Where Do You Get Inspiration For Your Stories? #WriterWednesday

One of the most common questions writers get asked is where we get inspiration for our books. First of all, writers, and all creatives really, have vivid imaginations. It doesn't always take much to inspire us to create. Sometimes a word or a picture can spark an idea that takes on a life of its own.

 

For example, a fellow writer shared a picture with me the other day and almost immediately a scene between two of my characters began forming in my head. Whether or not the scene will make it into a book is yet to be seen, but a simple picture prompted the question of what happens next.

 

The second novel in my Serpent's Kiss series, Longing for His Kiss, was inspired by a song. I was driving to a book conference, stuck in my car for hours, listening to the radio. A country song from Tim McGraw came on about a soldier who'd written a letter to his family. By the end of the son, not only did I have tears streaming down my face, but I also had the idea for a story. 

 

My Finding Anna series was inspired by a news story about a young woman who was rescued from sexual slavery. As I listened to the story, my first thought was that when the woman was ready for a relationship that it would take a lot of trust and communication after what she'd been through. At the time, I was reading a lot of BDSM fan fiction and the main requirement in a healthy BDSM relationship is trust and communication. That's all it took for my creativity to take off and Finding Anna was born.

 

Inspiration really can come from anywhere. It can come from pictures, songs, experiences, or a host of other things. Some of the best ideas come from the most unlikely places.

 

What inspires you?

Inspiration For My Military Romance Longing For His Kiss

One of the most common questions I get asked as an author is 'how do you come up with your stories?' The simple answer is that I just do, but that's not usually the type of answer people want to hear. Often the question is asked by individuals who are more analytical, those to whom creativity doesn't come naturally. It's difficult for them to wrap their head around crafting a story, or making a sculpture out of a block of stone, or building a piece of furniture without blueprints.

 

Many creative people construct in their heads. This is the case with more traditional art forms like painting and sculpting, as well as, writing.

 

Even authors who write with an outline have to create the world, the story, they are going to build it in their head first. They may write it down to help flush out the details and fill in any holes, but the creativity...the imagination...forms in their head before it ever makes it onto paper...or the computer.

 

For someone who is a true pantser when it comes to writing, I'm much like a painter who sits in front of a canvas and lets inspiration take over. When I was writing my Finding Anna series, I had no idea how the fourth book would end until I was 75% of the way through the book.

 

For the fourth story in my Serpent's Kiss series, Longing for His Kiss, the inspiration came from a song. I was driving to a book conference, listening to the radio and a song by Tim McGraw came on called If You're Reading This. By the time it was over, I had tears streaming down my face and the idea for a new story.

 

The story is about loss, grief, and finding love again after losing the love of your life. Grace, the heroine of the story, is a submissive who finds herself lost without her husband and master after he's killed over seas while serving his country in the military. She's trying to find her way again along when she receives a letter. It's from her husband, his last wish for her if he should not return...he wants her to move on with her life and find another Dom.

 

I cried many tears while writing Long for His Kiss. It's a moving story that tugs at the heart strings and will have you reaching for a box of tissues.