It's an exciting day for Elizabeth Seckman, whose book HEALING SUMMER is being released. To celebrate she's hosting a blog tour, and my blog is one of the stops! Today she's here at my blog today to talk about where her story ideas come from.
Hi Trisha!
Thanks for having me over. And for taking it easy on me. I mean where do I get my story ideas from? That’s a piece of cake!
I get them out of thin air. I mean ideas are EVERYWHERE! To catch them all, I carry a purse size notebook with me everywhere I go. If I think of an idea, I jot it down. I have blog ideas, book ideas, and cool colors for my basement in there. And I keep them all. I have looked back over things I have scribbled years ago and I’ve been amazed…sometimes at my genius; sometimes at my stupidity. But out of every pile of trash, there is bound to be a treasure.
See, my problem isn’t the ideas. My problem is reigning them in and forcing them to be still long enough to set them in any sort of sequential order that might resemble a plot. It’s like going from lightning strike to brain storm to setting out sand bags to reinforce the brain levees and prevent flooding.
I have to use a narrowing down process, and I do this mainly while I’m working on mundane tasks. Mowing the lawn is my favorite place. I need time with my thoughts without interruption. A quiet room, I go to sleep. Doing dishes, someone asks for food. Take a walk and people stop to say hi. Yard work is the perfect escape. No one interrupts a lawn mower. You might give him the job!
Other good places are: driving in the car (alone); waiting on the sandman; waiting on the doctor; waiting on the dentist; waiting in line at the DMV…or just anywhere that daydreaming is allowed.
That’s pretty much all writing is. Daydreaming.
Imagine it. Write it. Edit it. You’re done.
Hope that helps ;)
It sure does! Thanks so much Elizabeth for stopping by - it was great to hear more about where you get your inspiration for your lovely lurve stories. Thanks for having me as a blog tour host!
Maybe love, not time, heals all wounds Ditched at the altar…biopsied for cancer… Mollie Hinkle is having a bona fide bitch of a summer. When life sucks so hard it takes your breath away, what's a girl to do? Pack a bag, grab a few friends, and leave the past and the worry in the rear view mirror. What wounds can’t be healed by a drive across the Heartland, where quarter flips at cross roads determine the route and the future? All roads lead to Craig, the second son and bad boy of the haughty Coulter line. Has fate brought her to the miniscule Montana town to find happily ever after or will it just break her heart?
“Healing Summer” is the second book in the Coulter Men Series. Links: GoodReads Amazon Healing Summer blog tour |
Enter the contest by earning points in the Rafflecopter below - there are great prizes up for grabs, namely a GoodReads copy of Healing Summer and a grand prize of $100!!! In short, brilliant!
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Elizabeth, you have my permission to come mow my lawn and brainstorm anytime you like!
ReplyDeleteYou are so kind!!! That must be the key to your ever growing popularity!
DeleteI have so many ideas, stored in notebooks and on the computer, that I will never get to them all.
ReplyDeleteBut it's great that you have them, right? I mean I have some I will never use too, but when I need an idea I at least have something to spark the old brain.
DeleteCongratulations Elizabeth! I've been seeing you all over with this tour and your posts are all great. I don't have a lawn to mow at my condo but now I'm kind of wishing I did, I never would have thought of that as a good activity for inspiration but it makes sense!
ReplyDeleteGood luck with Healing Summer!
Whereas I DO have a lawn but no mower, and no motivation to get one :P My lawn is terrible. It's a bunch of dead weeds, mostly. But in winter the grass gets REALLY long (cats love it).
DeleteJulie, you could try washing windows with ear phones on. No one will bug you for fear you'll request help.
DeleteCongrats, Elizabeth, I've been seeing your book everywhere! It looks really good. I WISH I could find ideas like this. I tend to have to dig a little for mine, but when they come they're always brilliant. hehe...I wish...
ReplyDeleteWell that's a good thing! That just means you have filter that weeds out the rubbish!
DeleteDon't lie , I give you ideas since I'm your muse...haha
ReplyDeleteHi trisha
If I admit that in public, you may ask for payment ;)
DeleteCongratulations Elizabeth! Your brainstorming has paid off. Great interview Trisha
ReplyDeleteThanks Maurice!!
DeleteI love my daydreaming moments, which can happen anywhere. I'm usually typing into my phone, though. I don't always carry a notebook.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad Elizabeth made a stop here. She's been everywhere. :)
I know Medeia...people are going to start talking!! I have my phone too and I will use that, then send them to my printer, then cut and paste them into my notebook. Why? I have no clue!
DeleteCONGRATS on another release!!!!!
ReplyDeleteSo right! I love to walk, and I used to walk at night then come at midnight wanting to write and write and write, meaning I was up super late. I was excited when my daughter started kindergarten this year, because it meant I could walk during the day. But I discovered that without the isolation of night, people stop to talk. Which isn't a bad thing, of course, but it was keeping me from my daydreams and keeping me from my exercise, because I only had limited time. Now I walk to the school when I work in the classroom, and walk at night again when it's nice again.
ReplyDeleteShannon at The Warrior Muse