MyNewOffice

by Shirley Bahlmann
Okay, I just can't believe it. Not a single person guessed that my new office is in the refrigerator! It's not so far-fetched. Some fridge's are nearly as big as my new office digs.
It was interesting to discover that a lot of guesses were places I have either used or thought of using. The tree house was a good idea (mosquitoes kept me away), the dining room, kitchen, closet (lovely mental picture there; quiet, smells good, and not a high traffic area), and the laundry room, where I could write in a thumpa-thumpa rhythm to the washing machine. But most of the guesses were for...can you believe it? The bathroom! Where in the bathroom could I sit myself down to write? Did you ever consider that? Uh, never mind. The bathroom, of all places. You guys know me too well. You're right.
How did this happen? It's my fault, really. When we discovered that our upstairs shower was leaking, Bob tried some fixes that didn't work. So I got antsy one day and hammered out the tiles in the floor. Turns out the installer, bless his pointed little ears, had put linoleum down as an anti-leak lining. Take my word for it... it doesn't work. I had terrible anxiety over getting the thing fixed, until I gradually realized that no one cared about it except me.
I'd still like to fix the shower, but overall remodeling needs to be planned first, and since Michael recently made a haul on our neighbor's after-yard sale freebies, I needed to move out of his room. the shower provides a nice, cozy corner, and sitting in there with my laptop removes some of my anxiety to get it fixed RIGHT NOW!
I decided to draw for the bathroom-guesser-winner (if anyone would have been more specific and guessed, "shower," they would have won, hands-down.) The name drawn out by my impartial Michael-Man (if he were partial, he would have drawn his big brother's or sister-in-law's name) is... Gloria VanHorn! (Applause all around. Hey, stop booing, you sore losers!)
The rest of you can run right out and buy a copy of "Water Keep" as soon as it comes out this fall.
Keep your pen clean.

Pickles on the Floor - More Inspiring Ideas

I was walking down the hallway at work (alternative high school) today, and saw two pickle slices lying on the floor. Those two soggy green slices got me thinking.
If you read my earlier blog, you'll remember I wrote about how anything that takes you out of your routine is worth noting as a possible book idea. (Hey! I see you twirling your finger around your head by your ear!) Now, seriously, if you saw a book titled, "Pickles on the Floor" wouldn't you be curious? Wouldn't you pick it up at least to see what it was about? I would! So even though I don't know what "Pickles on the Floor" is about yet, it has come to me as a possible title, and I will tuck it away in my monstrous file folder of story ideas.
This method actually helped me write a YA novel that has had serious interest from two publishers. With a re-write, I have a chance at a 3rd even bigger publisher. It happened when I drove past a cemetery and saw an open grave. I remembered all the stories I'd heard about people falling into an open grave and not being able to climb out, so they had to wait for help. I began asking myself "what if...?" questions. What if someone fell in a grave a disappeared? Where would they go? What would happen to them? Would they ever get out? After I asked questions and played with lots of different answers, the ones I want settled into place, and I wrote the book.
So look for things out of the ordinary, ask yourself questions, and that creativity will grow from a trickle to a waterfall. How refreshing!
Shirley Bahlmann

Ideas From Everywhere!

Most authors hear the question, "Where do you get your ideas?" The truth is, most authors I've talked to get their ideas from everywhere! Newspaper articles, people they see, bits of overheard conversation (not listening on purpose, mind you!) Even a joke can get the old creative ball rolling.
I once heard a joke that involved a dishtowel rolled up to look like a naked chicken. I laughed for two days, then went about writing a story ath brought the little bird more fully to its plight. I titled it, "When the Chicken Crossed the Road." Once I told it at a storytelling event. Afterward, a lady followed me to my signing table and asked me for the book!
Well, at the time, it was story, not a book, but I quickly remedied that situation. Now it's available, chicken rolling cloth included. I sold some at my last craft fair, because the fair goers couldn't stop laughing.
Do you want to generate more ideas for writing? Carry paper with you! Write down anything that strikes you as funny, odd, interesting, or even outrageous. Once you start paying attention, you'll get ideas every day. Some are better than others, so pick the best ones, and start writing!