Allison Talks About Ideas

When I speak to readers, the number one question I get is: "Where do I get my ideas?"

This is always a hard question for me. The ideas come from everywhere and nowhere. They are part of my daily life, and nothing like I've ever encountered. And more often than not, I don't know where they come from until I think about it . . . and even then, how they connect often eludes me. It just sort of . . . pops.

One of my favorite movies is WORKING GIRL with Melanie Griffith and Harrison Ford. Melanie plays Tess, a corporate secretary who takes business school at night because she believes she can be more than a secretary. She is always giving her ideas to her bosses, but they have disappointed her over and over again.

When she's commuting into Manhattan on the ferry, she sees an article in a popular news magazine about a raunchy radio program going national. Then she reads something completely separate about Trask, a business tycoon, whose daughter is getting married. Trask . . . radio. She brings the idea to her boss (without the backup articles) and her boss steals it. But because of fate (her boss breaks her leg), Tess finds out about the theft and pretends she's in the position to make the deal. She brings in Jack Traynor (Harrison Ford) and they put together the deal. Until . . . the bitch boss comes back and claims it for her own.

Well, Tess is stuck--and fired. She really is a secretary, she's lied to everyone, and now she's been caught. But it's her idea! Later, she has five minutes in the elevator with Trask to explain how she came up with the idea. She pulls all these articles--none of which mean anything on their own--but together gave her the "idea," the spark to light up the bigger picture. No one else came up with the idea, and even though they may have read the same stories and followed the same trends, they didn't put it together in that unique way which only comes from what Tess has inside her--her unique vision, her unique way of looking at the world and at business.

That's it for me in a nutshell. I may be able to tell you all the ingredients that, when mixed together, gave me the "spark" of the idea, but how that connects to the bigger story, I don't know. It just does.

Readers aren't completely satisfying with that answer, I fear. Writers? They understand.

What question have you always wanted to ask an author? And authors, what question do you get the most and how to you respond?

Comments

[Carol Grace]

Allison, I loved that movie! I wish I was as smart as Melanie Griffith and you are in putting together old ideas and coming up with some blockbuster plot!
My favorite plot device is after a chance romantic meeting, the heroine finds herself face-to-face with the anonymous guy from the night before. Turns out he's her boss or adversary or something! The looks on their faces! The dialog possiblities! The sexual tension!

[Barbara Freethy]

Carol - Sounds like the beginning of a new story for you!

I get asked the idea question, too, and it is odd how ideas just come from random things. I once read a magazine article called "Where Dragons Dance" and it was about San Francisco's Chinatown, and from there I got the story for GOLDEN LIES which took place partly in Chinatown and involved an ancient and priceless Chinese dragon. I always wanted to use that title, too, but the publisher wouldn't let me, didn't think it was intriguing enough. I thought it was far more interesting than Golden Lies. In that book, some of the Divas went with me to Chinatown on a field trip, and we went to a fortune cookie factory - it was a blast -- all in the name of research, of course.

[Terry Odell]

Gee, and just an hour or so ago I was at the Post Office and the clerk asked me .. 'where do you get your ideas?' I think that's probably the #1 question. I did a program at my library the other night, and the other biggie was 'how do you do all that research for your books?'

I'm anal about getting things as right as possible (which is undoubtedly one of the BIG reasons I don't write historicals).

I haven't been writing all that long, but long enough to know all authors do it differently, so I don't have any "ask an auhtor" questions. They're more like, "ask that specific author" something about a problem that I'm having that they deal with. Right now it would be writing books either series or spinoffs so that you're not info dumping, or including spoilers for an earlier book.

[javamama]

What happens when you have a terrific idea, start pounding it out, and halfway in you realize you have a big gaping hole? How do you resolve that?

Also, what do you do when you realize that your great idea is too similar to someone else's great idea, but you didn't find it out until you were halfway through your book?

[MonicaMcCarty]

I get the idea and the process question. To the first I usually say that it's not the ideas that are hard to come by, it's the time to write them all. My ideas usually come from research--I'll come across some little tidbit and know that I have to write about it. To the second, I say that I'm still refining it. :)

[Ilona]

My own question would be are you influenced a lot by what you read? I often wonder how much influence other authors have on writers :D

[Jane]

How do you transform a formulaic plot into something more interesting and original?

