Wednesday's Writing on Writing

Readers and budding writers often ask, "Where do you get your ideas?"

My glib answer is, "I make 'em up."

The problem is, if you're a wannabe writer, unless you bring to the table some creative ideas, you're going to be ignored. Few utility-type writers-of-all-trades are in demand. Editors and publishers are looking for good writers, sure, but primarily they are looking for fresh ideas.

People also ask if I'm afraid I will run out of ideas. No, I'm afraid I will run out of time to pursue the ideas I already have. Learn to write, polish your prose, hone your craft, but become an idea producer so you always have something in the hopper.

I find that my novels often come from combinations of two ideas. I see something in the paper or hear it on the news, file it in a recess of my brian, and forget about it. Until something else catches my attention, interacts with the original, and produces something interesting to me. (I say "to me," because I hope there are a lot of potential readers out there like me who might be fascinated by the hybrid idea.)

I've been fascinated that my son and daughter-in-law were moved to adopt a four-year-old Thai named Max. They had all sorts of good motives, not the least of which was to protect at least one child from human trafficking when he gets older. That interesting tidbit combined with something my wife and I learned on a January trip to China–about the fact that selective abortions there mean fewer girl babies are born. Males are preferred.

Now I have my Precint 11 cop thriller triology going, and I'm looking for something intriguing to get my main character out of Chicago and involved in an emotional case. Might human trafficking, the danger to girl babies in China, give him a reason to travel to Beijing on a case?

Book three in the Precint 11 trilogy will be called The Breakthrough and will release next year.