IWSG Blog for the Month of July.

Welcome to this month’s IWSG blog post. I hope the summer finds you well. This month’s question is – 99% of my story ideas come from dreams. Where do yours predominantly come from?

My story ideas tend to come from what happens around me. I get a lot of ideas from obscure news reports, current events, the places I visit, and from my own family’s behaviour. My current work in progress came from my granddaughter’s unwillingness to get as excited about her prom as her mother wanted her to be. Eleni is not in any way a Girlie-girl, but she does have a boyfriend and they’ve been together for well over a year–an eternity in the life of a teenager. She’s a sergeant in the army cadets and intends to pursue a career in the trades as a carpenter. Dressing up and getting her hair and makeup done seemed like insurmountable obstacles for her. Eventually, she found the right dress–army green or olive as they called it. As for shoes, she wore gladiator sandals–no heels for her. She’s threatened to wear her work boots under her gown at next year’s graduation. She refused the visit to the spa, but did let her mother do her hair and her nails, while her sister put on the bare minimum makeup.

In my story, Marissa’s sister is marrying into the British aristocracy (see the Meagan Markell -Prince Harry theme here?) and as her Maid of Honor, Marissa has to endure a whole set of social rules, dress fittings, and yes, a visit to the spa. What makes it worse is that among the people at the wedding is the man who broke her heart.

It all works out, but in the end, Marissa gets the man she wants and stays true to herself. This summer, I’m going to Norway and then taking a cruise around the British Isles. I’ll bet more than one book will come from that.

Want to see what motivates others? Check it out here. https://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/p/iwsg-sign-up.html

Published by Susanne Matthews

Hi! I live in Eastern Ontario. I'm married with three adult children and five wonderful grandchildren. I prefer warm weather, and sunshine but winter gives me time to write. If I’m listening to music, it will be something from the 1960s or 1970s. I enjoy action movies, romantic comedies, but I draw the line at slasher flicks and horror. I love science fiction and fantasy as well. I love to read; I immerse myself in the text and, as my husband says, the house could fall down around me, and I’d never notice. My preferences are as varied as there are genres, but nothing really beats a good romance, especially one that is filled with suspense. I love historical romance too, and have read quite a few of those. If I’m watching television, you can count on it being a suspense — I’m not a fan of reality TV, sit-coms, or game shows. Writing gives me the most pleasure. I love creating characters that become real and undergo all kinds of adventures. It never ceases to amaze me how each character can take on its own unique personality; sometimes, they grow very different from the way I pictured them! Inspiration comes from all around me; imagination has no bounds. If I can think it, imagine it, I can write it!

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