Seven Tears Into the Sea
Phantom Stallion Series
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Tuesday, June 19, 2007
How much is that piggy in the window?
Where do you get your IDEAS?
This is a question lots of people ask when they find out I've written close to thirty books. I always have a different answer, but really?
They're everywhere! Ideas, that is. I get zillions of them and so do you.
Newspapers are a wonderful source and I hope the Internet never replaces them.
Here's why: If I'm looking for news on the Internet, I might look for stories about horses and politics, horses and kids, education, air pollution and overbuilding, things like that. But if I'm scanning a newspaper, just letting my mind float, it's a whole other deal. For instance --
I would NEVER HAVE READ a story about a man killed by a pig falling from a third story window. Funny, sad, strange.. and I WILL work that into a book. Just you wait and see.
Another source is fairy tales, myths and legends. It's so much fun to think how different they'd be if they were moved or modernized! That girl zzzing away in the back of your classroom all the time, well what if she's not a late night type? What if Sleeping Beauty was her great-great-great-great grandmother? Imagine putting Pinnochio in your school. Not that he'd get harassed about his wooden elbows. Much. Would his nose grow when he says, "My cricket ate my homework" ? And don't get me started on Little Red Riding..."Hey, nice hoodie, girl, what's in the basket?"
Have you ever misheard things on the radio? Did he say "...McDonald's employees are walking into the sea"? That can't be right, but it creates a mental picture you can explain with your imagination.
Story ideas are all around you. They float in the air and your brain is Velcro -- but you have to write ideas down. Just a few words will remind your mind when you do have time to write.
PIG...WINDOW...OOPS...
Permalink to this blog post
Posted by Terri Farley @ 8:32 AM
Comments: Post a Comment
How much is that piggy in the window?
Where do you get your IDEAS?
This is a question lots of people ask when they find out I've written close to thirty books. I always have a different answer, but really?
They're everywhere! Ideas, that is. I get zillions of them and so do you.
Newspapers are a wonderful source and I hope the Internet never replaces them.
Here's why: If I'm looking for news on the Internet, I might look for stories about horses and politics, horses and kids, education, air pollution and overbuilding, things like that. But if I'm scanning a newspaper, just letting my mind float, it's a whole other deal. For instance --
I would NEVER HAVE READ a story about a man killed by a pig falling from a third story window. Funny, sad, strange.. and I WILL work that into a book. Just you wait and see.
Another source is fairy tales, myths and legends. It's so much fun to think how different they'd be if they were moved or modernized! That girl zzzing away in the back of your classroom all the time, well what if she's not a late night type? What if Sleeping Beauty was her great-great-great-great grandmother? Imagine putting Pinnochio in your school. Not that he'd get harassed about his wooden elbows. Much. Would his nose grow when he says, "My cricket ate my homework" ? And don't get me started on Little Red Riding..."Hey, nice hoodie, girl, what's in the basket?"
Have you ever misheard things on the radio? Did he say "...McDonald's employees are walking into the sea"? That can't be right, but it creates a mental picture you can explain with your imagination.
Story ideas are all around you. They float in the air and your brain is Velcro -- but you have to write ideas down. Just a few words will remind your mind when you do have time to write.
PIG...WINDOW...OOPS...
Permalink to this blog post
Posted by Terri Farley @ 8:32 AM
Comments: Post a Comment