Monday, November 22, 2010

Most Popular Author Question EVER

“Where do you get your ideas?” is probably the most asked question a writer is ever going to hear. And it’s a completely understandable one. How did Stephen King come up with Christine, a homicidal car that kills its owners? How did JK Rowling come up with Harry Potter, a kid who goes to a school for wizards? How did Stan Lee come up with Spider-Man, Bob Kane come up with Batman, Shuster and Siegel come up with Superman?

And, more importantly, how did they take those ideas and turn them into a story?

Ideas are everywhere, and ideas are- generally speaking- nothing special. Everyone has them. Quite often, when it comes to writing, people have the SAME idea, at the same time. Why do you think Hollywood comes out with two volcano movies in the same season, or two giant asteroid movies, or two earthquake movies? Ideas float around, just waiting to be plucked from the air and developed into something special- and it’s this development that decides how good it’s going to be.

I could have thought of Skulduggery Pleasant, after all, and set it in a world OF talking skeletons, where everything is magic and the fantasy overtakes the reality. Who knows, it might even have been good- but it wouldn’t have been the Skulduggery we all know today.

So the important thing, the really important thing, is what you do with the idea once you have it.

BUT- that’s not what I’m going to be talking about today. I’m here to talk about the ideas themselves, and where they come from.

Clive Barker once described the inside of his head as an attic. And in this attic, the walls are covered with posters. These are posters of every movie he’s ever seen, every book and comic he’s ever read, every song he’s ever heard. There are posters from history, from legend, from fairyales and from dreams. There are posters from his own life, his own experiences. His attic is FILLED with these posters, and they’re plastered on top of each other and beside each other, layer upon layer upon layer.

And here and there, some of the posters get torn, and frayed. Posters get ripped. And when that happens, he gets to see part of the poster underneath, and a little of the poster underneath that. And so suddenly he’s looking at a book he once read when he was twelve on top of a movie he’s just seen, combined with a dream he once had about a song he once heard.

And THAT is where ideas come from.

Different elements of different things combine to make something new. Skulduggery Pleasant is not the first walking skeleton in fiction, after all. Off the top of my head, there is Ghost Rider, Jack Skellington, Death (from the Terry Pratchett novels), and a character from a video game called Grim Fandango. I was aware of all of these things when Skulduggery came to me, but the idea of him didn’t come from ANY of these things. The idea of him came from his name, which told me who and what he was. The name Skulduggery Pleasant told me he was a skeleton detective- I didn’t come up with a skeleton detective and then look around for a name.

Of course, the books have a lot more ideas in them than good old Skulduggery, and some of them I even know EXACTLY where the idea came from. Serpine’s hand, for example, came from the Nick Cave song “Red Right Hand”, one of the coolest songs ever written. Other ideas come into existence out of sheer necessity.

Valkyrie’s reflection, for example. I started writing the book, way back in 2005, and the reflection wasn’t a part of it. I was writing a story about a 12 year old girl who sneaks out of her house and ditches school in order to spend time with a skeleton and find out who killed her uncle. She was getting into trouble in school, and she was having arguments with her parents. Every time she returned home, they’d have another argument- and that’s not what I wanted at all.

I wanted her home life to be warm, and fun, and funny. I wanted her parents to be crazy in love, and a little bit crazy. But I could write about none of that, because they were all spending their time arguing.

So I got to roughly halfway through, and I realised this wasn’t working. I needed to do something. The first thing I did was to have this story all happen during the summer holidays, when Valkyrie wouldn’t have to go to school. This cut down on SOME of the arguments, but not all. I needed something else, something bigger. I needed her parents to NOT miss her when she was gone. I needed a stand-in, perhaps, I needed a... a reflection.

The moment I thought of her reflection taking over her life when she was gone, my problems were over. Now she could be gone for days on end, and no one would know. I came up with the rule that she absorbs the reflection’s memories because I didn’t want her to miss out on school-work, and also because it was an entirely logical move to make.

Not only did the reflection solve a load of problems, it also offered up LOADS of story opportunities. It changed the course of the series, as you have all seen. The reflection is changing- it is growing. I know plenty of you have your own theories about what will happen to the reflection and I totally understand why you would think that. So far, you’re all WRONG, but I totally understand why you’d come to that conclusion...

Heh.

Now, when you get to the sixth book in a series, coming up with ideas is totally different to writing the FIRST book. Most of the elements are already there- they already exist. But you still need new ones.

