Inspiration for Writing Short Stories ... by Deb Noone

The month of March theme is all about inspiration. It just so happens I have a fun story to tell about inspiration.

First, some background. I love reading short romances that only take a few minutes to read. I also love to challenge myself by writing a romance in 600 to 1,000 words. This is a tricky task, for sure. So, devising a romantic story that is akin to a flash in time for the hero and heroine is a must.

One of my goals for 2024 was to write and submit ten short stories. I wrote one in late December and submitted it, after much editing, in January. I then wrote two more, both in response to calls for submissions. The first was a St. Patrick’s Day story, which I had a ton of fun writing. I also edited it at least twenty times. A tweak here and there, or a change of direction, are all part of the editing process. Truthfully, the inspiration part of coming up with an idea is the easy part. It’s always a kernel of a thought that blossoms into a full, but very short story. Then the hard part begins.

After sending in two stories, I went back to work on writing my next novel. Writing is hard work and I often need a break, both from the ache of typing non-stop for hours, but also to give my brain a rest. So, of course, I find things to do, like checking out the internet and I saw a call for an Easter story.

I mentally shook my head. Nope. I just wrote and sent in two. I got back to work on my current writing project. But the thought niggled at the back of my brain. Easter. Easter. Easter. What did I used to do as a kid? Hunt Easter eggs.

As an aside, I grew up in Washington, D.C. and I once went to the White House Easter Egg Roll—a tradition started by President Rutherford B. Hayes in 1878. This event was always held the Monday after Easter, when all schools were closed. I believe you had to have special tickets to get in. My sister and I would dress up in our Easter finest, including a bonnet and our little black shoes. Once we arrived at the White House, we had free run of the lawns, got to meet THE Easter Bunny, and gaze up to the White House balcony to see the President and First Lady waving at all of us. 

But back to hunting eggs…as an adult I accompanied my sister and niece to the neighborhood egg hunt. The night before, I helped my sister and other parents in the neighborhood hide colorful plastic eggs filled with candy in the “hidden” park surrounded by neighborhood homes that rimmed the hill in what I like to call a secret garden.

AHA! Remembering that one special Easter with my sister, brother-in-law, and niece… Well, you guessed it. Inspiration hit.

I began typing and realized that the heroine, the visiting aunt, would meet her sister’s new neighbor who was going to dress as the Easter Bunny. Sparks flew. They met for dinner at the sister’s home and again, just the two. And by the end of the story, on Easter Day when the kids are collecting eggs, the aunt realizes she is in love with the Easter Bunny.

I wrote the story, adding and subtracting words, moving around paragraphs, and after SEVENTEEN versions, I finally sent in the story at the beginning of January. With great excitement, I can announce that in late February the story was contracted and will be released in a magazine toward the end of March.

The theme for April is “Three Things I Do Well.” My second “inspiration” this morning was to write about the creativity of working with food. That is one thing I believe I do well, as I used to cook in restaurants and cater. So, I look forward to writing the April blog and putting it out into the ether for all to read next month. Stay tuned to find out what are the other two things I think I do well, that is, when I figure out what those are—HA!

                     What inspires you? 

      Or how do you jumpstart your inspiration?

 

The Prince’s Son
Amazon(also available in print) 
Books2Read

~ cottages to cabins ~ keep the home fires burning ~

Delsora Lowe writes small town sweet and spicy romances and contemporary westerns, from the mountains of Colorado to the shores of Maine.

Author of the Starlight Grille series, Serenity Harbor Maine novellas, and the Cowboys of Mineral Springs series, Lowe has also authored short romances for Woman’s World magazine. The Love Left Behind is a Hartford Estates, R.I. wedding novella. A Christmas novel (The Inn at Gooseneck Lane) and novella (Holiday Hitchhiker) were released in late fall 2022. Look for book 3 of the cowboy’s series, as well as book 2 of the Hartford Estates series, in 2024.

