Hello again and thank you for stopping by.

For this post I want to talk about where the story comes from.
I have read that some authors are very mysterious about their inspirations.  The story just comes to them.  I know that this does not help the beginning author with a how to step in writing a bestseller.  I am sorry to say that I cannot offer this how to step either.  I will give you the things that work for me.

The first and foremost important thing in my humble opinion is to be an observer.  I don't mean just casually watching life as it goes by, be engaged in what is going on around you, then ask why.  Never stop asking why.  Why did that happen.  Why did that person say that?

For an author to write a story they must have something to write about.  Those things come from experience.  Of course I don't mean that an author has to go out and get attacked by a hungry horde of zombies freshly risen from the grave.  We are fortunate enough to be alive at this time of history.  We are surrounded by stories like at no other point in time.  Through those stories we experience.  With that experience we observe.  We ask why.

It is from this experience and observation that I believe inspiration comes.  Let me say right here that I cannot stress enough the need to capture that inspiration when it comes.  Some ideas come and then stay with us.  Others are gone in a flash.  Record them before they are gone.  They may not be ideas that apply to what you are currently working on.  They may lead to a story in the future or they may become a small sub-plot.  They may never amount to anything.  Who knows where it will lead.  I do know that once it is gone, it is gone for good.

The next thing is to write.  Write consistently.  Find a time and place that works well and make every effort to stick to it.  Life has a terrible habit of interfering with our plans.  Loved ones for some silly reason want to spend time with us.  these things are distractions from the passion of writing.  This is OK because life is about balance and as a writer you understand that there is a next chapter.  The important thing is to continue to dedicate the time and effort to writing.  By putting yourself into the process of freeing up your imagination and putting it into the story it will come.  The more you do it the better you will become at it.

If you find that you are having a day that writing just does not work for you, and those days do happen, pick up a new book.  We are back to that experience and observe thing again.  If you are not telling the story then experience a good one.

By following these steps I have found that I continue to refine my own voice.  It is through that distinct voice that the story is told.

Thank you for dropping by.  I look forward to talking with you again soon.

T L Scott