I’m often asked where I get my ideas from – ideas for a novel, I mean.
The truth of the matter is, I don’t really know.
Some authors map everything out from alpha to omega before they put pen to paper, or finger to keyboard.
That’s not me. Not at all.
For me, it usually begins with the germ of an idea, some dimly remembered newspaper article, a snippet of conversation, something one of the characters said in the last book …
It could be anything.
And then it’s a question of mulling the whole possibility over for a time, letting my subconscious run free. This is the easy bit, and a great excuse for not really doing anything much at all for a while (something at which I excel, but more of that later).
First of all, I usually think about the characters.
I’m a great believer in characterisation. The plot is important, sure, but the characters much more so. Readers invest in character – not so much the plot.
Which means that exploring and enhancing the characters’ disparate arcs, their hopes, fears, successes, disappointments and problems from book to book is a big priority.
Take the current book-in-progress, number eleven in the series (or rather, what will eventually be number eleven …). Brendan Moran has retired, but an unexpected visit from a distraught ex colleague prompts him to travel to the Scottish Highlands along with his love interest, Alice, in tow.
But Alice is not happy about this. Not a bit. Brendan is retired, but she worries that he can’t let go, and although his motives are presented as helping an old friend in a time of need, their unscheduled trip means that she’s now even less certain that her man can cope without a criminal case to keep him occupied. Maybe he won’t settle; maybe their future relationship is in doubt?
And the funny thing is, I actually want to know how things are working out for him, too. I’ve got to know Brendan pretty well over the last few years, along with his team, and not having touched base (sorry, awful expression), with any of them for a couple of years feels like a failure on my part to keep up with old friends.
I want to know how Tess is getting on in her relationship with George. And what about Bernice Swinhoe’s recent traumas? And how’s Bola doing? It’s about time some good fortune came his way.
This is how it begins.
And, talking of beginnings, you can actually read the first two chapters by following this link, right here.
https://bookhip.com/NMNLMXF
Anyway … regarding the plot – at this stage there are a few key things I know for sure, but the detail is still shrouded in mystery. I know, for instance, that Charlie Pepper’s husband, Ian Luscombe, is in deep trouble, that Charlie has gone to Brendan for advice and, as I mentioned above, that Alice Roper is understandably reluctant for her man to get involved.
She will, I’m pretty sure, accompany him on his investigative trip.
I also know – roughly – who the bad guys are, and what they’re up to. I have a sneaking suspicion where Ian Luscombe might be…
And so it goes on as I continue, albeit slowly, to put flesh on the bones, or at least words on the page, until … surprise! The end is nigh. And how will the final denouement work out? How will the various threads of plot be resolved?
Well, I guess that’s my problem, not yours!
But before we even get close to the denouement, there’s another important aspect of the novel to figure out …
The sub plot(s).
These add depth and colour to a novel, and weaving them in and out of the main story is always a challenge. I have a couple of possibilities in mind, one of which might even provide an unexpected link into the main plot. We shall see…
But the biggest challenge of all is actually getting down to it, the actual writing. I am the world’s most efficient procrastinator. I will find excuses not to write with reckless ease.
Eventually, I just get on with it.
This is all part of the writing process. It’s hard. Hard to begin. Hard to come up with ideas. Hard to persevere.
But it’s also rewarding. Creating an imaginary world, making it believable, entertaining, plausible (mostly), and (hopefully) enduring, is enormously satisfying.
And when readers tell me they’ve enjoyed reading one of the books, or even the whole series (it does happen occasionally), well that’s just great.
The new book is as yet untitled, and there is much to do – especially in the research department, because we’re not in Berkshire for most of the book. The internet is great for fact checking (if you look in the right places), but I suspect that a personal visit might be necessary this time.
We’re talking setting. Sometimes the setting is powerful enough to become a character in its own right. Especially one as attractive as the Scottish Highlands.
Although my parents moved to England after getting married in India in 1947, we often visited relatives across the border, and so I still feel a connection to the heather-strewn hills and the clear mountain springs my dad used to drink from back in the pre-war calm of the nineteen-thirties.
I definitely need to brush up on my Highland geography.
But by now, you’ll have realised that this post is all part of my procrastination.
You’re dead right. I need to get on with it. And I almost forgot the original question.
Where do I get my ideas from?
Somewhere, anywhere.
Maybe even from something you once said.
Time for coffee