[Tracy Grant]

I think "Where you do get your ideas?" is the question I'm asked the most often too. Like Monica, I get a lot of them from research. But sometimes it's playing "what if" with the plot of a movie or an opera (operas are great for gut-wrenching conflicts) or another book and turning it on its head (even though it isn't where I consciously got the idea for "Secrets of a Lady," I remember watching the 1980s "Scarlet Pimpernel" and thinking "what if Marguerite really were a spy" which I know later went in to my idea for the book, as did watching a character in the tv series "Murder One" and thinking "someone like that would make an interesting heroine in an historical"). Sometimes it's playing "what if" with characters in an existing book which can give ideas for the next book in the series. Usually, it's a combination of things fit together to form different puzzle pieces of story and character as I'm plotting the book.

[Candice Hern]

Yes, the "where do you get your ideas" questions is definitely the most frequently asked. Like Monica and Tracy (and many other historical writers, I'm sure), I find ideas in research. I come across some event or fact or person that triggers an idea, and that triggers another idea, and so on. Then I go to my brainstorming buddies and ask for help in fleshing it out.

Javamama, that moment of panic half-way through the book is pretty typical. Sometimes it's just a "this book is total crap" moment, but other times the plot really isn't working. Then you just have to play "what if" games to see if you can revive it.

As for finding out that someone else is writing or has written the exact same plot, don't worry about it. Yours will be different. I have a novella coming out in October in which 4 authors (Stephanie Laurens, Mary Balogh, Jacquie D'Alessandro, and me) all took the same plot premise and wrote our stories without conferring with each other to see how similar they might be. We still haven't read each other's stories, but our editor assures us they are all very different ... which was the point of the experiment. In fact, I just got the copy edits for my novella and must get to work on them ...

[toni mcgee causey]

Great post, Allison. That's been one of my favorite movies, too. (I confess... just looking at the hair styles alone cracks me up. I remember those days too well.)

I get the ideas question and the process question to, and I've started answering the underlying question instead. Most of the time, the meta question is, "How did you know that THIS idea would work as a whole book, and would sell, and people would buy it, and you'd have an actual book in the bookstore?" I think there's this realization from a lot of people that they're clever, they have great ideas, but they're not sure how to know if at least one of their ideas is worth pursuing. You know, that sort of "dream job" thing. I think the other thing that's happening is that the reader likes the author, wants to hear her talk more, and hopes that a general sort of question is something the author can run with.

I haven't gotten the research question yet. I think people are kinda afraid to know how I know how to blow things up or run from the cops. ;)

[toni mcgee causey]

ugh. to=too above. I am afraid to re-read the rest. ;)

[Ava]

Hey Divas,

I've always wanted to ask authors where they get the courage to write and where do they get the courage to try and get published?

[Allison Brennan]

I am DONE with my book. Woo hoo! I sent it off today so I'm having a drink tonight . . .

Carol, I love the same kind of stories. The tension is fabulous, if done right like in WORKING GIRL. I think I'm going to watch that movie tonight . . .

I love research trips, Barbara! My last one was to the coroner's office.

Terry, I'll be back with an answer to that question because I've been thinking a lot about it, too!

Javamama: I often have gaping holes in my first draft. Sometimes I don't realize it until I'm done. Then you go back and edit. Usually the solution is there in the story, just not prominent enough. Sometimes it takes a lot of editing. Sometimes just adding a scene works. For me it depends if it's plot critical or character-related.

As far as ideas that are similar . . . there's an adage that there are no original ideas. It's all in the execution.

[Allison Brennan]

Ilona: I read extensively across a variety of genres. Book I love make me strive to write a better story. Books I don't love make me look at them critically to figure out why they didn't resonate with me--particularly best selling books that I don't love. Books don't influence WHAT I write, but I think they influence HOW I write, i.e. pushing me to push myself harder.

Jane: Wow, that question can be a blog post in itself!!! Like I said to javamama, there are no original ideas. What makes a book different or fresh is first the characters--they need to be unique and multi-dimensional. I write a lot of cops. I try to give them flaws and strengths, and different flaws and strengths than my other cops. Second is the author's unique voice. This is what I call the author's "rhythm"--how the words, phrases, sentences, paragraphs flow, the pacing, the voice that distinguishes that author from other authors in the same genre.

I also think that blending genres (ie paranormal with romantic suspense) can revive stagnant subgenres.

[Allison Brennan]

Tracy, I LOVE the what if game. It's my favorite :) . . .

Candice, I'm glad you reminded us of the anthology! I think it's a fantastic example of the same premise leading to four unique and wonderful stories.

Toni, I agree, though it depends on the audience and who's asking. Writers want to know how the idea sold. Readers want to know how we can think of these things (Can you believe there are people who DON'T have characters and stories crowding their head?)

