Today I am happy to be taking part in the Canadian blog tour for Chelsey Philpot's newly released Even in Paradise. As part of the tour, I asked Chelsey to talk about where she gets inspiration and ideas from. So if you're looking for new ways to get ideas, keep reading!
When it comes to uncovering ideas and discovering the right words, I’ve found that writing is more like searching through debris in a neglected attic than shopping a well-lit megastore. More often than not, my thoughts crawl instead of spring. More often than not, I produce more sentences that I can’t use than ones I can. More often than not, as Jack London once so famously said, “You can’t wait for inspiration. you have to go after if with a club.”But how do you hunt an idea? Pin down a revelation? I can’t answer for every writer, but here are a few “clubs” that work for me.1. Read poetry. Whether I’m writing fiction or nonfiction, poetry never disappoints. I particularly love the work of Paul Kane, Charles Wright, and Nancy Willard.2. Look at some awesome travel photography. I’ve adored National Geographic since I was little.3. Check out art. I have never met an art museum that I have not wanted to explore.4. Move. Get away form the desk! I’m lucky to live near both ocean beaches and mountains.5. Dance. I feel I don’t need to explain this one.6. Do research. Whether my research involves looking through archives or watching YouTube videos, I love doing it—so much so that I have trouble stopping and getting to the actual writing.7. Read about writing. I love discovering what rituals, practices, etc. for other writers.8. Talk to strangers. Interviews with interesting people who may never have spoken to are among some of my best journalism experiences.9. Have adventures. Travel. I would live out of a suitcase for the rest of my life if I could carry all my books with me.10. Be brave. Each fresh experience, each time you try something strange or scary, might be the start of your next article, story, or book. Impulse can lead to crazy and wonderful stories.
Thank you to Chelsey for this post and sharing the strategies she found work to find inspiration and new book ideas!
About the book
When Julia Buchanan enrols at St. Anne’s at the beginning of junior year, Charlotte Ryder already knows all about the former senator’s daughter. Most people do…or think they do.Charlotte certainly never expects she’ll be Julia’s friend. But almost immediately, she is drawn into the larger than-life-new girl’s world—a world of midnight rendezvous, dazzling parties, palatial vacation homes, and fizzy champagne cocktails. And then Charlotte meets, and begins falling for, Julia’s handsome older brother, Sebastian.
But behind her self-assured smiles and toasts to the future, Charlotte soon realizes that Julia is still suffering from a tragedy. A tragedy that the Buchanan family has kept hidden…until now.
About the author
Chelsey Philpot grew up on a farm in New Hampshire and now works as an editor and journalist. She’s written from the New York Times, Boston Globe, Slate, and numerous other publications. Like her main character, Charlotte, Chelsea attended boarding school in New England. You can visit her online at www.chelseyphilphot.com or on Twitter @ChelseyPhilpot.
And be sure to follow the rest of the Canadian Even in Paradise blog tour!
October 13 - A Glass of Wine
October 14 - Conversations of a Reading Addict
October 15 - Emilie's Book World
October 16 - Burning Impossibly Bright
October 17 - Lily's Book Blog
October 20 - SukasaReads
October 21 - Hiver et Café
October 22 - Lost At Midnight Reviews
October 23 - Feeling A Little Bookish
October 24 - Read My Breath Away
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