Alycia Crane asked Stephen Templin:

How do you come up with an idea of what to write? Does it just come to you? Does it start with a character?

Stephen Templin Alycia, for me, it starts with the protagonist. I usually draw on my childhood favorite, The Three Musketeers, for this--which means supporting characters, too. And I add parts of myself. Then I imagine the antagonist, pulling from real life, Hollywood, and other characters--again, adding parts of myself, whether conscious or subconscious. Then I add a plot relating to current events--research it. Appropriate and exciting locations follow. Once the characters inhabit this world, they often develop on their own, surprising me, and I try not to get in their way. So, yes, it starts with character.

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