THE LOST GIRL is on Goodreads! I don't even have a neat bit of preamble for that piece of news - it's just so exciting! Do pop over and have a look. Things really feel like they're kicking off and although there's not a whole lot on the book's page yet, it's there and it feels so real now.
In the wake of the listing, and the announcement on Bookseller, I've had a bunch of people on Twitter ask me questions about the book. And, of course, one of those questions has been about the inspiration behind a book. Authors inevitably get asked how we/they came up with a story. I love hearing the answers. We seem to get ideas everywhere. It's amazing.
So, how to find these ideas?
1. Dreams. Stephenie Meyer famously said Twilight was inspired by a very vivid dream.
2. Song lyrics. Music always helps me! Sometimes a certain line or phrase, paired with a certain bit of music, will send me racing for my laptop.
3. Other books. Ideas can be pilfered freely from classics, myths, fairy tales, poems, other novels. Ideas are rarely brand new. THE LOST GIRL owes a great deal to Frankenstein. More often than not ideas are recycled, revamped, reused, re-a-lot-of-things. But there is a very clear line to be toed here. There's a difference between being inspired - and just plain old copying.
4. News, movies, conversations. Pay attention to what's going on around you. You never know what might set a story-spark ablaze.
5. People. It's amazing how a certain characteristic in a friend or a stranger can send you into a frenzy of excitement. An author I know once tweeted that, while out at the supermarket, she saw a stranger with such wild, moody eyes she couldn't resist writing a story about him.
Where do you find your ideas?
And a little reminder: the 300 Followers Contest ends in six days! PRIZES IN THE OFFING! Please do tweet, blog, just generally get the word out if you can - I'd so appreciate it!
Ooh it's all getting very exciting, isn't it?
ReplyDeleteNow I've only actually finished the one story so I don't have a great deal to say about inspiration but the basic idea of it came from a dream. It knocked around in my head for months after that and it wasn't until I heard a particular song that I had the big A-HA! moment and things started to fall into place.
Frankenstein. How interesting. I can't wait to read it! I get most of my ideas from #4.
ReplyDeleteDare I admit... The Daily Mail? :)
ReplyDeleteHeaded over to Goodreads right now!
Ideas are like the leaves falling off the trees. They are everywhere, all the time. My problem is being able to focus on just one long enough to get it written.
ReplyDeleteFrankenstein? Far out.
It constantly amazes me where ideas come from. I have left an award for you on my blog. I'm running late on notification so here is the link http://melissasimaginarium.blogspot.com/2011/12/thank-you.html
ReplyDelete