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!
