Many people have asked me where I get the inspiration for my stories. Full disclosure, I haven’t even launched my debut novel yet. Heart of a Bowman releases January 15^th. Still, when people ask me about my books, they seem amazed by the fact I could think up an entirely novel world and have the perseverance to see the story through to completion, in my case, a trilogy.

It’s a funny thing. I have no idea where the inspiration comes from. I do know that I am always writing a movie in my head. Seriously, when I’m doing everything else, scenes from a make-believe movie are clicking on the projector reel in the back of my mind. I am always thinking of what could happen next and what my characters would do if they were thrown into a certain situation. And then I run them through that situation right down to the last detail.

If I’ve thought up a scene where the hero and heroine face a hovering lighter-than-air pirate ship while dangling on the side of a sheer cliff, I literally think through exactly how they would react… multiple times. I mentally draft full conversations, multiple versions of full conversations, with jokes, and euphemisms, and slang. There are at least three ways the characters would handle the scenario, almost like a choose your own adventure novel, and very quickly, it becomes obvious which reaction proves true to their personality and convictions.

As I write this blog post, I’m aware that it sounds mentally exhausting, doesn’t it? Honestly, I love it. It’s fun. More than that, I don’t think I could not continually write a book in my head. I insert everyday situations that have played out in my life to make it feel real… because in some ways… it is real to me and the people I’ve created.

To be honest, until very recently, I thought everyone did this. I just naturally thought that everyone was secretly running a virtual projector off the imaginary screen in the theater hidden at the back of their mind. I let this belief slip out in conversation with a close friend and he laughed me off his front porch. This friend is a brilliant pastor. Of course he’s writing an epic adventure fantasy written from a Christian worldview while he goes about his day, right? WRONG! He assured me very emphatically that he is not and then pointed out that 99% of the people I know probably aren’t doing that either. Yikes! I’m a weirdo.

That’s okay. Everyone is different. Those differences make life beautiful. I hope you all like the movie I’ve been working on. I loved the entire process of thinking it all through. Thanks for reading.