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
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