I want to enter a
short story in my publisher’s call for submissions for a Christmas anthology,
and even though that desire is there, I was struggling to find an idea, one
that could develop into a ten thousand word story, and that I could write
quickly.
So I went to my favorite
place for inspiration, Pinterest, and looked through the board (okay, three
boards) that I have for Christmas. And
what to my wondering eyes should appear, but a picture I didn’t remember
pinning. All of a sudden I had a male character,
his occupation, and why he was out in a snowy forest with his dog. A few clicks later, and I had a female
character that will bring him no end of trouble and exasperation. Et voilà, a
story is born!
Authors find
inspiration in so many places. Just a
kernel can spark an idea, which can set off firecrackers in our brains.
For me, I’ve had
characters spring to life, then I have to write the perfect story for
them. Well, one in which they go through
all kinds of turmoil to get their happy ever after. Other story ideas have come to life with a
setting, a scene idea, even a phrase or a headline. Two songs have sparked ideas for stories, so
totally different they are worlds apart.
This picture of a frozen lighthouse is what sparked the idea for a story
yet to be written. 
