Ideas come and go. I’ve learned over the years the initial spark is just that, a spark, not a roaring fire that will burn long enough to write an entire book.

Let me give an example. When I started writing what is Lost In NashVegas, I came up with a story of country girl who owned a fishing shack in central Florida. There was something about her wanting to buy or maintain an old house she loved. I can’t remember all of the details, but that should give you a clue. No details.

My agent said, “Nope!”

After brainstorming with her for a few minutes, we came up with the idea of having the Heroine be a songwriter. Okay, I can do that. I know nothing about it, but I can do it! I’m naive and eternally hopeful that way.

Scratching the surface of songwriting research, I put together another synopsis and three chapters.

My agent said, “Nope.”

My heroine wasn’t sympathetic. I wove in several major plot points but never really managed any of them. I had a stolen song, an unwed pregnancy, all kinds of stuff. Literally, a country song itself!

Also, I used a very cliche theme but I didn’t know it. Roller coasters. So, I opened with my character waiting to sing at the Bluebird Cafe (which I had all wrong) and feeling like she was on a roller coaster.

Disappointed I wasn’t hitting my agent’s hot button after two tries, I forwarded it to Susie Warren. She called. “The roller coaster is a cliche.”

“Really?”

“And you need something like . . . the three things she’s thinking of or wants or something.”

“Oh, good idea.” (I dedicated the “three things” in the book to Suz.)

That and more songwriting research got me a proposal my agent loved. And so did Ami and Thomas Nelson. The name was Country Princess.

During the ACFW 2005 Nashville conference, I toured the city, and learned enough to feel good about writing the book. But when Nelson asked for a more Nashville centric book, I had to go back to the city.

I was flawed in my approached to the book by avoiding the real heart and setting of the book. Nashville. I felt intimidated by Music City and my ability to get inside Music Row and find out how things worked.

When I went back, Nelson gave me a two key connections, and I’d managed one on my own, so I was able to really learn about songwriting.

What I learned from this process is the power and necessity of knowing the details of a profession, of a city, of a “how things work.”

It made the story more authentic, more powerful and frankly, easier to write.

One of the mistake I see of new writers is skimming across the surface. The dialog is surface, the setting, the very feel. I see moments where the story could be deeper and the dialog more true.

So, do that research. Whatever you need. Over time, it becomes second nature.

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