How to Spark a Story Idea by Kristen Joy Wilks

Hello, my name is Kristen Joy Wilks, writer of RomComs and destroyer of houseplants! Today, I want to talk with you about story ideas. How can a story spark in real life grow into a full-fledged novel or in my case, novella? For me, I take interesting things that happen and then blow them wildly out of proportion. It’s a whole lot of fun and retains that tiny bit of truth that makes even a piece of fiction feel real. Let’s get started!

The idea for Yellowstone Yondering came when our family was camping in Yellowstone.

The park is visited by many tourists for whom English is a second language. Therefore, they try to make the warning signs clear to one and all through the use of terrifying drawings. My sons were amazed by the drawing of a young boy being tossed in the air by a raging bison, waving a bag of marshmallows as a grizzly charged toward his sugary snack, and succumbing to the boiling waters of a thermal zone as he cracked through the thin crust to his doom! The same hapless child was featured on all the signs and so my husband named the poor lad, Jimmy. As we toured the beautiful park and remarked upon Jimmy’s many perils, I got to thinking … . Writers are always trying to menace their characters with dangerous situations. What better place to menace a heroine than Yellowstone National Park? But she would have to break all of those perfectly reasonable rules. What could I do to cause such a rash of foolish behavior in an otherwise sane adult?

Put her pup in peril, of course! I promised my sons that I would include a crazed animal in every book (as well as a kiss and a concussion, but they are less concerned about the kiss, ha!) I once saw my grandmother dart in front of a moving car to scoop up her little Shih Tzu. So, I knew firsthand how people react when their dog is in danger. We read Death in Yellowstone by Lee H. Whittlesey aloud as a family while vacationing (remember, I have 3 sons) and discovered that a parkgoer once dove into a boiling pool after his dog. People love their dogs and tend to throw caution to the wind when a beloved pet’s life is endangered. I had my motivation!

Now, we did not bring our furbaby, Princess Leia Freyja, with us to Yellowstone. After discovering that one cannot take a pet on backcountry trails, boardwalks, or anywhere with a geyser or wildlife, it didn’t seem like the kind of trip she would enjoy. The rangers expect you to keep your dog in the car most of the time. I faced a problem. How to get my heroine and her pet out of the car and into some danger? Take away the car of course! When my paternal grandparents visited Yellowstone and were stuck in Hayden Valley as the bison meandered across the road, the driver in front of them was a man on a motorcycle. He nervously sat atop his bike as 1,000 to 2,000-pound bison walked by, close enough to touch. I knew that this would be the perfect vehicle for my heroine and her dog!

Now, to use a few more nuggets of reality to fuel the fiction. Family bear stories!

When my mother was a girl, they visited Yellowstone and tourists often fed marshmallows to bears. My maternal grandfather was happily feeding a black bear by their campfire, when he decided that the bear had had enough. Didn’t want to ruin his dinner, right? The bear disagreed. The result was my grandfather dashing around the campfire at his fastest sprint as the bear gave chase, around and around and around! Eventually, my grandfather tired and flung the marshmallows to the bear before escaping into their vehicle. On another occasion, when my paternal grandmother was out walking, she was bluff charged by a bear. This occurs when a bear would like to give you a firm warning. The bear charges straight at you and then skids to a stop at the last second, thumping the ground with his front paws and giving a deep huff of air in case all that charging didn’t get the point across. Being a woods-savvy lady, my grandmother did not run, but simple stepped backward slowly until she was standing behind a tree. This satisfied the bear and he went back to the elk head that he’d been nibbling. These great family stories provided lots of creative fuel as I imagined Ainsley (my heroine’s dog) in peril.

So, when something interesting, funny, clever, or weird occurs in real life … be sure to write it down. Then later, imagine the very worst that could happen in that situation. Keep adding trouble and hardship for your poor hero, peppering in fascinating facts from research and character growth in between the action scenes. Let that nugget of truth bring believability to even your most wild tales!

