I like to watch HGTV and yesterday morning featured a couple who was trying to sell their home. The woman’s name was Ayonara and instantly my brain tried to come up with a story around the name because it was really unique. I could picture a princess in a far away kingdom or a warrior woman on a quest. I pictured she would be exotic looking, with the darker skin tones of the Middle East, and maybe sea green eyes to set her apart from everyone else. Of course, I had to wonder why she green eyes…maybe her father was a magical fairy. My brain spent all day thinking about Ayonara.
I came home from taking Hadrian out for three hours at an indoor playground in the local mall and sat down to write out what had been playing through my mind. And then I filed it in a folder on my laptop marked “Story Ideas”.
I have a lot of story ideas.
And I don’t even know if Ayonara’s story will ever get written. There are a lot of characters I’ve created that live in limbo and I’m sorry to say that many of them will remain there forever. For every story I finish I create three or four more, but I always know which one I will probably focus on because I get this tingle in my gut. I become obsessed with the heroine and hero, their romance, and their happy ever after.
Every day I see something, hear something, or read something that sends my imagination into overdrive. Many nights I try to sleep, only to have my mind refusing to succumb because I’ve not quite figured out something stupid like ‘Why would Jane Doe do something like that?’. That one question will often give me insomnia.
But whenever one of my Houses agrees to publish something I’ve written, the rush and sense of accomplishment sends me scrambling in my Story Ideas folder. Because writing is a drug. It’s intoxicating. It’s ambrosia.
Hmmmm. Ambrosia, food of the Gods, what if……….
Yes, totally interesting. The name for my main character in Daughters of Persephone is Aja - pronounced Asia. It comes from a softball player I know. I do the same thing you do! Cool!
ReplyDeleteWonderful insight, Beth. :D I have a folder filled with characters too. Maybe we can exchange some, you know, give new blood to them! LOL
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing!