The Creativity Well
Where do ideas come from? For many creative people, they do their best work when under tremendous stress. Misery breeds brilliance for some. For me, I work best in times peace and calm in my life. But that is not to say that in times of trouble, I haven’t done work I am proud of—I have.
Like many writers, I have periods when the ideas just refuse to flow. That’s when I turn to creativity crutches—books and other sources that spark ideas. Is that cheating? Not at all. I’m not stealing someone else’s premise or characters. These creativity aids merely stimulate my imagination.
My first go-to book when the words aren’t flowing is Debra Dixon’s Goal, Motivation and Conflict. This must have book for fiction writers usually help me focus more on my characters and that helps with developing their stories.
Next on my list is Stephen King’s On Writing. I like to reread parts of this book as inspiration. Learning about Stephen King’s journey is always thought-provoking.
Although the binding is cracking and many of the pages are dog-eared, I still turn to Please Understand Me – Character and Temperament Types by David Keirsey and Marilyn Bates for inspiration on creating believable characters.
Another great source to stimulate the creative juices is back issues of Romance Writer’s Report, the magazine of the Romance Writers of America. Numerous articles on plotting and creativity can be found in the pages. I always save my old RWRs and when that spring cleaning bug bites me, I go through each issue and tear out any articles I like. I save them in a file box for later use.
Last but not least, the media provides great fodder to get me thinking about new plots. All I have to do is pick up a newspaper or an issue of People Magazine and read about hard luck stories or heroic tales. I never know which article will do it for me, but invariably, one will.
For my romantic suspense, Protective Custody, the thing that stoked my imagination was merely a holiday. It was Halloween and I was setting up our annual creepy display. I glanced across the street to a neighbor’s house. They always do a haunted house theme, like we do. The husband had dressed up as the grim reaper and he swung his plastic axe at his wife’s head. If I didn’t know his axe was fake, I’d have thought he’d really intended to behead her.
That got me thinking about the James Stewart, Grace Kelly movie, Rear Window. How frustrating would it be to witness a crime from a distance then have no one believe you? That kernel led to a novel.
Protective Custody – Available from Carina Press
Witness to a murder, but no one will believe her…
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Shocked by the brutal crime she witnesses through the window of her small office, Megan Jackson calls the police and is devastated when they question the truth of her story. With no body and no evidence of a crime, she’s written off as a nutcase.
Megan suspects the killer saw her face. Terrified, she calls the only person she can trust—her ex-boyfriend and former police officer, Will McCoy.
Despite a devastating breakup, Will jumps at the chance to help the woman who broke his heart. When the killer ramps up the stakes, Will is forced to take her into hiding—where the passion they once shared reignites, deeper and hotter than ever. But can Will keep Megan alive long enough to win back her heart?
Wynter Daniels lives in Central Florida with her husband of more than twenty years and their two nearly grown children. They are all the slaves of two very demanding cats. After careers in marketing and the salon industry, Wynter’s wicked prose begged to be set free. She writes for several publishers including Carina Press, Ellora’s Cave and Loose Id. Join her Facebook fan page HERE and her Yahoo! Group HERE. She loves to hear from readers, but only if it’s good.
Find Wynter on the web at http://www.wynterdaniels.com/
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Text Copyright © 2011 by Wynter Daniels
Cover Copyright © 2011 by Harlequin Enterprises Limited
Permission to reproduce text granted by Harlequin Books S.A. Cover Art used by arrangement with Harlequin Enterprises Limited. All rights reserved. ® and ™ are trademarks owned by Harlequin Enterprises Limited or its affiliated companies, used under license.