WHERE DO YOU GET THE IDEAS FOR YOUR STORIES?

A casual conversation with friends, a newspaper article or even a television show can spark the beginning idea for a story plot. So far, the premises of my stories have dealt with the social issues I’ve experienced and/or taught as a public health educator for the past twenty-plus years. Trust me I’m not talking about your typical run-of-the-mill romance story plots, either. I love to take real-life issues individuals face every single day and spin a romance from it.

Now you would think after I’d come up with the idea that sitting down and outlining the story would be a fairly simply process, right? Well, most times it isn’t. Let me share an example.

It was Thursday, May 27, 2010. On this day, I walked through the doors at the Port of New Orleans with gleeful anticipation. After a grueling, but successful two-month promotion for my latest release, If I Were Your Woman, I was about to board the Carnival Triumph. The last thing I wanted to think about was another story. All I wanted was to enjoy total relaxation and kid-free bliss on my four-day sail to Cozumel, Mexico.

However, weeks prior to my cruise, I’d grappled with an idea for my next story. I’d become so acquainted with the persona of my characters, that I knew them as well as I know my best friend. Scenes from this yet to be named story boomeranged in my head. The premise for the story had even settled in my spirit. Still, I couldn’t take all of this and connect the dots. Oh well, I’ll deal with it after the cruise or at least that’s what I told myself.

The cruise was fabulous!! On day three, I spent hours shopping in Cozumel and had a few mango margaritas along the way. After dinner that evening, I made my way to the ship’s lower deck. Alone with the coolness of the night air at my face, I stood with my arms draped over the rail. For a moment, I glanced up and studied the stars. They were crystal clear against the velvet black skies. Then it happened.

Upon a midnight clear, the story I’d struggled with for weeks flashed before me from beginning to end.

No, I will not go on a cruise every time I have trouble outlining a story Here’s my point: The problem wasn’t that the story wasn’t there. It was. The problem was me. I wasn’t in a place to receive it. Before the cruise, I was juggling a zillion projects. But once I got into a setting where I was uninterrupted by the hustle and busy of life, the story manifested itself. Ever been there??

Until next time – stay well and be blessed!

Here’s the analogy I go through each and every time I sit down to develop the characters in my stories:

Suddenly, you receive a call with the news that your best friend has eloped with someone she’s only known for a couple of months. What would your reaction be? Would you slump to the nearest chair, flabbergasted and say, “Oh, my God, she did!” Or would you confidently say, “Sorry, you must be mistaken.”

Your answer will be based on how well you know your best friend.

Now I offered that scenario to you so you’d better understand the fundamental basis I use to create my characters. I take the time to become intimately acquainted with their personalities. And trust me, it’s time well spent. If at any point during the writing process I get off track with the direction my characters should go, I stop and get back in tune with them based on my complete an unequivocal knowledge of their persona.

My books are character-driven. Long before I sit down to plot the story my characters will be featured in, there are three tools I use to truly understand them once they’ve given me a sneak peek into their persona: intuition, questions and habits.

Allowing my intuition to take over helps me to go far beyond merely providing readers with the physical descriptions of my characters, but helps me give readers the same insight into the character that I have. In order words, I allow my characters to speak to me. This process helps me to get to know them as I would my best friend. I know how they dress, what they will say, and most importantly, what they will and will not do in certain situations. Also, I understand their strengths and weakness, what they fear and what event will spark them to rise up and fight like hell. Now is there a set amount of time for this process? Frankly for me, there isn’t. However, when I can honestly say I know my characters the way I know my best friend, then I’m ready to settle down and write the story.

Next are a few of the questions I pose to each of my characters:

•What do you want readers to know about your life?
•What do you want readers to know about you at the end of the story?
•How would you explain your greatest fears in life to readers?
•What way will you show readers how you’ll overcome the conflict in the story?

And finally, the ever important idiosyncrasies of my characters take center stage. Understanding this aspect of my characters, helps me explain to readers the reasons for their quirky mannerisms or their annoying habits. I want readers to see my characters as actual people they want to love.

Now someone will read this and say, why bother going through this long, drawn out process. And to those critics, my justification is simple: if I don’t love my characters enough to truly get to know them, who will?

Until next time – stay well and be blessed!