Where Do You Get Your Ideas?

It’s Tuesday and time for another short blog post from yours truly. I hope I’m making these posts interesting for you. If you have the time, please let me know if I am, or if there are other areas you’d like me to explore with you. Today, I’m going to talk a bit about the writing process. If you enjoy it, let me know and I’ll do more. If not, let’s switch gears. I’m open to just about anything.

As a writer, I’m often asked, “Where do you get your ideas?” So today I thought I’d share with you how I came to write my new gay contemporary novella, Getting Gertie Out. Interesting title? Hope so.

If you’ve been following me, you know I’ve discussed diversity and the need to mine the other side of the age range—meaning older adults—especially when we develop characters for LGBT stories. We do get older. ☺ I’m living proof, and so are many of my close friends.

Here’s how my new contemporary gay fiction novella, Getting Gertie Out, began. (It’s on the schedule for a November 2014 release from JMS Books.) As far as the story idea goes, I can trace it back to an article I read online; it was a beautiful and heartfelt tribute by Marie Cartier, to her friend, Rae, a lesbian living alone at home and critically ill. Rae, like many gay and lesbian individuals in the past, was forced to live a closeted gay life, one that “had to be hidden in order to survive.” Reading Rae’s story, I identified immediately with her situation, even though I’ve been blessed with a 38-year relationship with my life partner, Bob, now my husband. Here’s the link to this wonderful article. It’s truly amazing.

http://feminismandreligion.com/2014/0...

In my early twenties, I left the states for a rather long Peace Corps assignment. I remember coming home in the early 1970’s, after five years of teaching in Africa, to a totally different San Francisco. I’d missed Stonewall and just about every step forward in the gay liberation movement. True, we still had a long, long way to go, but for the first time in my life, I could be open about my sexuality—and, believe me, I fought it every step of the way. Why? Because I was accustomed to hiding it from others—a twenty or so year habit was difficult to break. (Yep I knew early on I was gay. About the age of four if my memory serves me correctly.)

Here’s an example of what I mean. I remember confiding in a friend at the market research firm where I worked. Then I panicked and grew extremely anxious. I was sure I’d be fired if the boss found out. He did and I wasn’t. Turned out my boss was gay, too, and had a live in lover. No worries there—but for a while coming out was a scary proposition. Over time my resistance lessened, and I managed to come out to all my friends. That was the beginning of living my life as an openly gay man. And I wasn’t going back in the closet for anyone!

But here’s the distressing news: Even with the great progress we’ve made since that time, the same thing I experienced back in my teens and early adolescence is happening today for many LGBT seniors. Many spend their final days in care facilities among hostile fellow residents and staff members who seem to remember only the good ole days when homosexuality was considered either criminal, against God’s laws, or a symptom of a mental illness. Sadly, I knew there was a story here I wanted to write.

So back to my new novella in progress.

Here’s my logline or “New York Times Best Seller List” description for Getting Gertie Out.

In spite of advancing age and escalating health issues, a group of retired seniors, gay and straight, join forces to free an ailing female friend from an “LGBT unfriendly” living situation.

It’s not Shakespeare, but I’m using this storyline as a guide as I write the book.

Story Theme: There is always strength in numbers.

Feel like I’m going on too long so will wind this post up pronto.

Some other news if you’re still with me:

On Thursday, the great staff at Prism Book Alliance is interviewing me. I’m also offering giveaways of my e- books, Too Long Among the Dead—a gay paranormal romance—and Bomber’s Moon, the first in my WWII gay historical romance series, Lovers and Liars.

Here’s the link for Thursday August 14th. If you’re a pal on FB, I’ll be posting there and tweeting as well about the event.

http://www.prismbookalliance.com

I hope you’ll let me know if you have any questions you’d like me to address in a future post, and please drop by and comment for a chance to win a free e-book on Thursday over at Prism Book Alliance.

Thank you for putting up with me, and this rather long post. I’ll see you next Tuesday, or over at Prism Book Alliance later in the week. Both, I hope.

All the best,
Paul