The amazing talent of words....

August 4, 2012 I oftentimes wonder where authors come up with their ideas. So many good authors can write so beautifully and spin a story so beautiful and intriguing that you can’t put it down. I am reading a Dean Koontz book, The Light of the Moon, and I am captivated by this suspenseful tale. His creativity amazes me. How did he come up with a story about a guy and a girl who gets injected by a substance that gives them special “gifts?” How did he come up with the scenarios he uses in the book? I don’t want to give away any details because I want whoever reads this to pick up the book and read it for himself or herself. But the situations are not typical or “cookie-cutter”, they are unique and fascinating. I have not read any other Koontz book so I do not know if his work follows a formula or not. He is a well established author so if they don’t, that would prove his talent in more ways then one. I wish I had the gift to write like Koontz or at least the creativity to do so. I would love to touch someone’s life through the gift of literature even if it is just a form of entertainment for a limited time. To have the gift of words would be a dream come true. I can barely keep up with this blog, but I don’t know of anyone who actually reads my ramblings anyway. I have a constant writer’s block. I mean when I am home alone, my imagination is incredibly active, and I can think of more than one way in which someone could break into my house, or hurt me ,and how I would try and stop it. Every noise I hear heightens my imagination, and I am mentally living the scariest thriller in the world until I double and triple check my house before feeling safe enough to fall asleep. But when I sit down and try and remember my mental rambles and put pen to paper, my mind is blank. Maybe, when I have a night like that I should just write what is on my mind and then add some characters to it. Ha-ha I don’t always live in mental anguish, so I am not crazy or anything. I am sure any female who has stayed alone has had these thoughts once upon a time. Do not deny it! I just wish I could make something good out of mentally torturing myself when I am perfectly safe. Who doesn’t love a good thriller? I know I do, but maybe that is just my problem. What does it take to be a good author like Emily Giffin, Dean Koontz, Barbara Delinsky, Kate White, Frank Tallis, Kate Wilhelm (one of the best!) and many other authors that I absolutely love? How do the ideas come to them? How do they put it on paper and spin an amazing story? How do they know what to research to make the tale believable? How do they know how to write to their audience? How do they build characters and make them relatable? Do they have a story from beginning to end before they write or write it out as it comes to them? How do they get from the beginning of the story and come to an amazing conclusion? Do they actually follow the ever-popular writing steps that we learn in school? And most importantly, how do I find out the answers to all these questions? It takes talent to be a successful author. I wonder if writing is a talent you are given at birth or is it something you can to learn to do. It doesn’t matter either way, words make my life more enjoyable and I envy those who have a gift with them. They touch my life and I would love to be able to do the same for others. Does anyone else have questions like these that fascinate them? Is there a talent or a gift that you wish you had?