History, Mystery and Faith with Linda Shenton Matchett
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I’ve been making up stories since I was little. In fact, I recently found my notebooks from back then and had quite a laugh reading my childish scrawl and teenaged angst. Even then, my fertile imagination was apparent.
During interviews and speaking engagements I’m often asked where I get my ideas. The short answer is: I find them everywhere. But that’s not very informative, so I’ll let you in on my secret. I’m constantly on the lookout for “what-if” kernels-sparks, if you will.
For example, if I’m in a public location I people-watch. Not in a creepy, stalker kind of way, but rather “I wonder what those two people are talking about because one of them looks happy-sad-stressed-angry-insert-other-emotion.” In fact, I can usually lasso my husband into the game if he’s with me.
Other things that spark my imagination are newspaper or magazine articles, books or movies I think should have ended or been written differently, historical events, and incidents that happen to me, my family, or friends.
Here are the sparks for each of my books:
Love’s Harvest: I got the idea to write a modern retelling of Ruth from Francine Rivers’ book Redeeming Love which is based on the book of Hosea.
On the Rails: We visited the Grand Canyon about ten years ago where I learned about the Harvey Girls-young women who traveled from the East to be waitresses for the Fred Harvey Restaurant company during the late 1800s and early 1900s. I was intrigued and did a bunch of research which led me to some of the women’s memoirs.
A Love Not Forgotten: I was asked by a publisher to write a story that culminated with a Spring wedding. While brainstorming, I saw a sitcom on which one of the characters was hit on the head resulting in amnesia.
A Doctor in the House: I was reading a book about the English country homes that were requisitioned by the government for use as barracks, hospitals, evacuee centers, etc. Having also read several books where the Americans were criticized for “being late to the last war, and late again,” I decided to throw an American into the mix to ratchet up the tension.
Under Fire: This is one of the first manuscripts I wrote, and it came about as a result of my coursework with Jerry Jenkins’ Christian Writers’ Guild and attendance at the Crimebake Mystery Writers’ Conference. Classes about brainstorming and panel discussions ignited several ideas that culminated in the eventual plot.
See how easy it is? Take a look around today, and make a list of how many sparks you find.
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www.lindashentonmatchett.com
www.stitchesthrutime.BlogSpot.
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