The most hated question among writers (well, at least ONE OF the most hated ideas) is this:

Where do ideas come from?

The reason it bothers some of us is because ideas come from EVERYWHERE. Still, don’t be afraid to ask me. You might get a vague answer, but I won’t be upset with you. On the contrary; it’s nice that you’re taking an interest in what I’m up to 🙂

Where do my ideas come from? Dreams, a lot of the times, provide me with sparks. You know, a bit of a plot, some theme-age, a character, etc. I’ll take what’s “given” to me from the Dream World, twist it, and flesh out details. But dreams aren’t always the catalyst for my projects…

CATS. No, not the musical. The fur beasts themselves! In a Pickle came to life in my brain when I was babysitting my mom’s coworker’s cat. Originally, Charlie Pickle’s time travels were tied directly to a feline named Thomasin. The fur beast was later written out of the story, but the thought of a time traveling cat sparked it all off.

TWEEPS. Those wonderful parody accounts on Twitter inspired me to start one for Lady Catherine de Bourgh, which led to my collection of humorous tweets from Her Ladyship: Lady Catherine Says. It was originally going to be a calendar, but that’s a story for another time.

WHAT’S IN A NAME? As for Circus in a Shot Glass, the name for the protagonist came to me first: Scotch, followed by a picture of a young woman on Pinterest. After that, I got curious about a shop in my hometown, and started making up scenarios about the shopkeeper.

What about YOU? Do you look for ideas most of the time? Or are they usually dumped on your doorstep?

For non-writers: What book are you reading at the moment?

Keep your pen on the page,
Beth