Pushpa Menon (silvervixenreads)
asked
Lori Rader-Day:
Hi Lori, I struggle to get ideas for a plot. How do you get your ideas?
Lori Rader-Day
Honestly, I don't have a shortage of ideas—I have a shortage of time to get to all my ideas. But I know what you mean. Sometimes you have an idea for a character but not for what that character should do. Or an idea for a setting but not for who should be living or working there. I'm in the middle of that thought process right now for a future project. I have a setting. I have a few vague ideas. But I don't KNOW what the book will be about yet. It can be frustrating, but I've found that if you let yourself use that time to let ideas swirl around for a while, eventually something will start rising to the top and you'll know a little bit more. And you only need to know a little in order to start writing, in my opinion. I don't plot out things in advance; I just start writing. See if that works for you, too, and then let your characters start to tell you what will happen. Best of luck!
More Answered Questions
Liz
asked
Lori Rader-Day:
I just recently discovered your work when I purchased Under A Dark Sky. I absolutely loved it. Now I’ve read The Day I Died and Little Pretty Things. Next up is The Black Hour, which I’m sure will be every bit as good as the others. I love the way the stories unfold, giving the reader just a tiny bit more information and keep us guessing until the very end. How did you decide on Mystery genre ?
Bonnie
asked
Lori Rader-Day:
Not a question but a compliment. I just finished "The Black Hour" and really enjoyed it. The writing style was easy to follow and the storyline kept me engaged. Thanks for a great book, I'm looking forward to reading "Little Pretty Things". Who are some of your favorite authors?
About Goodreads Q&A
Ask and answer questions about books!
You can pose questions to the Goodreads community with Reader Q&A, or ask your favorite author a question with Ask the Author.
See Featured Authors Answering Questions
Learn more