The classic answer to the perennial “Where do you get your ideas?” question is that ideas are everywhere. They truly are. The fun part is when the idea pops up when you least expect it and you know it’s good, and because of some very special event, the result of that idea is going to be inextricably linked to that special event.
To wit – I have just returned from fifteen days in Italy, a trip my husband and I have been actively planning for over two years, and have been longing to take for much, much longer. My husband and I love to travel, but for a lot of years, we just didn’t have the money for more than a quick trip here and there. When our fortunes changed for the better, work concerns and other priorities left little time for extended time away. In other words, this trip really meant a lot to us.
One of several things on my must-do list was to spend some time in a trattoria typing away on my current work in progress. So what if said book takes place in Boston in 1873? Hanging out at an outside table on the Piazza San Marco in Venice was sure to fill me with enough joy that the words would flow. Okay. It just sounded like a really cool thing to do.
That the rainy weather made the experience literally cool, and that the waiter was a bit of a jerk. That’s part of life. The bigger obstacle? I’d scored a truly awesome idea the day before and it was hard thinking about anything else.
I’m not going to go into the details, but, yeah, it involves the history of Venice and the Doges that ruled it for centuries, and gondolas, and maybe one or two other medieval cities that we visited later in the trip. It might involve a dual time-line that might set up a whole similar series, thanks to another idea I had years ago based on some finds under the Louvre Museum in Paris. (Note to Self – need to find out more about that dig and was it a bashed-in helmet that triggered me?)
There are those who would suggest, justifiably, that I am already swimming in ideas and that the last thing I need is another one to develop. Then again, I am swimming in fabric and patterns. That didn’t stop me from picking up two gorgeous pieces of fabric – a lovely lightweight wool and a gorgeous paisley viscose knit, not to mention a Burda magazine (which contains patterns) in Italian.
Ideas really are everywhere. Some will blossom. Some won’t. The one from the Louvre went nowhere, but I still remember that part of the trip with joy. If this new one goes someplace, great. I’m looking forward to another deep dive into the research deep end. It’s the joy of it that counts right now, like the joy of a long-awaited trip to Italy. It’s even better that the idea and the trip are two parts of a perfectly lovely whole experience.
Speaking of ideas, one of my earlier ones was Paths Not Taken, the thirteenth Operation Quickline story which just had its debut on my blog at annelouisebannon.com/blogs. Or you can sign up for my Substack newsletter and get a new chapter in your email inbox each week, annelouisebannon.substack.com/subscribe. And be sure to check out all my books on my Fiction page, annelouisebannon.com.
Author Anne Louise Bannon’s husband says that his wife kills people for a living. Bannon does mostly write mysteries, including the Old Los Angeles Series, the Freddie and Kathy series, and the Operation Quickline series. She has worked as a freelance journalist for magazines and newspapers, including the Los Angeles Times. She and her husband, Michael Holland, created the OddBallGrape.com wine education blog, and she co-wrote a book on poisons. She and her husband live in Southern California with an assortment of critters. Visit her website at AnneLouiseBannon.com.