How can a story spark in real life grow into a full-fledged novel or in my case, novella? - How to Spark a Story Idea by Kristen Joy Wilks for #seriouslywrite #amwriting #writerslife

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Yellowstone Yondering

When a free-spirited wildlife photographer loses her Scottish terrier in a herd of bison, she sets out to rescue her furbaby before he is devoured. But will she succeed when Yellowstone National Park is chock full of boiling, bubbling, and rampaging hazards (both mammalian and geographical) -- not to mention a rule-obsessed park ranger whose many rescues thwart her efforts to find her poor pup?

They say opposites attract, and when it comes to Kayla Dineen and Ranger Alexander Brandt, no two people have ever been more opposed...or attractive. Old Faithful isn't the only thing making noise at Yellowstone this season.

Kristen Joy Wilks lives in the beautiful Cascade Mountains with her camp director husband, three fierce sons, and a large and slobbery Newfoundland dog. She has blow-dried a chicken, fought epic Nerf battles instead of washing dishes, transported a gallon bag of cooked bacon inside her purse, and discovered a smuggled gardener snake in her sons’ bubble bath. Her stories, devotionals, and articles have appeared in Nature Friend, Clubhouse, Thriving Family, Keys for Kids, The Christian Journal, Splickety, Spark, and Havok. She writes romantic comedies for Pelican Book Group, including Copenhagen Cozenage, The Volk Advent, Athens Ambuscade, Spider Gap, and Yellowstone Yondering. Kristen loves to write about the humor and Grace that can be found amidst the detritus of life. Much like the shiny quarter one member of their household swallowed and then found in the pot four days later. If God is good enough to grant us these gems, she figures that someone should be putting them to the page. Kristen can be found tucked under a tattered quilt in an overstuffed chair at 4:00am writing a wide variety of implausible tales, or at www.kristenjoywilks.com. If you would rather enjoy photos of charging bison, Newfoundland dogs, and attacking squid then by all means visit her “What I’m Writing About” board on Pinterest  Pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/kristenjwilks7/what-im-writing-about/

Harvesting Life Experiences for Writing by Emily Conrad

I’m growing tomatoes this year, but the process hasn’t been completely smooth. Thanks to squirrels, bugs, and my own errors in judging when a tomato is ripe, some fruit isn’t fit for human consumption.

I sometimes run into similar problems when I go to harvest life experiences by writing about them.

Generally, writing helps me process and draws me back to faith again and again. When I share about tough situations in a way that might encourage others, I feel like good has come from a situation. In a way, that event has been redeemed.

However, when I try to pick certain experiences for writing, I find them unfit for sharing—spoiled. Perhaps the event isn’t my story to tell, the telling would hurt someone, or I don’t yet have perspective to write about the experience in a helpful way.

Like those tomatoes, these experiences seem like a waste.

However, before I abandoned all the spoiled tomatoes to nature, I realized even a damaged tomato holds great potential: seeds.

I can gather the seeds, wait for them to dry, and then use them to start my garden next year—and for a lot less than I paid for seeds this year! I’ll have enough to share seeds or seedlings with friends for their gardens, too. And all from something I thought was a loss.

Likewise, none of our experiences are losses. God can use them all, even if first, we must wait. Maybe it’ll take longer than one winter, but someday, in some way, God can use the perspective we gain from our trials to bless someone else.

As writers, when we gather the seeds of inspiration by taking notes we can’t use yet, we’re storing up for a purposeful planting in the future. We can grow a bountiful garden--a whole variety of written works--from our experiences, as long as we wait until the timing is right. Until the pain, questions, or even wonder has matured into perspective.

Would you believe there’s even a biblical example of this?

When the shepherds got Jesus’s birth announcement from the angels and went and saw the new little family, "they related what they had been told about this child [...] But Mary treasured up all these words, pondering in her heart what they might mean." Luke 2:17, 19, NET

What a contrast. The shepherds spread the word while Mary gathered the seeds of an experience that must’ve seemed far too big and wonderful and confusing and even dangerous for her. She waited and she watched.

Did she later share her testimony? Is that how her part of the story came to be included in the Gospel of Luke? I don’t know. Certainly, God could’ve revealed it another way. But in that little sentence where Mary quietly stores up all that is happening, I see a heart willing to wait on God’s direction and timing.

