Ideas. Where do
they come from? I maintain that all creative ideas spring from one’s own
experience. Whether you are a writer who dreams up imaginary worlds full of
fanciful creatures and apocalyptic events, or a writer who drops characters
into a precise historical setting, the story you create comes in part from your
own experience. What we hope to do
as writers is make the reader care. Care about something! In order to do that,
you have to reach down inside and find that thing--maybe hiding in a dark
corner of your memory--and drag it out for all to see. It can be hard. It can be embarrassing. Maybe even a bit painful. But if we’re committed to making others
care, we have to rely in some measure on our own truest emotions and
experiences. And that doesn’t necessarily have to mean unpleasant experience.
There are writers who lift us up, make us laugh, give us a sense of hope and
inspiration. But to do so they are still stirring the embers of their past
experiences, no doubt. So now,
while reading a book, I often wonder how much of it was “true” for the
writer. I suspect it was the
portions that touched me the most.
How much of your novel is
true? How “true” is your story and where do your
ideas come from? Below, a picture of my Oldenburg mare, Dorrie, pondering whether she'll feature in my next novel.
