Behind the Scenes
How Creativity Grows
Sometimes the best ideas happen when you aren't working to make them appear.
So relax, enjoy yourself.
And whenever possible, BE SILLY.
We always do.
My Writing Crew
These creatures hang out on my desk when I'm writing. It helps to know you have friends nearby. Even if they are imaginary.
The cactus told me the jackalopes were trouble! And everyone needs a slime cat pet, and a friend like Dino Girl as well as an emotional support gargoyle. And last, it helps to know you're being guarded by a lunar fox who might also be your grandmother.
If none of that makes sense, you need to read The First Shift.
How a Character Comes to Life
I'm writing The First Shift, moving along with my story.
The main character, Ayla, is about to wake up on her twelfth birthday as a mythological creature.
“What kind of mythological creature should Ayla become?”
Without hesitation, Valerie answered, “Cat necromancer.”
What even is that?
She explained that it's a cat that turns into a wizard and can manipulate the dead. Okaaay.
So here is the problem:
My main character is a middle school kid in the body of a cat with the ability to raise the dead and she wants to help her friend. I really didn't want to write creepy zombies and I have no idea how to make it all work.
But this is fun part of writing:
you don’t always know what will happen next.
So I let my imagination run wild and wait to see what happens. What happens, is Nellie.
Ayla, the cat necromancer brings Nellie back to life. And Nellie becomes the star of the show. Literally.
Nellie wasn't just a random headstone in a cemetery.
She was a full-fledged character who had lived her own life. She was talented and took chances and... she had one big unfulfilled dream.
This is how stories flow, characters form, and the author is often surprised at what comes out of their brain!
Meet Nellie
Art by Valerie Grosser ©
Sometimes the problem you think you can't solve, is what leads you to the brilliant solution.
© Copyright Suzanne Grosser