It’s not our job to redeem our experiences. We’re called to be witnesses for our Heavenly Father, telling others about what He’s done when and where He directs us to. Sometimes, we get to harvest our experiences by writing about them immediately. Other times, God may ask us to spend time gathering seeds, waiting, planting, and growing.

Regardless, with God, nothing is lost. Nothing is wasted. All our experiences are part of His plan for the good of His people. He—not our own writing—is our Redeemer.

_____________________

I find some life experiences unfit for sharing. Perhaps the event isn’t my story to tell or I don’t yet have perspective to write about the experience in a helpful way. Are these experiences wasted? @emilyrconrad for #seriouslywrite #writetip

We can grow a bountiful garden--a whole variety of written works--from our experiences, as long as we wait until the timing is right. @emilyrconrad on #writing about real life #seriouslywrite

With God, nothing is lost. Nothing is wasted. All our experiences are part of His plan for the good of His people. @emilyrconrad on writing about real life #seriouslywrite #writetip

Photo credits
Tomato and seed photos by Emily Conrad
Graphics created on Canva.com

Emily Conrad writes Christian romance and a blog to encourage women of faith. Her debut novel, Justice, released from Pelican Book Group in 2018. She lives in Wisconsin with her husband and two rescue dogs. She loves Jesus and enjoys road trips to the mountains, crafting stories, and drinking coffee. (It’s no coincidence Justice is set mostly in a coffee shop!) She offers free short stories on her website and loves to connect with readers on social media.

www.emilyconradauthor.com
Facebook.com/emilyconradauthor
Instagram.com/emilyrconrad
Twitter.com/emilyrconrad

JUSTICE

Jake thought he was meant to marry Brooklyn, but now she's pregnant, and he had nothing to do with it. Brooklyn can’t bring herself to name the father as she wrestles with questions about what her pregnancy means and how it will affect her relationship with Jake. If Harold Keen, the man who owns the bookstore across from Jake's coffee shop, has anything to do with it, the baby will ruin them both. Can Jake and Brooklyn overcome the obstacles thrown in their path, and finally find the truth in God's love and in each other?


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Four Reasons Why Writers Should Read Newspapers By Marie Wells Coutu

Early Morning Newspaper

With so much information at our fingertips via our phones and tablets—or through voice control, like “Alexa, what’s the news?”—there’s a tendency to skip buying or reading the newspaper. After all, we have Facebook, TV, and news apps to keep up with what’s happening in the world.

But in the last few days, I’ve found several reasons to keep reading newspapers (or magazines). All were items of interest that I would not have discovered or gone looking for on the Internet. So here are four reasons writers need to keep reading newspapers, at least once in a while:

1. Story ideas.
   My local paper runs a column every week that looks back at some interesting tidbit of state history, such as an Iowa woman who became the first female ticket agent for the railroads. That article went in my “Ideas” file, since I’m now writing historical novels. For speculative writers, the Science and Health section of a recent Minneapolis Star-Tribune contained several items that might inspire stories: the disappearance of key flying insects such as bees, butterflies, and ladybugs; a man-made rover exploring an asteroid surface; a link between air pollution and cognitive decline. I doubt I’m the only writer who sees plot potential in those items, even though I don’t expect to use them in my writing. (I’m sure you suspense writers already mine the newspapers for story ideas.)
2. Character development.
   The same section featured a story on personality types. Instead of using Myers-Briggs Type personality assessment—which apparently social psychologists dislike--for your characters, a huge new study has defined four distinct personality types: Reserved, Self-centered, Role Model, and Average. Since I’m always seeking ways to develop characters that are not all like me, I found this article useful. These four types are based primarily on five established personality traits: openness, conscientiousness, extroversion, agreeableness and neuroticism. I look forward to learning more about these traits and the four types to help me in creating interesting characters.
3. Marketing.
   In a typical newspaper, you might find listings of local clubs you could approach to offer yourself as a guest speaker. Or you may learn of a news event that relates to your book, providing newsy posts for social media. And of course, you can check out the book reviews or best-seller lists to stay aware of the competition.
4. Humor.
   Don’t skip the comics. You may think you’re too busy or that reading the “funnies” (as we always called them) will distract from your writing. It won’t, as long as you finish in a timely manner and get back to work. Every now and then, you may even find a comic strip that resonates with you as a writer (besides Snoopy writing about the “dark and stormy night.” The laugh break will do you good and may inspire your creativity.

