Poof Magic
So I was talking to Molly the other day saying how I needed to come up with a bunch of new ideas for my editor. This is new for me. Usually I'm a one idea at a time girl. By the middle of the book I'm working on, I usually come up with what I want to do next. I can honestly say it's kept me steadily writing for years. But it hasn't always made me the best category writer.
I wrote comedies, then I felt like doing a suspense, then I felt like doing a golf book, then I decided I wanted to write weird historicals.
This has resulted in a lot of complete books. But not a lot of progress in my career. Now part of this wasn't always my fault. I had several lines close on me which forced me to change gear, but still I have to own up to the fact that I'm a little bit of a writing wanderer.
However, now for the first time in the 20 years I've been writing I've been asked to think of a bunch of ideas at once. For moments my brain froze. Multiple ideas didn't compute. Sure I had vague thoughts of what I wanted to do, but the idea of trying to really pull out concrete stories seemed incredibly daunting.
I could no longer rely on my poof magic just happening out of the blue. I was actually going to have to deliberately call on it like a genie in a bottle.
Let me explain - Poof Magic is my very scientific writing process. I think conceptually about the type of relationship dynamic I want to explore….wait for it and then… Poof, magic. The couple pops into my head. Then they live there for a while simmering and eventually I start to see those movie trailer flashes that lead me to the perimeter of what their story is.
The idea of using poof magic for several ideas at once… craziness. I had this very logical and rational fear I would fizzle it out if I over used it.
Surprisingly, poof magic has come through. I need only one more couple to show up and then I plan to just let them all simmer simultaneously. Like four different pots on four different burners all working toward a common goal. Which for me means a little forward career momentum.
I'm sure we've all talked about our process before, but I would also love to hear from some lurkers… Another classic writer questios.... Where do your ideas come from?
I wrote comedies, then I felt like doing a suspense, then I felt like doing a golf book, then I decided I wanted to write weird historicals.
This has resulted in a lot of complete books. But not a lot of progress in my career. Now part of this wasn't always my fault. I had several lines close on me which forced me to change gear, but still I have to own up to the fact that I'm a little bit of a writing wanderer.
However, now for the first time in the 20 years I've been writing I've been asked to think of a bunch of ideas at once. For moments my brain froze. Multiple ideas didn't compute. Sure I had vague thoughts of what I wanted to do, but the idea of trying to really pull out concrete stories seemed incredibly daunting.
I could no longer rely on my poof magic just happening out of the blue. I was actually going to have to deliberately call on it like a genie in a bottle.
Let me explain - Poof Magic is my very scientific writing process. I think conceptually about the type of relationship dynamic I want to explore….wait for it and then… Poof, magic. The couple pops into my head. Then they live there for a while simmering and eventually I start to see those movie trailer flashes that lead me to the perimeter of what their story is.
The idea of using poof magic for several ideas at once… craziness. I had this very logical and rational fear I would fizzle it out if I over used it.
Surprisingly, poof magic has come through. I need only one more couple to show up and then I plan to just let them all simmer simultaneously. Like four different pots on four different burners all working toward a common goal. Which for me means a little forward career momentum.
I'm sure we've all talked about our process before, but I would also love to hear from some lurkers… Another classic writer questios.... Where do your ideas come from?
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