Such as the whole Death Bringer thing. I’ve had that in mind for YEARS, and over that time, it’s changed. The more I wrote about Necromancers, the more I examined their powers, the deeper I got into their philosophy, the more I changed who and what the Death Bringer was. I needed certain things to happen to certain people in certain ways, and the ideas flowed from that.

Necessity, as they say, is the mother of invention. If you truly NEED something, you WILL find a creative way to do it.

Er, hopefully.

The honest truth is, there is no satisfactory answer to the most popular author question ever- and I don’t think there needs to be. People ask me it all the time, like they’re waiting to hear the secret, like once they KNOW where the good ideas come from, they’ll be able to write that amazing book they know they’re capable of.

But the idea isn’t the important thing. The important thing is the work, and the effort, and how you take that simple little idea and turn it into something special. And all THAT will only happen when you actually sit down and write the thing.

3,992 comments:

  1. You know, I'm never sure what to write in the comments. BUT, in this case, I shall bravely comment to tell you that I am pretty much in love with how you explain things and just generally how you write.
    I feel awkward now so buh bye!

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  2. Hi im a first user of blog. I was wondering if you can tell us the name of the new SP book (best book eva!!). And if you need a charecter name i made one up and it is Lacuna Chi.(the missing energy).
    second comment!!! YESS!!!
    P.S i post game reviews on my blog if you want?

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  3. just a thought- what is Darquesse and the Death Bringer are the same THING? i mean, we all know how twisted Necromancers are..... meh heh heh

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  4. nooooooooooooooooooooo
    i was THIS close to seeing this and having the first comment!
    then my password decided to jack up....
    anywho
    i cant WAIT till book 6 comes out!!!!

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  5. hey derek,
    if you ever want to come over to South Africa (please do!)your books are the besst i recently got number 5 (love it when valkyrie kicks that guys brain out!!) and i'm seriously considering framing it!!! Any tips for authors in the making?

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  6. Me either tiffany 7212 (do your friends call you that? Quite a mouthful)

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  7. Gee you go for a comment one minute and next thing you know theres another four people in front of you

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  8. Cool Derek... you didn't wish me happy birthday though! :(

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  9. Excuse me... I'm loyal and faithful to everyone...

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  10. i think this is the closest to the first comment i ever have got.............i dont know for sure!

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  11. Kallista Pendragon the Beautiful zombie... same applies for you (as Tiffany 7212) and myself considering my full name is Graham John Abraham Robert Wiggill.

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  12. I am loyal and faithful to EVERYONE Kallista, except for under extreme circumstances...

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  13. Wow...Derek...that was quite deep and meaningful..

    Most of it went well over my head but thats not the point.

    That was actually really helpful! I wanted to be a vet but now i am considering being an author or scriptwriter as i just love making up stories!

    Dreams also facinate me. Dreams can be awesome but they can also be quite terrifying :|


    I hope i come up with an idea as great as skulduggery :D

    OHHHH! Actually i have a question- DEREK!!! Did u get any of your ideas about skulduggery from Sherlock Holmes? I havent actually read the books but Skulduggey and Sherlock sound like they have a few simalarities.



    anyways, HI EVERYONE!

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  14. hi, sory i'm late...
    my dad's here...
    and i keep on glarin at the hole line underneath my door...
    i hope i wont get busted...

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  15. yeah, who else would bring the comment count up to 23 in like, ten minutes?

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  16. hey derek, 1 question...
    do u even read all and i meanALL of our comments?
    even the useless ones?
    plez answer...
    or else...

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  17. i think he reads all of them even the useless ones and laughs at our random conversations in a Golden God-ish way.

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  18. If Flo is better, and tells me her friend code for GoldenEye... she won't feel the awsome power of my Sigmus 9... just watch it... while I kill some other people... I hope you can do Team Conflict with your friends as well as randomers...

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  19. thnx 4 the tip kallista...
    now how's bout tellin me somethin that wont MAKE me even more scared than i m next time, will ya...

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  20. you two make me laugh!
    Kallista's all happy to see me and then Dragon Boy's like all 'oh crap not her'

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  21. LOL!

    I just went behind a sniper and whacked him in the back of the head with my Sigmus 9... killed him :P

    I think he now may get revenge...

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  22. I have about an hour until my dad gets home to help me with my science so....