What have you read in a newspaper recently that inspired you, helped you with your craft, or made you laugh? I’d love to hear about it.

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 4 reasons #writers need to keep reading #newspapers by Marie Wells Coutu @MWCoutu  on #SeriouslyWrite. wp.me/a5RrYq-KH bit.ly/2E6vh1y

About the Author

Marie Wells Coutu

Marie Wells Coutu’s newest novel, The Secret Heart, from Write Integrity Press, was named a finalist in both the 2018 National Excellence in Romantic Fiction Awards and the 2018 Royal Palm Literary Awards sponsored by Florida Writers Association. Her debut novel, For Such a Moment, won the Books of Hope Contest. Thirsting for More, the second book in the series was a finalist in the Selah Awards Contest and a semi-finalist in the Royal Palm Literary Awards. An unpublished historical novel set near Golden Pond has been a finalist in five contests.

The Secret Heart by Marie Wells Coutu

You can find more about Marie and her novels on her Facebook page (Author Marie Wells Coutu), at her website (MarieWellsCoutu.com), or follow her on Twitter (@mwcoutu) or on Amazon.com.
Marie is a regular contributor to Seriously Write. For more posts by Marie, click here.

Mining for Gold at Family Gatherings by Marie Wells Coutu

Family reunions can be a goldmine for writers.

Marie Wells Coutu

Every time I go to a family reunion, I come away with half a dozen story or character ideas. (Of course, I would never use the actual people or events in a recognizable way!) Especially at funerals, or simply as we get older, my relatives and I like to talk about family history. We try to glean those precious stories about our parents and ancestors that we’ve never heard before from other aging relatives before they, too, are gone.

Here are a few of the “seed” ideas I’ve picked up in the last few years that may find their way into one of my novels someday:

• A cousin told me how the other side of her family had disliked her and treated her rudely because she was adopted.
• An aunt dated my uncle for at least seven years because he wouldn't marry her until after his mother died. (He inherited the family farm.)
• My grandfather killed a man in a shoot-out. The other man’s family had been living with him, but the man came home drunk one night and started shooting. My grandfather killed him but died several days later from the gunshot. (I was a baby when this happened, and never learned the details until after my father died.)
• Out of homesickness, my father went AWOL from the Army at one point (and none of us children even knew he had been in the military). We learned about this from old letters he had saved for more than seventy years.

If you’re a writer, you can see how any one of these tidbits could be the basis for a scene, a character, or a subplot, if not an entire book.

The point is to always be aware of potential story ideas. Record the stories in a notebook or on your computer as soon as possible after hearing it, so you can capture the details. Even better is to use a recording device (even your phone) and interview those relatives who know your family history and the “skeletons in the closet.” You never know when those stories may turn into a jewel of an idea.

What stories have you heard from your family (or your spouse’s) that get your creative juices flowing? Have you incorporated family history into a novel without betraying the individuals involved?

About the Author

The Secret Heart
by Marie Wells Coutu

Marie Wells Coutu’s newest novel, The Secret Heart, releases February 2017 from Write Integrity Press. Follow Marie on Amazon.com to be notified when it becomes available. The Secret Heart, loosely based on the lives of Bathsheba and David, is the third book in the Mended Vessels series. Books in the series are contemporary re-imaginings of the stories of biblical women, including Esther and the woman at the well.

Her debut novel, For Such a Moment, won the Books of Hope Contest. Thirsting for More, the second book in the series was a finalist in the 2016 Selah Awards Contest and a semi-finalist in the Royal Palm Literary Awards sponsored by Florida Writers Association. You can find more about Marie and her novels on her Facebook page (Author Marie Wells Coutu), at her website (MarieWellsCoutu.com), or follow her on Twitter (@mwcoutu). 
Marie retired after 15 years with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, and she and her husband now divide their time between Florida and Iowa.

