As a reader, I've always enjoyed attending an author’s book reading, fascinated by the story of how the wandering wisp of an idea turns into a well-developed plot with quirky, flawed and fleshed out characters.
As a writer, I’m inspired in countless ways. Maybe I’ll observe a mannerism or quirk of someone I know or some stranger. Like the way a woman stiffly holds her well-manicured fingers and extends her hand outwards as if she’s not used to having long nails. Or I’ll overhear bits of conversation which stir up all manner of thought. For example, I listened in while a woman sitting at a nearby table confided in her friend that her boyfriend “moves his car from zone to zone every day at work. He can’t commit.” I would’ve laughed, but then she would have known I was eavesdropping. Or the guy standing in line at the grocery store who told his buddy that he thought “she was pretty but then she kept talking.” A photograph or a written prompt might also lead to a new story, or in the case of Hot Dog, in my short story collection, A Blue Moon & Other Murmurs of the Heart, the inspiration came from two very different sources. One morning while I was at Oak Island beach I watched the waves moving in and out across the surf and noticed a piece of drift wood being tossed up onto the sand, and then pulled back again into the water. The size and shape of the wood reminded me of a hot dog and I wondered if someone had tossed it from their boat. But then I wondered if it really was a hot dog, and mentally sorted through the possibilities of what else it could be. You’ll see in my story, what I eventually decided. A week later, I woke one morning thinking about the name Sally Bruekner. I didn’t know anyone by that name, checked out the name online and found no reason for her to be in my dreams. Although I already had the first draft to Hot Dog, I decided to use her name and created a new character. She quickly morphed into Special Agent Sally Bruekner who took center stage in this unusual tale. Once inspired with the germ of an idea, I spend time daydreaming, visually staging scenes for each character and their actions through their day. I grew up watching movies when television stations scheduled Saturday matinee movies. Big film stars on small screens. (Thank you, Audrey Hepburn, Maureen O’Hara, Ingrid Bergman and other women for imparting life lessons.) After writing the first draft, I usually put it away for a week or more, and then start a series of revisions looking for place to add or subtract sections or elements that don’t fit or are inconsistent. I do recommend hiring a copy editor after you believe you’ve found everything that needs to be changed. Recently, for example, I started a story with my character wearing a dress, only to shift a paragraph later to the mention of her low cut blouse. Never noticed the inconsistency myself, thank goodness for Roberta Trahan. Over the next few weeks, I’d like to share the back story of the stories in my recently released short story collection, A Blue Moon & Other Murmurs of the Heart. I hope you’ll enjoy finding out the inspiration for each one. ❧ Anne
2 Comments
Nena
10/2/2019 03:17:08 pm
Thank you. I found this article most engrossing and informative, so much so that I totally forgot I had a pot of raspberry jam cooking on the stove. Suddenly, I heard that familiar sound of liquid overflowing and burnig on the stove top. I haven't moved that fast the whole day, as I ran to the kitchen, and screamed, "crap!" Again, thank you, and I am looking forward to reading your book.
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Anne
8/2/2023 07:54:15 am
Just read your comment years later…best review ever. 💕
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