Topic 2 Gleaning Stories from the Media

The last time I wrote I explained how valuable it is for a writer to tune into conversations around them. Language by a variety of people actually helps when deciding dialog style for a character.

Today let's talk about making use of radio, TV, newspapers and magazines to capture ideas for your books or stories. The newspaper article below printed in the St. Louis Dispatch in 1997 and then republished in our local paper was helpful in the first draft of my first book China Connection. Notice the highlighted areas.

After reading many fiction books covering virus outbreaks of some type or other, I decided to write a mystery revolving around a virus. Not being a scientist of course I had to do a considerable amount of research. When I found an article pertaining to my idea, I'd clip it out and save it for the writing stage. Since the mystery revolved around China, I also looked for articles pertaining to the Chinese and their leader.

When I got into the actual writing of the novel, I ran into a problem for my main character Private Investigator Matt Malone. He needed to take pictures inside bottling companies without anyone seeing him. Well, one morning when I was scrubbing the kitchen floor, I heard a person who worked in security interviewed on the radio. He mentioned a tiny camera that could be clipped to a tie. That's what my character would use. If I hadn't been listening to the radio, I wouldn't have discovered it.

So, be on the lookout for your next idea, whether from the newspaper, TV, or radio.

Until next time
Marlene Chabot

 

I'm finally getting my feet wet as they say and into blogging I go. I hope my followers will be comfortable discussing books they've read, sharing interesting people they've observed in their daily life, and anything else that can be useful in the world of writing.
  Just eating out in a restaurant or fast food place one can absorb quite a bit of overheard conversation. Some more fascinating than others. Today I took a friend out to lunch at a restaurant in Baxter, MN. Our table was up against a pillar on one side, but the other had a table of older men. If you have men characters in your writing work and are not a man, pay close attention to what they discuss.
 Unfortunately for me my woman companion had a lot to share and didn't leave much time for me to eavesdrop. All I caught was one fellow asking another if he was going to Florida this year and another asking about ice fishing. At least they weren't talking about a Ponzi scheme.
  Maybe I'll be luckier next time.
  Until then,
  This is Marlene Chabot
Have a wonderful day