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Wednesday, May 8, 2013

Ideas everywhere!

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I so enjoyed the recent posts by Gayle Roper on her journey into her writing career and DiAnn Mills on pursuing one’s goals.  In fact,  all of the posts here are inspiring to me.  I just re-read the interview by Susan Page Davis last Friday, and it made me want to get busy on my own computer and be productive!  I’ve got three projects going right now—all need to be finished as soon as possible, and I’m already looking forward to exploring some new ideas.

As soon as someone hears that I’m a writer, the first comment is often, “I’ve always wanted to write a book someday” and the first question is always “Where do you get your ideas?”   And my response is always—ideas are everywhere.   It’s the execution of them (no pun intended) that is time consuming and challenging.

My thoughts have always tended to wander down some rather dark alleys, while imagining how the most mundane situations could be sinister just below the surface.   Going out to lunch with friends, I can idly watch the waitresses bustling in and out of the kitchen and wonder how easy it might be for a villain to slip something into a drink or onto a dinner plate...

That nice UPS delivery man who always gives a dog biscuit to our border collie?  What a good cover that could be, to slip in as a new employee to keep tabs on someone, or to gain someone's trust and then set up an abduction.  And what about the nice maintenance man on a cruise ship...how easy would it be for him to slip into someone’s cabin to search for documents, or pitch his target right over the balcony railing in the dead of night?  

Or, what about that photograph of a charming little cottage posted on Facebook, with the lovely walls of windows looking out into the lush forest?  Someone could be watching...waiting...and then skillfully tape and break the glass after all have gone to bed...

We’re planning a trip to Ireland and England, for the first time ever, and already I’m eager to take copious notes and photographs galore, planning to use that information as the basis of a future book proposal.  Ideas will be everywhere!

What sort of settings do you like to use, if you are a writer, or what are your favorites in the books you read?  

And, if anyone has visited Ireland or England and has some suggestions for places to visit that should not be missed, I’d love to hear about them!


Roxanne Rustand
www.roxannerustand.com

4 comments:

  1. Love where you get your ideas, Roxanne, you have a gift for thinking outside the box and that is so awesome :) I always enjoy reading the posts here, I'm constantly inspired and encouraged by them. I have never been to Ireland or England, but would LOVE to visit both. Enjoy the trip and take LOTS of great photos :)

    For some reason, I could only access this post from google chrome. Couldn't view it from internet explorer, hoping other readers aren't having this problem. Blessings Roxanne!
    Kara

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  2. Thanks so much, Kara!

    And thanks for letting us know about difficulty accessing the blog via Internet Explorer. We'll definitely need to figure it out...well, someone smarter than me at technology issues, anyway :)

    So glad you enjoy coming to the blog!

    Roxanne

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  3. I have not been to Ireland, and would love to visit it one day. I have, however, been to England. Take a good pair(s) of walking shoes. There is so much to see, and I think the best way is walking. York is an incredible place to visit, and absolutely filled with story ideas, I'm sure. You can visit the old churches, walk on the wall around the city and other places that are just begging for stories to be written about them....lol.
    Enjoy your trip, take lots of pictures and make lots of memories.
    Betti
    bettimace(at)gmail(dot)com

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  4. Hi Betti,

    Thanks so much for your suggestions! I love visiting historical sites, old churches and museums, and cannot wait to travel there. I'm so glad you got to go!

    Roxanne

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