STEP 1 : What should you write about?

One of the most asked questions I get as an author is: "Where did you come up with your ideas?"

Ideas are inspired by experiences, the things we read, the programs, videos, and movies we watch, the music we listen to, a conversation, a dream,
and everything in between. To be an author, you need to think like an author, and
authors think about stories all the time. That means keeping your mind set to WRITING MODE.

I always keep paper, pen, and flashlight near my bed so that if
I wake up from a dream (or nightmare) I can sketch out a quick note before I drift back
into the zzzzz's. Don't expect to remember the dream in the morning, it never happens UNLESS YOU WRITE IT DOWN!

I also keep pen and pad in the car. Long drives are great for letting your mind wander, just don't wander off the freeway.

I read the newspaper everyday. Watch Discovery Channel and TLC. All of these things can lend details to the novel I am currently writing.

Concepts also come in the form of WHAT IF? Take the DOMAIN trilogy. The first book, Domain, began with: What of the asteroid strike 65 million years ago wasn't really an asteroid? As I researched this WHAT OF, I came upon the Yucatan Peninsula, the Maya, and the Mayan Calendar and its doomsday prophecy. From that tiny thought began a trilogy.

Now you are ready for Step 2: Research Next>