Comments on: “That’s a book”

By: Deborah Niemann

Deborah Niemann — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 04:26:26 +0000

I wrote a novel once, which was prompted by a story a friend told me, although I’m not sure the novel was particularly good. I decided fiction was not my thing, but I do like — no, I love — “telling stories,” so although I’ve worked as a journalist most of my life, my heart is in narrative non-fiction. You just can’t make up the greatest stories. Part of what makes a good story truly excellent is that it’s true. And I’m not even sure it needs to be ripped from the headlines. Of course, people are going to want to read the story of Gabby Gifford’s recovery and extraordinary stories like that, but I think people also like to read stories about people who are like themselves, ordinary people, people you might see on the street and not notice. It’s the Superman phenomena — he could be you or me, but he is special. The reader can relate to the mild-mannered reporter and fantasize about being the superhero. If the superhero is a real human being, the story is even more awesome!

By: Joelle

Joelle — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 17:16:45 +0000

I have an unsold book that I love which was inspired by an article in The Tennessean. And Restoring Harmony got its kick-start from an excerpt in Rolling Stone from a nonfiction book (The Long Emergency).

I do want to say here for the record, if you ever come across a book idea that sounds good for me, LET ME KNOW!!!! We both know how I struggle for book-worthy ideas!

By: Gill Avila

Gill Avila — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 03:27:47 +0000

The problem I see with “stories ripped from the headlines”is that a book will come out a year or more after the headlines, so its lost it’s “timeliness.”

By: Colin

Colin — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 03:06:51 +0000

I do keep an eye/ear to the news in case something strikes me as an interesting story idea. I don’t have any “ripped from the headlines” stories at the moment. But I’m always looking…

By: Jaclyn

Jaclyn — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 01:13:46 +0000

I think the Kobe Killer accident in Japan would be set a great stage for a fiction novel. After all, the Kobe Killer was thought to be a middle-aged man but turned out to be a particularly sadistic 14-year-old schoolboy.

I guess that kind of issue – the upbringing of young children/nature vs. nurture – has already been explored, most notably in Lionel Shriver’s acclaimed WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN, but that book was written in the mother’s point of view. I imagine I’d be quite in rapture to read from the perspective of a pre-teen serial killer.

I like the sound of that author who tweeted about drawing inspiration from another story. These days, with critics rearing their heads left and right, it feels to me like too many authors are afraid to even give nods to where they get their inspiration.

By: Catherine Whitney

Catherine Whitney — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 00:48:23 +0000

As a nonfiction writer I have found that the best ideas can spring from a small kernel–a what if, what happened, oh, really, moment. There is no limit. I love the fact that you guys do that kind of thinking in your meetings.

By: Kristin Laughtin

Kristin Laughtin — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 00:35:25 +0000

When news stories inspire my work, they tend to all be science-related, “scientists think this might happen on other worlds!” type of things. It’s a bit funny, since my WIP is the first story I’ve written with aliens since childhood, but multiple stories have been dreamed up after reading about all the crazy stuff that happens in space.

I’ve come up with a couple of character names from reading tragic news stories, though. It always feels a bit macabre to read a story, feel horrible for the victims, and then a few days later realize I can’t get one of their first names out of my head.

By: Ciara

Ciara — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 20:44:02 +0000

Funny the story I’m writing now has loose origins in a news story I read years and years ago that just stuck with me.