Ghost Flute release day

Ahh, release day.  It always seems to take so long to get here, but it has finally arrived.  GHOST FLUTE is now available.

Creativity

I loved last night’s episode of So You Think You Can Dance (SYTYCD). Instead of starting the competition, they just had everybody dance in their styles. Viewers got to meet the new dancers and welcome back past favorites. I have to admit I’m not a reality show fan, but there are a few I watch religiously. SYTYCD is one. Project Runway is another. Other than that, I tend to avoid reality TV like the plague. I don’t like the scheming, backstabbing, and phoniness. So why do I like these two? I think it comes down to one thing – creativity.

I like watching the seed of an idea grow into something beautiful. With SYTYCD, I have my favorite dancers, but I think I’m more intrigued with the choreography. How does one take a piece of music, create a story from it, and find a physical way to translate it? Or does it work differently? Is the story the starting point? Do the choreographers pick the music from there? I bet the answer is both… or either… whatever strikes that spark.

On Project Runway, I’ll watch in awe as outfits emerge from challenges. I’m fascinated how designers can start at the same place and end up with wildly different outcomes. The same thing can happen with a story idea. Two authors can have the same idea, but end up with radically different books. I don’t know how it all works but, to me, it’s fun. I couldn’t sew a handkerchief, but I like putting the puzzle pieces of a story together. I can actually feel a different part of my brain being energized.

So how about you? Are there certain shows you like, because they’re creative or different? How are you creative?

Story ideas

People often ask how writers come up with ideas. Really, we don’t always know. They’re just suddenly there. The idea for GHOST FLUTE came together differently than any other story I’ve written, though. I was struggling with an idea block. I wouldn’t call it writer’s block, because I wasn’t writing at all. If I’d had an idea, I would have been. I just couldn’t brainstorm. My creative well was dry.

Then one day, I was sitting, staring out at the trees behind my house. It was sunset and the sky was in that hazy in-between stage. I starting thinking, I wonder what’s back in there tonight? Quite a bit of wildlife stroll through the area or make their homes there. Anyway, the daydream took off… just the feel of the story.

I don’t know why I thought of the book of Native American mythology that I own, but I did. I’d bought it years and years ago, just because it looked interesting. I don’t think I’d ever cracked the cover, but I did that night. I thumbed through the various myths and legends and there it was, my inspiration. Everything came together in that moment — the setting, the story’s vibe, and the characters. I’m a plotter, so that came through really strongly, too. The story stuck in my head and grabbed on with both hands.

I started writing it the next day and, now, it’s almost ready for release.

Reader’s Retreat

I’ll be posting all month long over at Coffee Time Romance with several other Ellora’s Cave authors.  You can check out my thread under the June 2010 Reader’s Retreat.