by Joanne Rock
Today is one of the happiest kinds of days in my writing
life. The pleasure of it is a little
different from a sale day—fabulous because those days mean I continue to be
employed—and not quite the same as a brainstorm day, which is always fun
because it means I get to talk on the phone to my cp for hours on end. Instead, today is an idea day.
What’s that, you say?
Never heard of an idea day? I
didn’t set out to institute this particular event, it The timing is always pleasant
for idea day. Usually it occurs when
I’ve just turned in a book and I am feeling pleased with myself for surviving
the ordeal of a deadline. But aside from
the happy endorphins being naturally produced by this post-deadline high, idea
day is fun for me because it involves the core activity for which I became a
writer. Idea day is simply that—hours
and hours devoted to thinking about future stories just sort of appeared in
my life as a time between books when I need to come up with new story
material.
I mean, face it, no one goes into writing in order to stare
blankly at the computer for hours, wondering what a character is going to do
next. Writers devote themselves to the
hard work of putting words on paper because they are gripped by the power of
story and the magical, transformative moments that come from a beautifully
imagined tale. Idea day is when the
hints of those moments first hit me, when I can spend all afternoon digging
through books, magazine clippings I’ve stashed, and online articles I haven’t
had time to read.
At this stage, the story ideas are at their most
precious. Half-formed and full There is a fragileness to
these infant concepts, and I love them dearly for all the hope they represent
for my storytelling future of
possibilities, these kernels could develop in any number of intriguing
directions.
Tomorrow, there will be a refining process, a winnowing away
of the more outrageous ideas to polish the most workable ones. And while that process brings a new kind of
creative energy, I’ll miss the wide-eyed wonder of today when the door to my
next story was open widest…
** One of my favorite writing resources is Linda Goodman's Love Signs about the ways different astrological personalities connect in a romantic relationship. I can pick it up at any time and turn to something interesting for a quick read. If you need a book to browse over breakfast... or a "coffee table book" that you keep handy to flip through the pages, what book on your shelves would you choose? An art book? A cookbook? Share with me this week for a chance to win your choice of my "McNeill Magnates" stories from Harlequin Desire (any of the six that have released so far). Also, please keep an eye out for my current release, Expecting a Scandal, part of the Texas Cattleman's Club: Impostor series!
11 comments:
My favorite coffee table book is a hefty one titled "Paintings in the Musee d Orsay." There's nothing quite like a book full of absolutely beautiful paintings to lift one's spirits and serve as a source of inspiration!
Agree!! My husband got me a copy of Art of the Vatican from ebay for Xmas a couple of years ago and I love it perusing that one over breakfast!
I always have baby naming books everywhere. I love to have special names for my characters. Names have to mean something to me and to the characters.
I like to flip through writing craft books and see if something I read before that didn't sink in will finally sink in.
Idea Day sounds grand!
Nikki, I love naming books too! I made a list recently of all my past heroes and heroines so I didn't reuse them (much).
love the gorgeous cover art. i just bought an 18 year old book today called Ann The Word because of the beautiful red cover.
If I want to channel the 80s, I look at my Patrick Nagel art book. If I'm in a pre-Raphaelite mood, I look at my Dante Gabriel Rossetti book. I have a book on the du Pont family estates in Delaware, and one of the University of Delaware. One of southern plantations in Louisiana. One of Cape May, NJ. In fact, I have way too many art books--more than listed. I've bought some, others were gifts, etc... But, it's so easy to get lost in them.
denise
Right now I have a book on one of the oldest theatres in Toronto, The Royal Alexandra. It is over a 100yrs old and it's history is amazing. I love to go through it and see all the big stars that have performed on its stage.
My son has some Manga art books. The illustrations are beautifully detailed. I have been picking these up to look through of late.
My coffee table book is called The Conversation Piece: Creative Questions to Tickle the Mind by Bret Nicholaus and Paul Lowrie. It lists 320 questions. For example, "If you could go back in time to witness any invention or discovery, what would you choose to see?" and "Everyone at work has been asked to place an ornament on the company Christmas tree that best represents him/herself; what would YOUR ornament look like?" Fun for parties....
Denise, I love books about old homes! I could get lost in art books too. I have a winner name, and cheers to Caroline Lennek! Caroline, all you need to do is message me at jrock008@gmail.com and I'll zip your prize right out to you! Thank you for visiting with me this week. I'm thrilled to have sailed through this proposal... the idea day worked!!
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