Muse Velocity
July 1, 2009...aka when plot bunnies attack! Or in this case a plot kitty.
Newton figured out that a body in motion stays in motion, and my muse definitely adheres to that particular law in relation to creativity. When the well is flowing it's overflowing. And I'm not complaining! Just gobsmacked and fearing for what little time management skills I've been able to grow recently.
I love cats and I'm a big advocate for animal rescue and shelter programs. Both of my pets (Yep, that's them in the photo! The cat is clearly basking in the glory of perspective.) were rescued and are now indispensable, well loved members of the family. Pets bring a lot of love and joy into the lives of their owners and I can't remember a time in my life when there wasn't a cat or dog (or both) as a part of my family.
On the way to Chick-fil-a I was thinking about cats and how one day I'd like to write a love story that featured a cat. But I didn't want the cat to just be some cute and fluffy background prop. Then I asked myself a few questions. How would I go about making the cat a major focus of the story? And my muse answered me eagerly: make the cat the keystone to the couple's relationship, just like you make romance the crux of a romance novel. What if the cat was a rescue? What if there was some kind of mix up involving the cat that brought the MCs together (and helped the kitty find a forever home)?
Enter characters with full blown motives and goals and dreams and issues! Enter plot! Enter title!
And I can't work on it at all (except for making lots and lots of notes) until I finish Rogue Wolf. I'll use this as more fuel for my fire! :)
If you're a writer, how do your story ideas come to you? Do you ask yourself questions that seem to spark a creativity influx? Jot down dreams? Do the characters come first? Or does the plot or setting start it all? And once you've got an idea does it open the floodgates for more?
Tags: process, gay romance, contemporary romance, novella, rescuing romeo.
2 comments
Iapetus999
Wed, 1 Jul 2009
I don't know where my ideas come from. They're just very broad concepts: How can I put every single disaster in one novel? Can I write a Fantasy with no fantasy objects like swords and rings? Things just go from there.
Violet
Tue, 7 Jul 2009
I don't think I've ever tried using a really broad concept to spark a story before. Mine tend to be a little more focused based on genre or character. I'll have to try it your way next time and see what happens :)