Seven sensible steps to success as a writer

Step 1 (continued): Inspiration….

I’ve published eighteen books in my career – but only twice has the Muse whispered and a book leapt fully formed into my mind.

The first was The Grandfather Clock. A thought struck in the bathroom one day: ‘What about a girl who gets trapped inside a grandfather clock, and the only way out is to climb the chain and through the clockwork until she falls into the picture on the dial?’

I have such a clock at home. The idea must have worked itself out in my unconscious before surfacing. But it became so compelling that I could only start to write it down.

It was like taking dictation. Things happened in the early pages and I didn’t know why … until they found their place in the later chapters … and the riddle resolved itself in a very satisfying way to the author.

The second book that came from a flash of inspiration was Forbidden, a story about an enchanted Scottish fiddle.

The tale suddenly acted itself out on the stage we all have in the middle of our foreheads, during a conversation at a party. Again, it was as though the book had already been completed, and all I had to do was transcribe it.

I’ve written about it more fully on the Backgrounder Writing Forbidden on my website.

Next: … and perspiration