Story Idea or Title: Which Comes First?

I have never had a title pop into my head first. My ideas come from my life, and I have written about this before on the idea to write what you know.

I write about my passions. I want answers, so I write about a topic to explore those questions.

Like my enjoyment of all things about trees and wood. Truly, I could write on the topic of how to get your firewood from tree to wood stove. I enjoy the whole wood cutting process. So I’m writing a nonfiction book for middle graders in the first draft stage about how the lumber industry helped to make America great.

For all four of my books published so far, they have a theme of how much God means to me. How important my prayer life is with God in mind. Except for the logging book I’m working on for middle graders, I can’t imagine my stories minus God.

One day I may write about a topic which will be controversial even among Christians. This can’t be helped if God is calling me to write the topic. And if I’ve prayed over said topic maybe years before I write about it. But rest assured, I will not hammer readers over the head. I will write in a manner which gives them scripture to consider. I will write in love for the brethren.

I write about my passions.

Back to ideas. With “Road Trip of Delusion” the idea came from a conversation I had with my husband’s mother.

With “Just Claire”, I wrote this story to make sense out of my disturbing childhood. And indeed to help other children who have lived with an emotionally challenged and distant parent. The surprise though was on me. I was able to forgive my parent, because I came to understand how said parent may have gotten this way in their adult life. In a nutshell, “Just Claire” was therapeutic.

With “Just Claire”, I chose to have five children in the story. Why you may ask? Was this on purpose? Was it also therapeutic? Yes. Few people know this, but I lost two babies within their first trimester of life. These babies left pinprick holes in my heart. So to honor and give recognition to my lost babies, if only for my heart, I used the number five for how many children in “Just Claire”.

I can’t speak for other writers. But my stories have layers and layers of meaning for me. It has to, or I will lose interest. I guess this is where passion for a story is of top importance.

So once I have my ideas, and believe me I still have around fifteen stories I still want to write, I test run the idea. I brainstorm whether or not the idea will work in the long haul. There’s only one story that I had to start writing within minutes after the idea came and that was “Road Trip of Delusion”. All my other ideas to date have to simmer in my brain for months and maybe years before I write the story.

What amazes me the most? I can forget about normal everyday routine stuff. Like, “Oh, I was supposed to get the roast out of the freezer last night.” Or, “Uh, oh, I forgot to mail that bill and now it’s late.”

My stories have layers of meaning.

But I would never forget a story idea. Nor once I decide it will work, I don’t forget the plot points I’ve pondered. They come to me when I begin to write.

I think writing is a gift God has given to me, and I cherish it with my whole heart.