I know I'm not the only introvert author. However, putting oneself out there is the best way to "find that story."
Many times, people ask "where do you come up with your ideas?" As The Sculptor enters the audiobook world, I've enjoyed revisiting another of my favorite "children." I sat in a training session at the day job with a man who stuttered. I was so impressed with him and his confidence that I gave my main character a stutter. It helps that I had other resources to draw from (thank you Dr. Ruth). These are the things that inspire novels, and things you can only find if you are out in the world among people.
I've since retired from the day job. I don't interact with as many people on a daily basis. During the pandemic when people weren't going out, my pool of inspiration grew shallow. I started visiting places for inspiration, making haunted houses the main characters in my stories. In addition to visiting the houses and researching their history, I interviewed people to flesh out the stories that presented themselves.
With the pandemic retreating, I made a point to start traveling again. To see people. To talk to strangers. To find stories that inspire me and refill my inspiration pool. I recently read Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil and I was impressed at how easily the author integrated into a society of interesting characters. He hit the jackpot in Savannah. The book is much more about the people and the society, with the crime as more of a subplot - go figure when it's a nonfiction book about the trials, but hey.
Listening to The Sculptor was a reminder to me that I need to get out more. To meet people. To be inspired by them. Yes, settings will continue to inspire me, but the real story lies with the characters you put into those settings.
As we celebrate this Independence Day, let's never forget how hard our ancestors fought for our freedoms, something we shouldn't take for granted.
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