Experience or Invention?

The Mind of a Writer

One of the most common questions I get from friends and fans is about where my ideas come from. I suppose it’s in large part because I write romance, so everyone wonders where all of those racy, sexy scenes originate. My husband has even been teased as to whether I’m revealing our personal secrets on the pages of my novels. The other common curiosity is whether the character’s situations are derived from instances that I have lived through.

The short answer to the questions is “yes”; I do write from experience but that doesn’t mean the vast majority is literally personal. The knowledge that I write from is a varied combination of information wandering in my brain. Details are fictionalized, but real life events can definitely lead to great storylines whether they start as tragedy or triumph.

First and foremost, as a writer I have a vivid imagination. Many of the scenes and topics I’ve used are completely created within my own fictional world then I do the research to see if the storyline would be plausible enough for a believable plot. I have also been inspired by crazy things that I've seen and heard or others described by friends (especially from college days), interesting articles in the news, personal situations, and things that I’ve observed as an outsider.

Another great source of inspiration comes from the jobs I’ve had. Most of my career outside of writing has entailed dealing with the public and I never would have believed some of the situations that I’ve encountered could actually happen had I not seen them in person! Fiction embraces the realities that we have trouble admitting as truths.

I will continue to strive to create believable characters in emotional situations that will capture my readers with just enough fantasy to make it fun! Happy Reading!