by Kathryn Jane
Authors are frequently asked where their story ideas come from, and I usually shrug and say, I have no idea. They just happen somehow.
Then I heard Nora Roberts say, it’s magic.
Brilliant.
And it’s true! I have no idea where the words com from, how they form and become a story, but here’s how they showed up for me the other night.
Unable to keep my eyes open, I went to bed super early. Yep, was dead to the world almost as soon as my head hit the pillow at 8pm. But at 11:00 I was suddenly wide awake, tossing and turning , but loathe to get up and disturb the sleeping hubby.
Instead, I spent two hours letting words race around in my head–a jumble of everything from song lyrics and poetry, to potential book titles.
Then I started to think about the characters in the next book of my Intrepid Women series. Up until that night, whenever I tried to write Broughton and Alexandra’s story, the words I put on the page were as uninspiring, lackluster, and limp as old socks.
Until a couple of hours of trying to be still, and not thrash about.
Like magic, Broughton’s words (the book’s opening line), came to me and I nearly laughed out loud. “Yes!” I shouted inside my head, then slipped into my comfy sweats and heavy sweater, pulled on woolly socks, and crept to my laptop in the living room.
I quickly opened a new word doc and typed the fabulous line. But it didn’t stop there, because the magic happened. Words poured forth while I fought off the gleeful laughter (still trying not to wake up my sleeping hubster in the next room).
When I crawled back into bed at four in the morning, my fingers were tired and my mind empty, but the book is well under way.
I can’t share the amazing line yet, but here’s a picture to stir your imagination 🙂 … oh and when the story begins, Caleb Broughton is mountain climbing, and just about to come over this ridge…
Kat loves crisp sunny days, the warm
breath of a horse, cats with a sense of humor, the smell of the ocean, and her very own charming prince—in no particular order. http://kathrynjane.com
Soul destroying questions and equally 
stunning answers have Dusty digging deeper than she ever thought possible, and when she discovers her Self, in an entirely foreign landscape, she begins anew, more determined than ever to achieve her lifelong dream.
Word by Word 
Someone will say something and bam! A line, then another, then another and soon, a rough draft. I love how my mind takes off.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh, wow, that must be fun! I need to start paying more attention to what’s going on around me! 🙂
LikeLike
It’s all about magic! Each of my novels has sprouted from a random thought, observation or dream. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Such fun, isn’t it? D:
LikeLike
So excited you’ve started another Intrepid Women book, Kathryn. And the way you describe it, writing is magic. Just spent the morning reacquainting my self with my current WIP after about a 2 month hiatus. Its a great almost 10,000 words, but yikes! I finished reading and went full stop. NOTHING! Going to have some serious searching ahead of me to get this done. I have middle scenes and end scenes in my head, but what comes next??? I write stories sequentially, so hopefully, something will soon come and the magic will happen and I’ll move forward. I’ll be sharing this so others no an Intrepid Women is on the way. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh boy, Marsha, I hear you! Daring to Love actually sat untouched at 50,000 words for over a year. I had no idea where it was going, but then another book asked to be written, and another, and when the second was finished I realized I had written books 1 and 2 of a series, and Daring to Love was meant to be book 3! … I’m so thrilled to be writing book #9 now 😀
I hope you get your magic back soon!
LikeLike
Where are the share buttons?
LikeLike
Love it when that happens, Kathryn!
LikeLike
Me too! 😀
LikeLike
I’m so happy for you, and holy moly talk about a tease with that pic! lol
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks… and LOL… I couldn’t believe when I stumbled across this photo the day after I wrote the opening scene… I actually sat laughing out loud. Pretty cool of the universe to send it my way when I was in the middle of a completely unrelated project 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
When you laugh at your own stuff you’ve got it right, LOL!
LikeLike