My guest today is womagwriter and novelist, Keith Havers.
Always On The Lookout
I had the pleasure of
meeting Patsy a few weeks ago and an off-the-cuff comment by me over
the coffee and biscuits is the basis of this post.
I happened to remark
that, as an almost full-time writer, I consider myself to be at work
during all my waking hours. By that I don't mean that I'm constantly
writing or that my mind is consciously working on stories, but I am
always on the lookout for ideas and inspiration.
I think this stemmed from
a few years ago when I had just begun sending off short stories to
competitions and magazines with very little success. My wife and I
were walking along the seafront at some English resort and watching
the activity on the beach. It was a cold day and there weren't many
people about but my wife challenged me to concoct a story based
around some of the things going on. I actually managed to come up
with two stories, one of which was eventually published.
From then on I was
constantly aware that there are story ideas all around and almost
anything can be used as a basis for fiction. It has now become second
nature for me to latch on to an overheard conversation, an unusual
event or a news item on TV and begin to turn things over in my mind.
Since then I have had
published stories based on TV shows, family life, national events and
many more. Since becoming a writer I've become more observant and a
bit of an eavesdropper but it has paid off.
Keith has recently
self-published Youthtopia, a children's adventure story aimed at 11 to 13 year
olds. It features seven youngsters from diverse backgrounds who have
to work together to outwit a criminal mastermind.
A sequel is in process.
Are you like Keith, always on the lookout for story ideas, or do you switch off from your writing when you're away from your desk?
