop thinking about my reaction to the book. Suddenly, a character popped into my head. A girl who will kick the ass of anyone who harms her family and stands up for herself. To complement her, a boy was born who was strong enough to let a girl to do the saving when the situation calls for it. Remy and Asher are independent characters who compromise to be together, but they never lose their sense of self in order to be together.
What about you? Where do your ideas come from?
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3 Responses to "The Elusive Muse"
on July 29, 2009 | to this post
Wow!!!! Cory that is amazing!!! You are amazing and remind me of me!! You are actually doing something with your talent while I am still sitting at the edge of the pool slowly dipping in knee deep. I start and then life sets in and I feel a tug-o-war between the reality of life and the fiction of my stories… I admire your dedication not only to the accomplishment but to yourself and your talent!!!!
on July 29, 2009 | to this post
Mostly I add to fragments, and once enough ideas coalesce I have a story. There are times when I have used an event from my past, though I quickly elaborate with horror or thriller themes. Sometimes I get pissed off enough with a television show or a film that drops the ball plotwise, and find myself doing it ‘properly’. Ego much, huh?
Not gonna mention the super-dooper top-secret thing that I’m planning to begin proper, but it’s based on a bunch of Italian films shot back in the seventies. Very hush-hush.
on July 30, 2009 | to this post
Hi! My writing ideas stem from things I’ve read or seen on TV. Mostly, ideas come from my personal experiences. My novel was important to me because I wanted to address the horrors of physical and sexual violence, both of which have been prominent in my childhood. But when it comes to ideas for scenes that involve elements of love, romance or relationships, I have to draw from books, internet sources and the like for examples of such circumstances since they have been missing in my life.