Friday Mail Call, A Day Late as Usual

Now that I can officially say I'm back in the swing of things, I had a couple of emails to the CS over the past few weeks that I wanted to reply to through the blog.  Yes I know it's Saturday and I'm a day late off of the usual schedule but hey, Diners Drive-Ins and Dives was on!

 

First and foremost, I want to say thanks today to all of you that have written emails expressing condolences for my family's recent loss.  I've tried not to make too big of a deal about it online as it is a private, family matter but your messages have meant a lot and are greatly appreciated.  One of the great things about the Internet and how connected we all have become is that you can take a second or two to extend a little humanity, in some cases even to people you've never met, and sometimes those small gestures mean a lot whether you know it or not. So on behalf of me and my family, thanks again.

 

Now on to the email.  This one is from a gentleman named Randy who wanted to know about the process for inspiration for writing. He's just dipping his toe in the water, so to speak, and was interested to know where other writers get their inspirations for story ideas.  Well Randy, believe it or not you timed this email just right because I am currently in the midst of that process myself.  I'm hip deep in the writing process for Hurricane Carolina and over the last few days I've found myself a bit mired down with a general feeling of blah in regards to the story. (Yes, I used the word blah. Nothing more descriptive seemed to come to mind. Let's move on.) At their simplest, at least in my opinion, novels are created by having strong, interesting characters put into captivating situations.  In the interest of brevity, let's just say a number of my situations blew chunks and I was and still am in desperate need of new "material."

 

Part of the issue I'm having with this book is that I created the original idea in 2009 and it has been on slow percolate since. I've literally lived with this book rattling in my noggin for so long now that it's gone a bit stale.  So, mining for ideas, I've gone back to the old picture file, college notebooks, old stories, old friends, television, music, and pretty much anything else that can get ye olde noodle rolling again short of heavy quantities of Jack Daniels.  And there, Randy, is your answer.  Anything and everything can inspire you, but if you're running critically low on ideas and have exhausted everything else, get very very drunk and see what burbles to the top by the time you sober up.  Hey, it worked for Hemingway after all...

 

More to come soon.  Have a great weekend everyone!