[Allison Brennan]

Terry:

OK, continuing characters. I think there are two types of series: those with a set of continuing characters in different stories where the character is as well known as the author (JD Robb: Roarke and Eve Dallas, Janet Evanovich: Stephanie Plum; Robert Crais: Elvis Cole and Joe Pike; Lee Child: Jack Reacher.) This works well in mystery, thrillers, and some blended romances, but doesn't work as well in romance because readers want a fully developed romance between two characters, in addition to the suspense plot.

Connected series are very popular. There are two kinds: the first where the story is connected and you have recurring characters, though there is a different h/h for every book; the second is where you have a unique h/h for each book and a completely separate story, but you set it in a world you've created where you can realistically bring in characters from other books. My NO EVIL series is like this--each book stands alone, but I have recurring characters.

The best thing to do is figure out what YOU want to write, then how to sell it. It's probably *easier* to sell a mystery "series" i.e. same character or a connected series in any of the romance sub-genres (some examples are Sherrilyn Kenyon, Christine Feehan, Catherine Coulter, Suzanne Brockmann, etc.)

Hmm. I think I'll blog on this in greater detail tomorrow.

[Allison Brennan]

Ava, what an interesting question. I've never thought of writing as having courage. For me, writing is part of who I am. I've always written stories, even when I wasn't seriously writing.

In terms of sending out my work, at first I was too dumb to be scared. I thought the hardest part about getting published was finishing the book, LOL. After numerous rejections on the first four books I wrote, I developed a pretty thick skin and kept querying. Because I knew I couldn't be published if I only wrote for myself.

Now, I'll admit sometimes it's harder. Sometimes I have to dig into that courage to let a book go. Once you have reader expectations, the fear that you'll never meet them again grows. But, we're professional and so we do it.

[ValWeston]

Such an interesting blog, Allison, and congrats on being DONE with your book! *clink*

Primarily I'd want to ask an author "How do you manage to cheerfully answer the same questions over and over?!" I mean, without rolling your eyes and sighing. Don't have to answer that. :-) Artists from every genre have to deal with that I would think.

I have always wondered to what extent authors consider their readership during the writing process. Are we readers a constant buzz in the backs of your minds, or do you write the story with every confidence that we will like it? Did you think about your readers more in the beginning of your writing careers and less as you gain success, or just the opposite, or only vaguely? Are you comfortable with the feedback you receive from your readers, or is it something you do because your readers feel compelled to give you feedback?

[Terry Odell]

Thanks, Allison! I was stuck in the courtroom on jury pool duty all day; I don't mind getting called, but there must have been a lot of plea-bargaining going on because out of a jury pool of 135 (which is based on what the judges tell the clerks they'll need for the next day) they called one panel. I did get some reading done, but it was a tiring day -- and I'd been hoping for some good story fodder on a trial. Ah, well.

I've written the 'spin-off' and one true sequel. I guess it's a matter of how much of a spoiler a reader will be willing to accept. I came in late into Suzanne Brockmann's Troubleshooters, and when I backed up, a previous story was all but ruined because I knew so much of what had happened.

But then, I'm a person who will stop reading when I realize there was a "prequel" and I'll go read that one first. Good for boosting backlist sales -- but it also means if I see a book listed as 2 or 3 of a triology, I won't pick it up until after I hunt out #1.

Maybe other readers don't mind getting back story -- but between the problem of too much "tell" and spoilers, I'm kind of at a loss.

[Allison Brennan]

Hi Val! BTW, I don't hate answering the same questions. I usually find something different to say :)

Terry, I got kicked off a panel by the defense. :( I wanted to serve. It was a domestic violence case.

On Val's question . . . I've been thinking about this a lot lately. For me, I think about my readers a lot more now than I did when I was writing my first few books. I don't always "consider" them during the writing process; meaning, I don't have them constantly on my mind while I'm writing the story. But I am acutely aware before I begin that I need to write a story to meet reader expectations, and sometimes that's debilitating and makes it hard to get going. What if my readers aren't happy? This means I try to figure out why people read my books and focus on that, so to that end, I love reader feedback. I don't mind critical feedback if it's kind, but it doesn't mean I'll change anything about the kind of stories that I like to write. For example, I often get letters from readers who love the suspense but don't want the sex; and other letters from readers who love the romance, but don't like the violence. What am I supposed to do? The truth is, I write what I'm comfortable writing and that's what I tell these readers. Most of them say they'll pick up another book.