Where do I get my ideas? A question that seems to be asked of authors everywhere. I’ve tried to think of an answer that I might be able to rattle off quickly if I ever become famous enough to be asked that question (lookin’ to the future), but it’s not something that I can answer so easily.
I began writing earnestly just over two years ago. I’m a newb, technically. My first short story, Bridge to Limbo, was an idea I got from reading a story by Hugh Howey (The Plagiarist). The next short, Galileo Among the Stars, was my way of solving the problem of time travel using the theory of quantum entanglement (sometimes my mind wanders when I hear about new technology). The third one, The Strange Life of Walter Moody, was kind of a love letter to the woman who is now my girlfriend. I imagined how it might be possible to change reality by writing it (a la Death Note, but in a good way).
My first novel, Unlimited, was an idea I had rolling around in my head for years. The short stories were almost like doodles compared to the big idea of Dan and his tale. I was always fascinated with comic book heroes and how it seemed that each one only got one or two super powers. I played around with the idea of someone who could have them all… and what the resultant ‘penalty’ would be for using them (can’t have unlimited power w/o some consequences).
The book that I’m desperately trying to finish now (Mal-Adaptive), was also inspired by my girlfriend. She has fibromyalgia, and experiences terrible pain around the area of her shoulder blades and shouders… so my brain wanders off and asks, “What if there’s a different reason for that pain?” I think about it, and wonder, “What if she’s an angel who had her wings removed?” (I know, it’s the romantic in me). The idea took off, and now I have a barista angel who might be able to save the world from Armageddon.
Last, but not least, we have Praising Kane. This idea actually came directly from Karli (the girlfriend, if you haven’t guessed already). She was watching some ghost catching show around the time of Halloween with her girls, when she blurted out laughing one time. Apparently, a priest that was asked to help exorcise the place was acting completely frightened and scared (wasn’t sure if it was the idea of a poltergeist, or just the cameras pointed at him). The day before NaNoWriMo, she tossed the idea of a priest that completely bungles exorcisms at me. I started writing, and took off with it. I hit the 50K word mark by the end of November and had the novel finished by Christmas.
So… to answer the question, it seems to point to my girlfriend. But I think a lot of it has to do with not being afraid of thinking around corners and changing reality to fulfill an idea. Be open to the absurd and wonderful, and take chances. Life is strange, but as an author, we can make it so much more interesting.
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