    PENGUIN PARTY! *unloads crate of penguins and gives everyone pernguin suits*

    PENGUINS!!!! *waddles madly on the spot*

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  23. *does a little dance*


    SMOKE GRENADE TIME!


    *throws smoke grenade on the floor, blinding myself and the enemies nearby*

    I think people might hate me on this... smoke grenades :P but Flo found it funny...

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  24. oh and Dragona just goes on and on about his bloody boy games just like all the boys at school do.

    seriously- i walk into class and all i hear is Black Opps this, Modern Warfare that, GoldenEye this, Kill Fluffy Rabbits that.....

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  25. yes... penguins.....

    they throw up to feed their kids!

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  26. Dragon Boy if you keep tlking about Fluff everyone will start thinking you like her...

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  27. *is blinded by smoke granade and falls over a penguin.*


    NOOOO!!!!!!!!! *falls off cliff in dramatic slow-motion*

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  28. Never played Black Opps, Modern Warfare and Kill Fluffy Rabbits... I'm talking about GoldenEye...

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  29. FOUR IN A ROW! IWINIWINIWIN!!!!

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  30. yes, but thats practically the same thing. you boys just talk on and on about your games that all involve BLOWING THINGS UP.

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  31. not that im complaining- i like blowing things up.

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  32. *still falling in slow-motion* erm...help?

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  33. guys, i'm really scared....
    i know my parents arent asleep yet...
    especially my DAD...
    o my gosh, i'm so scared that my hands r cold...

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  34. People say GoldenEye is rubbish... but it ACTUALLY isn't... it's one of the best games I've played... I'm level 9 and Sigmus level 4, but there are some guys who are like already level 30!

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  35. *mumbles* wish i could blow things up. But apparently 'explosives are dangerous' and 'im not responsible enough'

    ...stupid responsibility

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  36. oh well knight, dragona threw a smoke grenade and i got blinded and tripped over a penguin. so now im falling in dramatic slo-mo over a cliff.


    ...you know nothing weird or anything

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  37. see- im not allowed even a STICK. if i get a stick, apparently i'll go and kill everyone. with a STICK for gods sake!

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  38. YAY! THANKS FOR SAVING ME KALLISTA! *glares at everyone else.*

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  39. I don't know how many levels there are... I kill everyone and hardly die at all... I'm quite good at it I suppose...

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  40. but i dont need a stick.... i have fists and feet!

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  41. HEY! i was GOING to save you, but i was blinded by Dragon Boy's bloody smoke grenade! i would have ended up strangling someone!

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  42. wonka:u r ...umm..kindda wonka....

    gecko:oh come on,i dont even know how 2 stop u from slow motion...

    dragona: o...i c...

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  43. *stares into space and mumbles under breath*

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  44. This helped :)
    Great blog entry!!
    Also... just thought i'd say that i have gotten 3 mates OBSESSED with Skulduggery Pleasant xD

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  45. *sees ben on ground* oh. hi ben. *leaves ben on ground and goes over to dance with pnguins again*

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  46. Sorry... ask Flo, I go a little mad on smoke grenades... THEY ARE SO COOL!

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  47. YAY!!! New post!
    Derek, are you visiting my school. I'm not going to say where I go to school for obvious reasons but are you visiting a school? Rumors spread fast.

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  48. bloody hell. theres someone mortally wounded here.

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  49. The way i write my story's is way different from Clive Barker's way of writing. when i write, i see it as a movie, playing out like a video in my head so that all i need to do is describe what i see in my head. also i make my characters very much like myself in real life. Anarchy Rose is everything i can't be, she has a very bad-girl type personality. Bone is very much like me, cheerful and fun loving, but she can kill you while smiling. Bridget is my most violent side, I don't really think i need to explain that one. i'm babbling now, but i hope you enjoyed that little peek into my mind and it's crazy workings

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  50. *sees lollypop and stops dancing* LOLLYPOP! *thanks kallista and takes lollypop. eyes widen* SUGGGEEERRRR!

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  51. *throws more smoke grenades at the floor*

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  52. *when the smoke clears, Dragona is gone*

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  53. DRAGONA THERE IS A PERSON ON THE FLOOR! YOU HAVE JUST CHUCKED SMOKE GRENADES AT HIM!!

    *mutters*
    bloody irresponsible 14 yr olds...

