Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Where do you get your ideas?


Cher Green, intrigued by the written word, has made it a life goal to bring her stories to life and share them with others. Cher writes in many genres, spanning from horror to romance. Her work has appeared in such magazines as, “Untied Shoelaces of the Mind,” and “Spinetinglers.” For more information on this author, visit: http://www.chergreen.com

Where do you get your ideas?

First, I’d like to thank Misha for inviting me to her blog. I’m delighted to be here. I’d like to talk about ideas and where they come from.

One of the most common questions asked of a writer is, “Where do you get your ideas?” The answers may vary from “Life” to “Dreams.” I’m sure every writer has his/her own answer to this, and it is sure to vary depending on the story.

My favorite answer to this question is ‘My Muse’. I get some strange looks with this response, but I’m sure you writers know what I’m referring to. She’s a touchy creature, expecting daily attention. Ignore her for a day, and she may disappear for a week.

I like to think of an idea as a seed. The seed may come from life, dreams, prompts, images, etc. After you plant this seed, the rest is done with sprinkles of imagination dust. The more you nurture it, the larger and healthier the creation will grow.

With my debut novella, Escape to Love, it all began with a free-writing session which centered on a woman, a portal, and an unseen man. It took a few days for the seed to sprout but when it did my main characters, Constance Spenser and Lawrence Wilder, came to life, and the main conflict became more than just a portal.

Roots, branches, and leaves grew, producing a tale of a woman searching for happiness, and a man determined to escape the clutches of his life. New characters appeared along the road of creation, the stakes grew deadly, and conflicts blossomed.

The creating of a story, for me, is very similar to growing a flower from a seed. The joy of watching it grow and produce buds is a wonderful feeling. Having others enjoy the sight is absolutely amazing.

Where do you get your ideas?

To learn more about my debut novella, Escape to Love, and read an excerpt from the book, visit my website. To purchase a copy, visit eTreasures Publishing. Take a stroll with me as I move along in my writing journey at my blog, Footsteps of a Writer. Hope to see you there.



Thanks so much for stopping by, Cher, all the best with your new book! So ladies and gents, if you want more information or to check out Escape to Love, here are some links:



My blog




25 comments:

  1. Thanks Cher for the great wisdom that I am sure will help us all.

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  2. Nice to meet you, Cher!

    I tend to get my ideas from those imponderables, those questions that don't seem to have an easy or obvious answer. I imagine that's how most mythologies were born.

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  3. Misha, Thanks so much for having me.

    Odie, Glad you enjoyed the post.

    Maria, Nice to meet you. Great source for ideas.

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  4. I love how ideas plant themselves in your mind. I just love ideas, period. Fun guest post! :)

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  5. Great tips here, thanks for sharing, i joined in
    keep posting such informative pieces.
    Best
    Philip

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  6. Madeline/Philip,

    Thank you so much for stopping by. Glad you enjoyed the post.

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  7. Always fascinating to hear how others go about creating their novels.

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  8. I love to hear about how others develop ideas. :) Thanks, Misha, for another great interview.

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  9. Carole, Ciara, Amy,

    Thank you all for your wonderful words. Glad you enjoyed the post.

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  10. Great post about the germination of ideas. They really can come from anywhere.

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  11. It was nice to meet Cher. Ideas pop up from a variety of sources.

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  12. Great interview Misha, and lovely to meet Cher :) I love your thoughts about ideas being a seed, so true!

    Hugs,

    Rach

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  13. Thanks Cher for a great insight. My ideas come from life all around me. But mostly from images.

    I'll stopover at your website and check out your book.

    Misha, thanks for sharing.

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  14. Lynda, Rachna, Rachael, Kiru,

    Thank you all for you kind words. I'm glad you enjoyed the post. Hope to see you all at my blog - the more the merrier.

    Happy Wednesday!

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  15. I find my ideas under rocks, burrowing in the earth as they try to flee from me. Little do they know that I can drive a backhoe.

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  16. I love the idea of ideas being like seeds. They start out so innocuous and plain - sometimes even ugly. But when planted in the soil of our imaginations and nurtured with sun and rain and maybe a little fertilizer, they bloom and grow, some into delicate flowers and some into tenacious oak trees. You never know just what a seed will turn out to be!

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  17. Yep, every writer's ideas come from somewhere, but not all of the same places.

    Mine come usually while driving home from work, making connections between odd things, then asking 'what if?'

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  18. Michael, nice!

    K.M., sometimes those seeds grow into monsters.:)

    Terry, 'what if?' is a great tool for digging up bulbs.

    Thank you all for the comments.

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  19. Nice to meet ya, Cher.

    "After you plant this seed, the rest is done with sprinkles of imagination dust."

    I love this line! :) Perfect.

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  20. Jessica, also nice to met you. :)

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  21. Cher, it's wonderful getting to know a little bit more about you. Thanks for sharing your muse. I wonder if she knows mine.

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  22. Cher, ideas truly can come from anywhere. We just have to be open to receiving them. Great post!

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  23. Joylene, Interesting thought. They all met up for coffee and complain about how their writers just won't listen.

    It's great getting to know you too.

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  24. Angela,

    Glad you enjoyed the post.

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