Careful or You’ll End Up In My Novel

Inspiration is everywhere – even in the most minute details if everyday life. Of course, it helps if your life is full of notable characters. Mine has never seemed to lack much in that area.

For instance, I recently had an incident with two Jack Russell’s and four chickens. That I ran about the yard like a crazy woman trying to catch the Russell’s before they could get take-out chicken was funny all by itself.   I was infinitely grateful for the vacant land all around me when the chaos began – no witnesses. This scene, however, was immediately incorporated into my upcoming book The Sudsy Duds.

My father gave me a t-shirt last year that says: 'Careful or You’ll End Up In My Novel.' Oh so true. Most of the time when I develop a character I combine several different attributes gleaned from friends, relatives or acquaintances. Sometimes it’s rewarding to take someone who has done you wrong and make him or her into the personification of evil. Refer to the shirt. For instance I’ve used one particular individual in two different novels. She’s a bitter little pill and it was fun to write her as a nasty number in both.

I’ve even used a personality trait from my wonderful friend and web-master Deborah Kunzie known by all for deleting emails if longer than three lines. Those eccentric bits of charm are what brings a character to life and makes them leap from the page.

When I blog I just say it as it is. For instance I recently had an encounter at a Natural Foods Store (read about it here). I walked out with three very definitive characters, drove home and sat down to write. Emotion can also play an enormous part in finding a personality.  I went to the drive-up bank the other day and ended up behind someone who thought it was OK to apply for a second mortgage at the drive-through. It gave a whole new meaning to ‘quick-serve.’ By the time I got to the window my clothes had gone out of style. WHAT IS WRONG WITH PEOPLE? Immediately I had another eccentric quality to add to the pot.

Inspiration is everywhere and most of the time I don’t need to look further than my everyday life. So, be careful. You may end up in my novel!