Comments - Where Do Ideas Come From? - CrimeSpace2024-03-29T11:29:53Zhttp://crimespace.ning.com/profiles/comment/feed?attachedTo=537324%3ABlogPost%3A378735&xn_auth=noI did read Crack-Up, and I ca…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2013-10-03:537324:Comment:3790562013-10-03T13:15:38.797ZDana Kinghttp://crimespace.ning.com/profile/DanaKing
<p>I did read Crack-Up, and I can see where an idea like that wasn't just thought up and written out; it had to be worked. I must get three "good" ideas a week--good at the time--but the ideas I know will stick are the ones that hang around for a year or more, pushing their way into my thoughts. Those are most likely the ones tha match up best with my interests and skill set.</p>
<p>I did read Crack-Up, and I can see where an idea like that wasn't just thought up and written out; it had to be worked. I must get three "good" ideas a week--good at the time--but the ideas I know will stick are the ones that hang around for a year or more, pushing their way into my thoughts. Those are most likely the ones tha match up best with my interests and skill set.</p> My ideas often percolate for…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2013-10-02:537324:Comment:3789122013-10-02T20:40:24.860ZEric Christophersonhttp://crimespace.ning.com/profile/datahog
<p>My ideas often percolate for years. I'll usually have half an idea sitting around waiting for the other half. I think you read my novel, Crack-Up, Dana, and I had the idea of writing a thriller from the POV of a paranoid schizophrenic for many a year without any notion of plot, then one night I was watching Nightline on TV and heard of predictive analytics for the first time. Instantly, I had the novel ready to write...</p>
<p>My ideas often percolate for years. I'll usually have half an idea sitting around waiting for the other half. I think you read my novel, Crack-Up, Dana, and I had the idea of writing a thriller from the POV of a paranoid schizophrenic for many a year without any notion of plot, then one night I was watching Nightline on TV and heard of predictive analytics for the first time. Instantly, I had the novel ready to write...</p> I used to think that, until I…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2013-10-02:537324:Comment:3787412013-10-02T18:24:21.809ZDana Kinghttp://crimespace.ning.com/profile/DanaKing
<p>I used to think that, until I spent the night with a couple of my cousins on the way to Bouchercon and got to talking to my one cousin's wife. She's an avid reader, and we got to talking about what Bouchercon is for, and the subject turned to ideas. I was about to poo-poo the discussion until I saw the expression on her face, and heard her tone of voice. It was almost like she saw me as someone different, a published writer to whom ideas for intriguing stories come unbidden. Readers don't…</p>
<p>I used to think that, until I spent the night with a couple of my cousins on the way to Bouchercon and got to talking to my one cousin's wife. She's an avid reader, and we got to talking about what Bouchercon is for, and the subject turned to ideas. I was about to poo-poo the discussion until I saw the expression on her face, and heard her tone of voice. It was almost like she saw me as someone different, a published writer to whom ideas for intriguing stories come unbidden. Readers don't see the sausage being made; they accept the work at face value, as if a higher power injected it directly into our heads.</p>
<p>I once signed books for an anthology my local writers' group self-published; every contribution was accepted, after editing. Those folks gave a similar reaction. Those of us who write are prone to forget the respect people still have for storytellers, and how the hardest thing to do for a person who is not by nature a storyteller is to come up with an idea for a story. There's something about being hard-wired to tell stories that allows writers to see ideas everywhere.</p>
<p>I promised myself that night I'll always be patient and answer that question to the reader's satisfaction, no matter how many times I hear it. I only hope I'm lucky enough to get to hear it a lot.</p> I've always thought this was…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2013-10-02:537324:Comment:3789102013-10-02T16:22:37.284ZDan L. Colemanhttp://crimespace.ning.com/profile/DanLColeman931
<p>I've always thought this was the dumbest question anyone could ask a writer. And only one who is clueless about anything creative would be capable of asking it.</p>
<p>I've always thought this was the dumbest question anyone could ask a writer. And only one who is clueless about anything creative would be capable of asking it.</p>