In the time I've spent as a writer, I've learned that inspiration can strike at any time. I'm always prepared to jot down notes on my phone or a scrap of paper. Still, sometimes inspiration strikes at the most random moments and catches me off guard.
Anyway, as we drove past, my sister mumbled something about it not being a good idea for the kids to be standing there. I don't know why, but my reaction was kind of odd.
"Why? Are the ducks gonna run up to them and yell, 'Yo, beat it!' at them?" I imitated a duck spreading his wings as he rushed toward the kids.
My sister started cracking up at my reaction (she actually meant that it looked like the kids were going to fall into the pond because they were so close), and that made me laugh too.
The whole conversation lasted less than two minutes, but it stuck with me. Suddenly, I had an idea for a book.
A few days went by where I kept thinking about this book idea, but I didn't do anything about it. I didn't write anything down, I didn't start a new file on my computer, and I didn't discuss the idea with anyone (although I had jokingly mentioned the idea to my sister right after our conversation in the car). But then, the other day, I suddenly had some clarity on how to form my silly idea into an actual book.
I was once again in the car when inspiration struck. These two sentences formed in my mind and I knew that they were the perfect opening to my story. I didn't want to lose them, so I just kept repeating them over and over to myself until I made it home five minutes later. I ran into the house and grabbed the first piece of paper I could find so I could write down those two sentences. Then I put the paper on my desk and left it alone.
Today, I opened my laptop, started a new document, and began typing those two sentences. Then, suddenly, I was writing a book. It's definitely not finished yet, and still has a long way to go, but I wrote quite a lot today! I wrote at least a quarter of the book, which is pretty significant. There were some pieces that I'm not 100% thrilled with, so those may be changed as I edit and revise, but at least this project is well under way! I can't wait to show my sister what has come of our crazy car conversations!
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Thanks!
Taylor