Most commonly asked question #1 for creative people (after “Are you crazy?!) — “Where do your ideas come from?” Or “How do you come up with this stuff?”
I feel like I would ask in return “how do you not?”
(Is that snotty or bitchy? Hmmm… well, no one will be interviewing me anytime soon, so I won’t be offending that imaginary interviewer.)
LIFE is where you come up with this stuff. Reading. Walking. Hiking. People watching. Talking. Hanging out. Watching TV. Inspiration is everywhere. Literally everywhere!
So I thought I’d start a mini-series of the births of my stories, starring:
- Blake Lively as Torie, the struggling writer
- A young clone of Chuck Norris as Husband, the supportive savior
- Jennifer Lawrence as College Bestie, the idea bouncer
- Guest appearance by Betty White as Mom, the best!
Setting: Fall of probably about 2006, College Bestie’s House
Scene 1: Two hot blondes sit on the couch, a buffet of Whole Food tortilla chips and salsa on the table in front of them. The lights are off, the TV is on…
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaand… ACTION!
College Bestie and I were obsessed with the show Supernatural when it came out. Aw hell, we still are. Both of us. Me probably more than her these days, but it’s hard to say. Regardless, we used to watch it together all the time. We even made up a game where one of us would text a quote from an episode to the other, and we’d have 24 hours to find and name that episode – no internet. (She was ridiculously good at this game.)
Anywhoo, at one point in life, after an episode explained that dead man’s blood was like poison to vampires, we started discussing – logically and wisely, of course.
“How interesting this is, my dear comrade. Dead man’s blood is toxic and lethal to vampires. How interesting indeed.” ::PuffPuffPuff on pipe::
“Indeed it is, friend of mine.” ::pulls super chic smart glasses down nose a bit:: “Whatever would those creatures do should the world fall to the zombies?”
“I say, good chum, what might happen should a vampiric being bite one of the walking dead?”
“I say, chap, what an excellent question indeed! Would the vampire die, or become a zombie himself?”
“Or would the zombie become a vampire?”
“Oh yes! Yes! Excellent point! Brilliant, really.”
::TutTutTutting of laughter::
End Scene 1.
That’s about how it happened. We were early twenty-something year olds, so our pipes were bubbles, naturally. ::laugh:: But we did talk about, in the universe Supernatural had created, what would happen if a vampire bit a zombie. That’s where the idea for FUBAR came from. I took that one night of conversation, percolated on it, and turned it into a story idea.
Setting: November 1, 2011, “Newly Wed Love Nest” Townhome
Scene 2: A hot blonde and a super strong redhead are in bed together, both with laptops open and glowing in their laps.
Husband is also a writer – published in fact. He’s got a short story published in a Cthulu anthology, and he was participating in NaNoWriMo that year, and finding it a little challenging to hit 2,000 words a day.
“Hey sexy face, why so sad?”
“2,000 words is so much.” ::FlexFlex:: “Do you have any idea just how much 2,000 words is?” ::shirt rips from flexing::
“Why no, I do not. I suppose I could try it with you, to understand your pain and agony.”
“That’s so sweet.” ::excited punch from hidden fist under beard::
End Scene 2.
I joined in that year, to support him as he went along. By the end of the month, FUBAR was nearly complete. From there, it was lots of re-reading, re-writing, massive editing, lots of cuts, and then starting back at the beginning again. About a year ago, I completely re-wrote the novel with my new and matured author knowledge and voice.
FUBAR is complete now at about 85,000 – and has turned into a quadrilogy named The New Hope Chronicles; FUBAR, Recon, Malade, and Council. They are all complete, and have been sitting dusty and unloved in cyberspace waiting for just one person to say “yes”.
Recently, FUBAR found its way back into the light, as pale and hissing as the vampires I write about. After #KissMeKieran, the group of amazing land mermaids I call my critique group, said they’d love to see what else I have. I offered up the first story of each of my series – The New Hope Chronicles and The Gates of Humanity Trilogy – and FUBAR was chosen.
We’re about nine chapters in, and so far these beautiful author friends love Tree and Caine and the collection of misadventures that they go on. One excited starfish of words said she was convinced an agent would snatch this up, and would have publishers fighting over this story, and one day it would be a movie. There’s almost no greater compliment in my mind, and their enthusiasm and support has rekindled the FUBAR fire!
Hopefully someday soon, the world will know about the New Hope Chronicles!
Stay tuned friends!
