How do you write?

I always wonder how authors come up with their ideas for characters/plotlines/scenes. Are they inspired by something they see? Do they then go home and type up a scene, writing it as they go?

For me, I’m most inspired when I’m driving. I’ve been trying to figure out why. I think it’s that my mind is relatively clear since I’m, you know, concentrating on moving a large hunk of metal at a high rate of speed. And I listen to music. I can’t drive without music. Music inspires me SO much.

When I wrote Anchor Me, I listened to one of Pearl Jam’s live concert CDs over and over again. When I wrote Searching for Thorns, I listened to Pink’s new album, The Truth about Love. I LOVE PINK. Her song The Great Escape was a real inspiration for the male main character, Reese, in Searching for Thorns. If you haven’t heard this song or don’t have this album, go buy it. She’s an amazing singer and there are so many songs on this album that really tug at my heart and make me think.

One thing I would say I rarely do is type a scene from scratch. What I mean by that is I usually think of the entire scene in my head, usually when I’m driving or laying in bed. I visualize the scene – what the characters are doing, their facial expressions, where they are standing, what they are doing, what they say, etc. Then I write it out. Almost like I’m watching a play and then describing what happened. It can be hard. Because sometimes I can’t find the right words to convey what is going on. I just keep at it until I feel like I accurately portrayed what’s in my head.

I’m really interested in how others write. If you are a writer, leave me a comment and let me know your process. Do you outline the whole book? Just let it flow?