Monday, September 29, 2014

Yippee! The Well Isn't Dry





I’ve been writing this blog for some time now. Every week I try to think up a new subject, and the well is running dry. At least that’s what I thought when I sat down at the computer. Then I realized that inspiration can come from anywhere and everywhere.

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My latest release, What Are the Odds?, was inspired by a house with a history. There really is a house with a history and it graces the book cover. However, the story isn’t about the house’s real history. I won’t even go into that. The book is pure fiction. The house, on the other hand, handed me several interesting scenarios.

I don’t want to give the story away, but I will say that the real house, located in the desert, has a hidden staircase, had a tarantula migration, and the rattle snakes seem to think it’s their house. There is a bullet hole in the screen door, but I had to add a fake one to the cover because the branch covered the real deal. The house needed some major work done on it, just like in the book. During the monsoon season, the real place had some flooding issues. Wind whistling through the crevices? Real and a tad spooky. A murder was committed in the real house, although that story and the one in the book are completely different. It was the house, not the history, that was begging to have a story told about it.

I obliged. How could I not?

Now I’m working on a book titled, How Now Purple Cow. What could a mystery possibly have to do with a purple cow? Two purple cows that sit on a bookcase and a dream about a couple who might have been spies during the Cold War wouldn’t let go of me. In about six months or so you might be surprised to learn how spies and purple cows add up to a story. I might be surprised. The characters in the book are certainly in for some surprises.

A Well-Kept Family Secret – A Sandi Webster Mystery has just come out in audio format. Inspiration for that story came from the Red Light District in Old Los Angeles. Who’da thunk? I grew up hearing stories about the area and the people.

I can hear one of my dogs, Sugar, snoring in the other room. It’s not the most feminine sound I’ve ever heard coming from a female yellow Lab, but then what would I expect? A dog snoring can offer material for a humorous scene in a book. The littlest things can make the mind a fertile ground.

Take one bum harassing a young woman, or an unexpected meeting with a woman who was a female P.I. many years ago and a story can be born. How about tales of a ghost town that was simply deserted many years ago? Why would people just leave the town without taking their possessions with them?

Listen to the stories people tell about their past, or the past lives of relatives. A simple one-line story can inspire a book. A dream about spies might give an author some interesting thoughts.

Until next time, look for story ideas everywhere you go. Listen to people talk about what’s going on in their lives. Inspiration is everywhere.

CLICK HERE to visit Marja McGraw’s website
CLICK HERE for a quick trip to Amazon. com

Sandi Webster books referenced in the above post:


18 comments:

  1. So true, Marja, and a good reminder to me. It's ironic that I have no trouble coming up with ideas for my books but I frequently struggle to find topics for my blog posts.

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    1. Sometimes it's really difficult to come up with a topic. Other times there's a subject just staring me in the face. What did we get ourselves into? : )

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  2. Great post, Marja! I'm anxious to read 'What Are the Odds?'! I love stories about old houses...but tarantula migrations, not so much. And you're right--an idea for a story might come from anywhere. You just never know, so it's always wise to keep your eyes, and especially your ears, open!

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    1. You're absolutely right, Amy. The ideas can sometimes come from the most unlikely places.

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  3. Ideas come to me all the time and I have to rush to write them down or I forget them. I doubt I'll live long enough to write them all. But I agree with Patricia--I do have trouble coming up with blog topics. Looking forward to How Now Purple Cow.

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    1. Funny story. The other night I couldn't sleep and the entire storyline for the purple cow book came to me. I was so tired I didn't get up and write things down. I finally went to sleep around 5:00 in the morning, and when I woke up I couldn't remember even one of the storyline ideas. LOL I'm glad you write the ideas down.

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  4. Lately, I've had lots of ideas for books, but the hard thing is getting them out of my head and onto the computer screen. It doesn't help that I have so many projects at home to accomplish. I've found I can only live like a slob for so long, before it aggravates me, and being retired, except for writing, means I'm home more and notice the mess more.

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    1. Oh, Morgan, I can really, really relate to your comments. And, if someone can come up with workable ideas about how to put everything else out of our heads so we can write, I hope they'll share it. (I hear a table covered with dust calling my name right now.)

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  5. Glad the well didn't run dry. Good post - as always.

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    1. Thank you, Jim. We'll see how the well is doing next week. : )

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  6. I, too, am anxious to read "What Are the Odds". You have some crazy imagination, girl. No wonder you write. Like you, I'm often kept up at night with plotting issues and I worry the details I've wroked out in the wee hours will leave me by morning. I rehearse them over and over again not to lose them, but I often do anyway.

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    1. Glad I'm not the only one with a spotty memory, Lesley. I just finished Dead in the Water and thoroughly enjoyed it. You've got quite an imagination yourself.

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    2. It amazes me that even when you don't have an idea for a blog post you manage to write a good one. Wish I had that kind of talent. (Sigh!)

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    3. Thank you, Evelyn. I guess between this week and next I'd better come up with something. : )

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  7. I never cease to be amazed by how you always manage to come up with something worthwhile to say!

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    1. LOL The well may be running dry. We'll see. Thank you, Sharon!

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  9. Left a comment previously but it seems to have vanished. You always have clever blogs which make the week more fun. Looking forward to your next book while setting up to listen to your audio book.

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