Sydell Voeller's Blog - Posts Tagged "writing-ideas"

Readers ask me where I get ideas for stories. Ideas come from everywhere, and often at times when I least expect them--from newspaper and magazine articles, dreams, personal experiences, books, and movies--and so forth. Yet from that germ of an idea my characters have sprung to life, fought their “dragons,” and won the battle!

Okay, now for an example. One day back when I first started writing, I read a magazine article about a circus family who performed as trapeze artists. The son who’d been interviewed for the article said he was always careful not to make friends with teens “on the outside” because soon the circus would move on and he might never see that friend again. What a perfect conflict between an everyday teen gal and a guy who is committed to travel and perform with the circus! I decided. I told my critique group, “I think I can do this!” So I started researching the realities of circus life, trapeze artists, and circus veterinary medicine. Then I began writing and rewriting. Several months later Merry Christmas, Marcie was born. Imagine my surprise when I received a phone call from Silhouette’s YA editor only three days after I’d submitted the manuscript. I nearly jumped for joy when she offered me a contract!