Thoughts on Unleashing the Ideas Inside You
For years, I struggled with the dreaded question: Where do you get your ideas? I had no clue. It took me about eight years to write what became my debut novel, and during most of that time, I was a one-book woman. I stuck to that story without being distracted by shiny new ideas because I was afraid if I did, I’d never finish anything.
Shoving new ideas aside for that long made the idea-generator in my mind go rusty. Instead of ranging far and wide, brainstorming what to write next, I picked my second book topic quickly. I write historical fiction, and with all the research each book requires, I figured fast commitment was more important than exploring my options.
But then the pandemic hit. Despite the chaos, lockdowns, and store closures, my debut The German Heiress did well. But I was starting to realize how fragile a publishing career can be. Events far outside my control can derail a book and undermine years of sweat and perseverence. The only thing I control is my writing and the choice of what to write. But I had forgotten how to make that choice.
Once I finished my second novel, I faced a void. For the first time, I didn’t know what I was writing next. During the lockdowns in Europe, where I live, most of my time was spent homeschooling my kids and worrying about family members in the US. Existential angst isn’t the best environment for creativity, at least not for me. I couldn’t escape into my writing because I didn’t know what to write about. I started to get panicky. Maybe I was done. Maybe I would never write another book again.
A chance comment by my agent put me back on track. During lockdown, I had mentioned how much I missed my former home, Chicago, and she suggested I set my next book there. I liked the idea, but had no idea where to start. With an open mind, I browsed a volume of old photographs of Chicago that I had brought with me to Europe. That’s where I found the spark that would become my third book, Sinners of Starlight City.
It was a photo of the 1933 World’s Fair. The moment I saw it, my mind woke up. A World’s Fair encompasses so much of what I love and missed in the pandemic: crowds of strangers, fun and optimism, the respect for science, international travel. I began to research the Fair, ordered books, scoured the web. I knew I had the setting of my next book. I was back on track.
Except that a book isn’t setting, it’s characters. I wasn’t sure who would populate the story, or what they would do in it. Bits and pieces of ideas were scattered in my mind. I was fascinated by the premature babies put on display at the Fair, and by the fact that the European doctor who oversaw the incubators refused to segregate babies according to the US color line. Early in story development, I decided there would be a baby of mixed heritage, and that her family would form the core of the story.
Family. That was the last piece of the puzzle. I’m Black American on my father’s side, Sicilian American on my mother’s. It was soon clear the baby was going to have the same family background as me, but a hundred years in the past. I was now looking at a story that adressed intolerance and love within mixed families in an age when mixtures were not tolerated.
On video calls and email, I began to ask my family detailed questions. I learned about my Black family’s farm in Louisiana over a century ago. I learned about the emmigration of my mom’s family from Sicily to America. Late in the pandemic, I flew to Sicily to meet my family and explore where my great grandparents came from.
I poured all of this into the story, and what came out was my most personal novel so far. It’s not uncommon for historical fiction to encompass family stories of the author, but when it happens, there’s a special mix of deeply authentic personal history transformed by the creative license of fiction. The Mancuso, Gallo, and Dupre families featured in Sinners of Starlight City aren’t my family, but they borrow elements and issues that are true to my family history.
Order Anika Scott’s Sinners of Starlight City today.
Bookshop | Amazon
[WD uses affiliate links.]
As far as I’ve been told, none of my direct Sicilian relatives were in the mafia, but that didn’t stop me from weaving that intriguing line into the story. As I was writing, I got to escape the limitations and challenges of pandemic life and romp through the summer nights at the Chicago World’s Fair almost a century ago. The book was true escape, but also a true return to my roots.
Not every book I write is going to have such direct personal links, but now I know what kind of stories activate me in the most profound ways. When looking for ideas, I know not to write what I think I should be writing, but to write what brings me back to life.
Outlines for novels can seem daunting. The synopsis, even more so. A synopsis is something you’re going to need because it’s vital to selling your novel if you’re going to query agents or publishers. And the outline is going to save you time while you’re writing your novel. Starting with your premise, expanding your outline, and then writing your synopsis is the perfect way to understand exactly what your story is about and how to get it done.In addition to your outline, your premise and synopsis are two of the most important tools in writing your novel. This course is designed to help you understand how to craft a winning premise, how to outline your novel, and then how to take both of those things and assemble a synopsis that will act as a guide for you to write your novel and sell it.