Thursday Update with a Twist

Hello friends!

Yesterday I received several private queries on one of my social media sites. One asked about my writing style and how I come up with my ideas. I thought about how often I am asked that question and it’s not something I’ve written much about. I’ve dropped small hints. There is an interview that exists where I explain it a bit, but that went away once the server changed, I think haha. So, I thought that today, I’d talk a little about how I do what I do.

Let me know if you have any thoughts or ideas of your own. I love learning how others come up with their wonderful ideas, and find it fascinating how so many of our brains work so different from one another! And when I say this, I in no way think I’m the best writer. I think I do alright but I think I’m onto something here, at least for me, so here we go!

Everyday life can often fuel fantastical storytelling; even the most mundane thing can create a thread in your mind and leave you with a string of magical ideas, if you allow yourself to be open to it. One thing I often do with my family is come up with the entire life story of a random person we may see on our commute. They get entire names, family life, job descriptions, what they do for fun, and so on and so forth.

Or maybe you come across an old, discarded, filthy doll with one missing eye and only a few tufts of hair, and while thinking about what its history may have been, you can come up with an entire storyline. Something scary, perhaps? Or maybe something sad and heartfelt. Maybe you’ll end up writing the next “Velveteen Rabbit”? Side note; I think the Velveteen Rabbit is one of the most important children’s books in existence.

Or maybe it’s just a phrase. I remember one time I was talking with a musician friend of mine, who writes beautifully I might add, and I don’t remember what it is I said, but right after I spoke my small sentence, he spun it into a beautiful start to a song on the spot. He did nothing with it, but I was really taken aback at how quickly he did that. When I do it, It’s usually a conversation I have with myself in my head and when I can I try to rush to write it down before I forget it too, maybe, be used in a future story.

If you’re not careful, these fleeting moments, these snapshots in your mind, can vanish as quickly as they had appeared. So, if you’re an aspiring writer, or any type of artist, carry something around where you can record what you’ve seen immediately. Whether it’s a notepad, a recorder, perhaps just the camera on your cell phone.... but do it. Because for me, it is personally the best way to come up with ideas. After all, magic often hides itself in plain sight, just waiting to be discovered.