Social Media Links:

Author website: www.delsoralowe.com
Facebook Author page: https://www.facebook.com/delsoraloweauthor/community/
Amazon Author page: https://www.amazon.com/Delsora-Lowe/e/B01M61OM39/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0
Books2Read Author page: https://www.books2read.com/ap/8GWm98/Delsora-Lowe
BookBub Author Page: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/delsora-lowe-93c6987f-129d-483d-9f5a-abe603876518
Goodreads Author Page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16045986.Delsora_Lowe
Instagram: #delsoralowe / https://www.instagram.com/delsoralowe/

  

Photo Credits:

Love in hand: Download | FreeImages walking-love-bond-5693695.svg 
Love Tree: love-tree-5690191
Love Arrow: Flat Love Arrow PNG Design Free Clipart Download | FreeImages
Free love arrow Clipart Images | FreeImages
Easter Bunny: Easter Bunny Painting an Easter Egg Clip Art - Easter Bunny Painting an Easter Egg Image (mycutegraphics.com)
Easter Eggs: Free Vector | Easter eggs collection (freepik.com) 1072593-OMUVFNO.JPG
Cherry Blossoms: Cherry Blossom Clipart Images - Free Download on Freepik
Free Vector | Free vector watercolor cherry blossom collection (freepik.com) 12982494_5114318_CherryBlosooms

 

Thanks for the Inspiration...

...even when it arrives after the book is finished!

by M.L. Buchman

Inspiration for a writer is a strange and tricky house guest. There are ways to attract it and make it a comfy place to visit, but it has a travel schedule all its own and the writer has to be prepared for that.

PREPARING FOR THE VISIT
There is only one true way to prepare, already be writing when Inspiration shows up! Easier said than done? Gene Fowler would agree:

"Writing is easy. 

All you do is stare at a blank sheet of paper 

until drops of blood form on your forehead."

But it is only by writing every day that we can be prepared for the visit. That way you'll already be moving when the idea shows up. 

My romantic suspense that is releasing in just 6 days is a perfect example of that (available for pre-order now, hint, hint).

I knew the heart of this book had to occur in Australia. But it was only when I reached Australia after a whole lot of words and sweat, that I understood that the Outback was both the metaphor and the curative for my hero's and heroine's hearts. And that it was only by passing beyond Australia that they could finally shed their shields and find each other.

Inspiration waited at a cozy pub down the road until after I'd written that whole section. What it did do, was it gave me the final scene, the Happy Ever After that tied up the neat knot.

WHEN INSPIRATION HITS

There you are, innocently writing along when WHAP! Inspiration hits...and you feel like such a dork! My Dead Chef foodie thriller, released Nov 5th, definitely had that issue.

I had set off to write about murder in live-broadcast television kitchens, world-trotting adventure, and global political threats, when Inspiration popped up and insisted that it was set at a small, exclusive Scottish Castle Hotel that I'd never been to.

Inverlochy Castle Hotel, Fort William, Scotland

I had a sneaking suspicion that the Muse Calliope (of epic poetry) had been replaced by Thalia, the Muse of Comedy and they were both down in that cozy pub laughing at me. How in the world was I supposed to set a grand epic thriller in a remote Scottish castle? Well, thankfully, after 30-odd novels, I've learned to not second guess these peripatetic visits. Inspiration knew exactly what it was doing, even if it wasn't bothering to inform me (after all, I'm only the writer...c'mon ladies, please?). Ultimately the castle, the Rolls Royce, and even the chess set all became essential elements of the crisis. 

WHEN INSPIRATION SHOWS UP...FINALLY!

The ultimate joke Inspiration occasionally pays is putting in an appearance...after the book is finished!

Just last week I released my Night Stalker's Christmas novel.

I was working on the final copyedits to the final proof, when one of the military blogs I follow wrote an article about "Steel Beach Day." It is a day of relaxation on Navy ships serving far from home. It includes barbeques, sports, even beer. 

Panicked, I read the article and a dozen others references. I was worried because the key scene, the Happy Ever After in Christmas at Steel Beach, is a "Steel Beach" scene. I deeply feared that the Melpomene, the Muse of Tragedy, had visited my doorstep. 

Imagine my huge relief when I discovered that all unknowing, I had gotten it right. Inspiration had arrived after I finished the story, and it had still come out okay. 

GIVING THANKS

...is the most powerful tool I know. I feel gratitude for my life as a writer, for the stories I get to tell, that my fans seem to enjoy them. 

And what I've learned? Giving thanks ahead of time is the very best Inspiration attractor there is!

Hoping you have a World's worth of Thanks to give every day!

M. L. BUCHMAN

M. L. Buchman has over 30 novels in print. His military romantic suspense books have been named Barnes & Noble and NPR “Top 5 of the year” and Booklist “Top 10 of the Year.” He has been nominated for the Reviewer’s Choice Award for “Top 10 Romantic Suspense of 2014” by RT Book Reviews. In addition to romance, he also writes thrillers, fantasy, and science fiction.

