by Beth K. Vogt, @bethvogt
“Everybody walks past a thousand story ideas every day. The good writers are the ones who see five or six of them. Most people don’t see any.”
Orson Scott Card (1951-), American novelist
A few years ago, I attended a writers conference in Florida. My writing buddy, Jeanne, attended, too. My luggage showed up. Jeanne’s suitcase didn’t.
The thing is, Jeanne was certain she watched a guy in an Air Force uniform grab her suitcase off the airport luggage carousal and walk off with it – but only after an identical suitcase was left behind that was not her suitcase.
Makes for a funny scenario in a movie, right? But it’s not so much fun when you’re the one without clothes and toiletries.
Now remember: Jeanne and I were at a writers conference. A few hours later, we sat around eating pizza, waiting for the airline to track down Jeanne’s missing suitcase. And all the while, author Susan May Warren, whose brain is wired for story, wove together the most amazing plot about mixed-up suitcases and a military spy … and Jeanne! We were all begging for rights to the story if Jeanne didn’t want it.
The morale to the story of the mixed-up suitcases: the stuff of fictional stories are everywhere!
The question is: Are you on the lookout for them?
How can you be an eyes-wide-open writer?
Watch for things like:
Echoes of conversation/real life
I know some writers like to eavesdrop, but sometimes conversations with family and/or friends can be good fuel for stories. One of my earliest contemporary romance novels, Catch a Falling Star, was prompted by a conversation I had with a good friend. Our conversation stuck with me for weeks and became the catalyst for my “What do you do when life doesn’t go according to plan?” novel. In my debut women’s fiction novel, Things I Never Told You, my subplot character was diagnosed with breast cancer. I’ve had several close friends battle this disease.
News Headlines
If it’s in the news, it just may be novel-worthy, too. Best-selling author Rachel Hauck paid attention to how much Americans love British royals, and developed her Royals series: Once Upon a Prince, Princess Ever After, How to Catch a Prince, A Royal Christmas Wedding. Or if you write mystery or thrillers or courtroom dramas, watching the news is a great place to look for plot elements.
Series Trends
Award-winning author Susan May Warren, who was hosting the conference in Florida that I talked about earlier, is a pro at spotting trends. She’s written the Noble Legacy Series (cowboys); the Team Hope Series (a search and rescue team); Montana Fire (smoke jumpers) – all adventure series.
So if you’re looking for an idea for a book, open your eyes and see what’s happening around you in real life.
And if you’re wondering about Jeanne’s suitcase – and I know some of you are – it did eventually show up.
And no, the guy wasn’t a spy.
But it still made for a great story idea, didn’t it?
Things I Never Told You by Beth K. Vogt
It’s been ten years since Payton Thatcher’s twin sister died in an accident, leaving the entire family to cope in whatever ways they could. No longer half of a pair, Payton reinvents herself as a partner in a successful party-planning business and is doing just fine—as long as she manages to hold her memories and her family at arm’s length.
But with her middle sister Jillian’s engagement, Payton’s party-planning skills are called into action. Which means working alongside her opinionated oldest sister, Johanna, who always seems ready for a fight. They can only hope that a wedding might be just the occasion to heal the resentment and jealousy that divides them . . . until a frightening diagnosis threatens Jillian’s plans and her future. As old wounds are reopened and the family faces the possibility of another tragedy, the Thatchers must decide if they will pull together or be driven further apart.
Includes discussion questions.
Beth K. Vogt is a non-fiction author and editor who said she’d never write fiction. She’s the wife of an Air Force family physician (now in solo practice) who said she’d never marry a doctor—or anyone in the military. She’s a mom of four who said she’d never have kids. Now Beth believes God’s best often waits behind the doors marked “Never.” Beth’s first women’s fiction novel for Tyndale House Publishers, Things I Never Told You, releases May 2018. Beth is a 2016 Christy Award winner, a 2016 ACFW Carol Award winner, and a 2015 RITA® finalist. Her 2014 novel, Somebody Like You, was one of Publisher’s Weekly’s Best Books of 2014. A November Bride was part of the Year of Wedding Series by Zondervan. Having authored nine contemporary romance novels or novellas, Beth believes there’s more to happily-ever-after than the fairy tales tell us. An established magazine writer and former editor of the leadership magazine for MOPS International, Beth blogs for Novel Rocket and The Write Conversation and also enjoys speaking to writers group and mentoring other writers. She lives in Colorado with her husband Rob, who has adjusted to discussing the lives of imaginary people, and their youngest daughter, Christa, who loves to play volleyball and enjoys writing her own stories. Connect with Beth at bethvogt.com.