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  54. theoisdjhfoi rason you've not seen me for a while is i've been at a looooooooooooong sleep over . . . it was . . . eventfull

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  55. kallista...
    i dont really like 2 lie, unless if i think i hv no other choice...(or busted)

    AND i'm on a LONG scholl holiday!
    i dont hv homeworks or projects!

    AND i've done my history project!!

    my parents(especially my dad) comes 2 my room 2 check on me whether i'm sleepin or studyin or...
    oh, i dunno...
    NOT USIN THE LAPTOP AND INTERNET!!!!

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  56. not even disappearing will save you!!!

    BAHAHAHAH!!!!

    oops- the smoke went to my head there....

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  57. Oh... ah yes, I was supposed to use these grenades...


    *tosses Flash-bang grenades everywhere*

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  58. u oh knight may just get busted....

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  59. *coughs* can't be on forr long since . . . well . . . i've sorta gota date

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  60. oh. irresponsible RECENTLY TURNED 14 yr old BOYS then.

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  61. *goes hyper on suger* YAYYYY!
    *comes in on a unicycle and chaces penguins around while laughing madly*

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  62. *Gapes at Ben. Quickly shuts mouth* Um...... cough.... have a good time?

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  63. u gotta date ben?!!!!!!!!!!!

    AND WHAT DO U MEAN I'LL GET BUSTED WONKA???!!!!!

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  64. *throws smoke grenade at KAllista, when the smoke displaces, Kallista is looking down the muzzle of a Sigmus 9 held by Dragona*

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  65. @ Darkane- wolves and cats are just as good as each other: the can both main and kill and still stay cute at the same time.

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  66. This nice girl i've had my eye on for a whilev . . . well, nine years . . . and i'm fourteen!!!! doun't dis me!!!!

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  67. @knight u will get busted by ur dad of course! trust me- ive been there!

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  68. Dragon Boy, put the gun down....

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  69. Don't be sad,
    Be glad,
    Be happy, for me,
    I'll be home come sundown,
    In the land where I'm free,
    Don't be sad, be glad,
    Be happy, for me.

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  70. Gtg, bunnies and art homework. I'll be back on....... sometime. I'm not sure.
    *Disappears in a poof of marshmallows, lollipops and candy floss*

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  71. that is 1 scary...whatever u called it...u've got there dragona...

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  72. I don't want to put this gun down... with it I saved Flo's life (I didn't know it was her at the time) and I got a 15 kill streak with it... it's an awsome gun...

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  73. darkane- wolves and cats are both cool. i have cats and they rock but wolves are my favorite animal so...its really hard to choose.

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  74. *raises eyebrow*
    not even a FAIRY could disappear as gross as THAT

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  75. yes . . . and I basically . . . kissed her at the sleepover thing. And tht's why the kid who's sleepover it was extended it another week. His parents are away and he invited most of the girls. I should get him somit for thx . . . how about some tishu paper?

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  76. Dragona, your gun has a banana sticking out the end of it. i cant really take you seriously right now.

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  77. *sees darkane's poof of lollypops, candyfloss and marshmellows* MORE SUGEEERRR! *unicycles over to go eat more*

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  78. eww(ben this is basiclly mostly 4 u)
    boys r gross...

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  79. Bunnies can wait, It's hail stoning.

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  80. ben, you dont LOOK 14 in the picture...

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  81. wonka, when u wrote FAIRY...
    i really do hope 4 ur sake that isnt me...

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  82. Yes i'm fourteen. You din't think that photo was me NOW. tht was bout' three or four years ago!

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  83. *dodges a few pineapple chunks*

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  84. *shoots banana out of the end of the gun, covering Wonka in mushed banana*

    Oops... sorry... I was aiming for the wall...

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  85. *sings madly while eating marshmellows* SUNSHINE, LOLLYPOPS AND RAINBOWS, DU,DU,DU,DU!

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  86. *banana skin hits Kallista in the face*

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  87. wahahahahaha nice dragona!!!!
    next time just shoot wonka with real bullets!!!!

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  88. great. i even dodged he bloody pineapple!

    *lobs open tin of baked beans at Dragon Boy*

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  89. OK so i'm thirteen and a bit but still.

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  90. kallista...seriously...
    I THINK I'M GONNA B SICK!!!!

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  91. SHUT IT, FAIRY GIRL!
    and we signed a truce- he cant do that so HA!

