INSPIRATION: IT COMES ANYTIME, FROM ANYWHERE

I know I already posted something here today, but I had to add this moment of inspiration. I love it when this happens!

It’s interesting, seeing where and how I get story ideas. Sometimes it becomes an idea for a whole new story, coming out of the blue from something I’ve seen or read or heard. That still happens regularly. That’s why my list of potential story ideas and titles is up over sixty now.

But sometimes it’s an idea to finish a story I’ve already started. That’s what happened today. I’ve been agonizing over what will likely be my next novel, RULE NUMBER ONE. I have the idea for it, but I haven’t come up with a finish to the plot. How do they, the hero and heroine, arrive at a satisfying ending, their own happily-ever-after? I won’t go into details of the story, that will have to wait until another time. But it is set in Oklahoma City, someplace I know about since I’ve lived there for almost twenty years.

So what was my epiphany about the story’s end, and where did it come from? I won’t go into the details of the ending, that will come later. As for where it came from, I was just watching a movie on television. It’s called The Longest Ride, and is based on the Nicholas Sparks novel of the same name.

There are a lot of opinions about Nicholas Sparks’ works, both good and bad. The fact that there are several film out there based on his works at least speaks to his success. And he does have the art of the happily-ever-after down. Maybe too sweet and sugary for some, it does fit the romance novel formula, which is what counts. Being called the next Nicholas Sparks: yeah, I could live with that.

This story, The Longest Ride, features the struggles of two separate couples, separated in time and both people in each coming from such different lifestyles and personalities, to find enough common ground to establish and maintain a life-long relationship. That’s the trick, isn’t it? For both couples it came down to how to reconcile the very different world and desires of both parties. In the end, they learned it doesn’t have to be one or the other. They can have both. Compromise and sacrifice may likely be needed, but isn’t it worth it? Aren’t they worth it?

So now I have a similar resolution of my story. Two people with their own very different fast-paced lives find a way to have it all—and each other. It fits well to my story, and I’m very satisfied with the possibilities.

More than that, you’ll have to wait until I finish my first novel, due out in September. Then Rule Number One will become the focus. Wait for it.