Inspiration And More

Please welcome guest blogger Virna DePaul

Writers are often asked "where do you get your ideas?" or "where do you find your inspiration?" Sometimes, coming up with a story idea requires real effort. That's just the beginning of a writer's journey, however. Once we come up with a story idea that excites us, we have to actually write the story. Finally, we have to take what we've written and try to sell it or find an audience for it.

The more I plot, plan, and write, the easier it is for me to find inspiration. In fact, often it's more difficult keeping my ideas straight than coming up with them. Before I finish writing one book, I have ideas in my head for several more. I find inspiration everywhere: a story on the news, an interesting person I see on the street, a good movie, or television show, even in the crazy things that come to me in my dreams.

The really hard part, however, is taking the inspiration for a story and making it into something more. In today's market, a writer's best chance at getting published is writing a “big book, high concept, same but different story.” Writers must take a plot or characters that inspire them and dig deeper, moulding that inspiration into something bigger, bolder, and brighter.

In my upcoming workshop for FF&P, I detail the five ingredients for crafting a “big book, high concept, same but different story.” Together, these five ingredients deal with a story's idea/concept and execution. They increase your chances of creating a story that 1) deals with something everyone can identify with and 2) has a built-in audience, but 3) turns that something on its head or gives it a creative twist while also 4) providing a sense of complexity and richness that can 5) continue past one book.

Are you curious about these five ingredients? I hope you'll join me for my workshop so we can discuss them!


Secrets To Writing (And Pitching) The Big Book, High Concept, Same But Different Novel, presented by Virna DePaul, runs from September 12, 2011 through October 3, 2011


Virna DePaul was an English Lit major who practiced law as a criminal prosecutor for over ten years. In November of 2009, she was offered a contract by Berkley Press for the first two books in a paranormal romantic suspense series. The series, which features a unique special ops team whose members include a werebeast, a wraith, a mage, and a vampire and the human female he's forbidden to love, launches in May of 2011 with book 1, Chosen By Blood.

In addition, Virna's first romantic suspense with Silhouette comes out in Fall 2011. In that story, an undercover cop poses as a bailiff while investigating a judge and is reunited with an old love. Virna, along with Blaze author Tawny Weber, has released a craft book titled: “Love Writing: A Guide To Writing And Getting Your Romance Published Without Losing Your Perspective, Passion, Or Sanity.” In this book, Virna identifies the ten writing concepts that, in her opinion, are the most important in a writer’s arsenal. Find her on the web at www.virnadepaul.com and www.lovewritingbook.com.