Hi,
I'm the new girl, M. A. Stacie. My sexy, contemporary romance, A Path Of Petals, has been contracted via Beachwalk Press and the wonderful authors over there asked if I'd like to play a part in this great blog.
I'm honored.
I was going to post something Christmasy, but thought maybe a little insight into the way I write would be more suitable given it's my first post.
Inspiring Images
The saying goes that a picture tells a thousand words, and for me that’s certainly the case. Almost every story I’ve ever written, whether published or not, has started life as an image on my screen. I can browse images on Tumblr for hours, thinking of different ideas that relate to them. There invariably will be one that will set my writing mojo ablaze, and I could have an entire novel plotted out in just a few hours.
The picture I find doesn’t always link directly to the whole plot idea. Sometimes it may be one scene, or a single sentence in the entire book. It may seem strange, but even when the image is just a sentence I can reflect back on it when writer’s block sets in, and it will restart my passion for the story. I like having that piece of information to go back to. I suppose it’s a little bit like having a comfort blanket, because the picture that started it all never changes. It’s constant.
The idea for my first novel, UnwrittenRules, came from an image, and when I saw a submission call from Silver Publishing I went on my picture hunt again. What greeted me was picture after picture of tattooed men holding their small babies. I was hooked. Anyone that knows me is well aware of my love of tattoos, and nothing reels me in faster than a sexy inked arm or torso. Most of the characters in books I write have tattoos, mainly because I have a lot myself, so it’s perfectly normal for me to include that aspect. So after drooling over these images, and loving how it fit perfectly with the submission call, I set to work on AccidentalFate. My love of those pictures is reflected in the front cover.
The saying goes that a picture tells a thousand words, and for me that’s certainly the case. Almost every story I’ve ever written, whether published or not, has started life as an image on my screen. I can browse images on Tumblr for hours, thinking of different ideas that relate to them. There invariably will be one that will set my writing mojo ablaze, and I could have an entire novel plotted out in just a few hours.
The picture I find doesn’t always link directly to the whole plot idea. Sometimes it may be one scene, or a single sentence in the entire book. It may seem strange, but even when the image is just a sentence I can reflect back on it when writer’s block sets in, and it will restart my passion for the story. I like having that piece of information to go back to. I suppose it’s a little bit like having a comfort blanket, because the picture that started it all never changes. It’s constant.
The idea for my first novel, UnwrittenRules, came from an image, and when I saw a submission call from Silver Publishing I went on my picture hunt again. What greeted me was picture after picture of tattooed men holding their small babies. I was hooked. Anyone that knows me is well aware of my love of tattoos, and nothing reels me in faster than a sexy inked arm or torso. Most of the characters in books I write have tattoos, mainly because I have a lot myself, so it’s perfectly normal for me to include that aspect. So after drooling over these images, and loving how it fit perfectly with the submission call, I set to work on AccidentalFate. My love of those pictures is reflected in the front cover.
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Then there's the image that sprouted A Path of Petals. Again, it was found on Tumblr while I was browsing for inspiration. I haven't actually shown this to anyone publicly before, so this is an exclusive, I guess.
I recently found a wonderful picture that had a million ideas springing to mind. That one picture has morphed into a three book romance series, and have my outline all plotted. I’m ready to fill those pages yet again with words. Writing has become somewhat of an addiction, though one I don’t want a cure for. No matter what mood I’m in I find writing makes it better. I purge myself and spill it onto the screen. A picture just gives me the ingredients, after that it’s up to me.
Great post M.A.Stacie. We are glad to have you!
ReplyDeleteWelcome to Spicy Authors, M.A. Glad to be sharing Fridays with you. What an interesting method of inspiration you use. I just might try that myself next time I'm stuck for an idea.
ReplyDeleteThose are some great images—I can see how they would be very inspiring.
ReplyDelete