The Secret Heart

Beautiful Shawna Moore married Hunter Wilson, the governor of Tennessee, after a whirlwind romance, only six weeks following her first husband’s death in Iraq. Now, she wonders if the governor loved her at all or only hoped to avoid a scandal.

An investigative reporter—and friend of Shawna’s—is asking questions. If he discovers the truth about Shawna’s baby, Hunter’s chances for reelection could be ruined. But keeping the secret is destroying their marriage. Will Shawna convince Hunter to choose his family and drop out of politics, or will he continue to put his career first?

The Secret Heart is available for pre-order now. For a sneak peek, download the first chapter here.

Sparking Story Ideas by Amber Schamel

Normally, writers have more stories in their minds than time to write them, but on the occasion that the opposite is true, author Amber Schamel provides some tips to send that spark of an idea flaming into a full-fledged story. -- Sandy

Amber: Gotta admit, we writers are kinda strange birds. We talk to people that exist only in our heads. We stare off into the distance for long periods of time. We hide out like hermits, and pound away on keyboards. We study ways to escape a prison camp, sicknesses and the most tragic way to die.

But I think one of the hardest things for folks to understand about me as a writer is the way inspiration, creativity and stories bombard my mind. Of course, there are other authors who can craft a wonderful story, and carry it through to the end but have a difficult time sparking ideas. For those of you that fall into this category, I thought I would share some of the places (and things) where I find inspiration in hopes that it will help.

The other day I was driving down a back country road in the Ozarks when I passed a mailbox with the last name of Brittain. In this mailbox I found a story. I saw a boy by the name of Thomas Brittain who had moved from London to rural Missouri with his family.  His parents are proud of their British roots, but Thomas just wants to be like the other southern kids at school. At home, he is Thomas the Brit forced to be proper and drink his hot tea. But at school, he's just Tom, a boy who tries to mold his English accent into a southern one, drink sweet iced tea and runs into all kind of mischief trying to be someone he's not.

All that out of driving past a mailbox...I told you writers are weird. lol.

Okay, Amber, that's a nice story. But how is that supposed to help me?

What I'm trying to say is don't be discouraged. Story ideas are everywhere, it's just a matter of seeing them. Sometimes it's easy to think that the story idea just isn't there...but it is! Here are some tips for finding inspiration and story ideas.

1) Look for them. In everything.
Get into a habit of looking for stories everywhere. You can't find something you're not looking for. Look under your bed. Look in your best friend's eyes. Look at the people at the park. Pay attention to your surroundings and look at them through your writer's glasses. News and history books are also a great place to look.

2) Keep it simple.
You don't have to know their dark moment, character arc and greatest fear from the start. A story idea is incredibly simple. Think GMC: Goal, motivation and conflict. You need somebody who wants something but can't have it because...WHAM there's your story idea.

3) Decide what you're looking for.
 What type of story do you want to write? Historical? Mystery? Romance? A story about a young girl? Or a story about an old man? If you narrow down what type of story you're looking for, it will make finding it much easier. Can you imagine finding Waldo if you didn't know what Waldo looked like?

4) Exercise your creativity muscles.
Google story games and play them. It's fun and helps exercise your story-conceiving muscles. Here's a game we enjoy.  We'll pick a minor character from a book or movie and think...if we wanted to make a story about this person, what would it be? Practice brings lots of creative ideas!

Which writer are you? Are you bombarded with story ideas? Or do you struggle for an idea? What are tips  you use for  inspiration?

~~~~~~

Multi-published author Amber Schamel writes riveting stories that bring HIStory to life. She has a passion for history, books and her Savior. This combination results in what her readers call "historical fiction at its finest". A homeschool graduate from a family of 12 children, Amber found her calling early in life. First published at age 21, she has continued to hone her craft and is now the author of over half a dozen books. Between ministry, family and working in their family-owned businesses, Amber loves to connect with readers. Find her on the Stitches Thru Time blog, or on any of the major social media sites.  Amber is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, and the Historical Novel Society.

http://amberschamel.com/
Blog: http://www.stitchesthrutime.blogspot.com

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