In among his career as a corporate project manager he has: rebuilt and single-handed a fifty-foot sailboat, both flown and jumped out of airplanes, designed and built two houses, and bicycled solo around the world. He is now making his living as a full-time writer on the Oregon Coast with his beloved wife. He is constantly amazed at what you can do with a degree in Geophysics. You may keep up with his writing by subscribing to his newsletter at www.mlbuchman.com.

Overheard at... Kids Camp

“Drip, drip… drop”

I was watching kids at my daughter’s camp play a game very similar to duck, duck… goose. However, as the person went around the circle they dripped a bit of water on each person until they got to the ‘goose’ at which point they squeezed the sponge and all of the remaining water came out on the person’s head.  You can see where this added a whole new level of tension to the traditional game. Not only might the sitting ‘duck’ get tagged and become it, but he/she might also become soaked in the process.

Ever since this episode the idea of tension has been on my mind. This is my first month writing as a Genre-ista and while I am excited to have been invited, I also have a new understanding of that word. What will I write? Will I be able to come up with something to write once a month in addition to my own thrice weekly blog? How will I keep it interesting for myself and my readers?

Here is my muse’s answer…. tension!

Bad muse! Not terribly creative since tension is in fact the go-to answer for any writing question. But with a little thought I realized I could spin it. So every month I will ask writers and readers of Romance to help me come up with the tension techniques employed by different sub-genres. What has resonated for you when you have read perfectly tense moments? What are the favorite scenes have you written and what created the tension in them?

Tension is a concept we speak about a lot in writing. We know it immediately when we see it, but it isn’t always easy to create without artifice. We can learn from those bad examples too so feel free to include them.

Our starting point this month will be the romantic sub-genre of Romantic  Suspense… a perfect place to begin the dialogue. You can start by reading this wonderful article by Nora Roberts: http://www.writingcorner.com/fiction/plot/romanticsuspense.htm .  In it she discusses how the play of relationship tension and mystery need to intertwine and build off of each other in Romantic Suspense.

Ask yourselves, in romance, where does the relationship tension come from? He’s available, she’s not… or he wants a superficial relationship while she is desperate for deep intimacy. On the other hand, in suspense, it is the danger builds the tension. Someone wants to kill our main character, or she is being framed for a murder she didn’t commit. What types of techniques illuminate that danger?  

In August we have some fantastic guest authors who will be writing their perspectives on Romantic Suspense so check out their blog post each Saturday (along with August 30^th and 31^st) for ideas. Then feel free to invite them into our dialogue.

And finally, look for my questions and tasks in the comments section here and tell me what you think…. I’m dying to know!

Making My Escape-What Makes a Writer

We've all heard the old addage, "write what you know."

If you look at my novels, you might say I know: druid magic, talking cats, Cupid's arrows, vampires, changelings, and hot seduction.


Okay, okay. I admit it! I know a few vampires. I am myself a human changeling. And my cat talks. The secrets are out. Call the Enquirer!

In all seriousness, like many an author, my childhood shaped who I am today and thus, what I write. I found books at a young age and in my teens latched onto reading as a life raft. I grew up in a turbulent, occasionally violent, home. You see, I do know vampires. Because my vampires are addicts and I know addiction intimately thanks to many a family member who battles the disease. More than one has lost that battle.

My first human changeling, Sadie, struggles with the fears and stigmas mental illness infects lives with. I know those fears first hand, witnessing my mother's battle with her mental illness.

No, my cat doesn't talk. I don't have a cat. Yet. But growing up, my dog Misty was one of the best listeners ever and loved me no matter what. Even when I screwed up really bad.

Along the sometimes rough road I've trekked, that I'll never regret a moment of, I learned about love. I learned how love transforms. Love forgives, love seduces and attracts.

I no longer need the life preserver my romance novels used to offer. I've learned how to swim. And through every heroine's journey, my deepest wish is that someone out there reading about her, will find hope and strength and escape. Just as I did.

What makes a writer? I suppose it's what makes any of us, only with a fire to create burning inside.

Oh, yeah, and a few voices in my head doesn't hurt.

No, not those kind of voices! Only good ones. Promise.

:}Amber Scott