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  92. DAMN . . . i've been called by my sorta gf and she's comin round. oh hell.

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  93. And now I'm going. *Disappears in a poof of bullets and chocolate bars*

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  94. in twlve and... uh... two and a half months!

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  95. BEN: I KNEW IT!!!!
    no wonder i was surprised!
    i think u've told me that u were still 13!

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  96. *backs away from KAllista, hiding behind table with Sigmus 9 ready to fire*

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  97. yea, goodbye, ben. its not that i didnt enjoy your company, its just that you kinda annoy me.

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  98. i havent actually ever kissed a boy so i wouldnt know... *sniffles*


    *sees giant chocolate bar and cheers up* CHOCOLATEEEE!

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  99. i had to put up with you going on and on for a whole DAY

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  100. WONKA:WHAT DIDU JUST CALLED ME FRIZZLETOPS???!!!

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  101. Same Geckogirl. I've never kissed a guy.

    Now I really have to do HW. BYE!!!!!!!!

    *Disappears in a poof of apple juice*

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  102. and im still covered in banana!

    *takes a shower...*

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  103. Kallista can you put your profile on?

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  104. *comes back from shower with glossy straight and sleek hair*

    Frizzletops? oh please, Fairy

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  105. APPLE JUICE!!! *licks apple juice off floor*

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  106. bye thrice who i dont even know that well!

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  107. ok, i'm back. i was doing some graphic designs for a friend

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  108. I'm not levin yet . . . and wonka YOU ANNOY ME! now we're even...

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  109. *takes cover from Kallista, she can't see him, he is ninja*

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  110. Kallista i think he uses SUPERGLUE to stick his hair up...

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  111. *takes lollipop and sucks happily, still in cover*

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  112. ben go and snog some girls....

    AND LEAVE ME ALONE!

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  113. wonka: stop callin me that...

    kallista: if it's that easy, i would hv done it!
    but like i said!
    my parents commin 2 my room(especially my dad)
    is unpredictable!
    unless,dragona would like 2 help(in case it wasnt clear, it's a joke dragona...)

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  114. Wonka... it's called GEL, not superglue...

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  115. hey Wonka . . . tht's atally a good idea. jokin.

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  116. *helps that slightly fryed Kallista up* good to see you to

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  117. *Stops licking apple juice* hey lizzy!

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  118. nah, it's ok kallista...
    i'm sure i'll b fine...
    i hope...

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  119. I've got 0 friends on GoldenEye so far... I think no one likes me because I blind them and then take them out... maybe...

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  120. right, so,ben..
    u got everythin 4 the date?

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  121. and Lizzy and Kallista, in the States. You allway's have to pay tip . . . WHY?

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  122. those guys r gonna kill me 4 gettin this 1st place...

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  123. what do you mean we have to pay tip?

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  124. Wht . . . wat do I need for a date. I got a cicken wing. And some mouldy pizza... my parents should not leave ME to run the house for a week.

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  125. and stuff like tht. It annoyed me the first time I went there. But it's a cooooooooooooool place.

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  126. ummmm, doesn't everyone have to do that?

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  127. dont u got any flowers or gifts?
    or chocolates?

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  128. My mate had a gf and he says play it cool and be yourself. But at the party I was a bit tired so i don't know wht to do. Maybe I open the door say hi and come in . . . then . . .?

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  129. no lizzy. not the extra. we pay wat the price is... no more money. i'm allready skint

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  130. All my friends have a gf and I haven't got a clue...

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  131. i'd love to help but i have no idea who the girl is, and how long you've known her and stuff like that

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  132. Thanks Kallista :O

    (sarcasm)


    *wipes pie off face*

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  133. and I do hav some chocolate. but it's horrible. wat did i do yesterday. well. i said hi and said like your clothes then . . . well she stepped forward and wah'lah.

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  134. actually ben, u do hv 2 b urself...
    just... tidy up ur place a little...

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  135. i've known her for nine years. her name's Emily.

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  136. wow, r u a chocolate gentleman, ben...

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  137. Tell her she looks nice... I think...

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  138. what a lovely name...
    i'm sure she's nice

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  139. Oh no I've gone into matchmaker mode again... *walks into a lamp post*

    All good :P

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  140. Tht's noot being myself but. I'll keep her in kithen, livin room, and bedroom

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  141. ok...i'd say dragona has lost he's mind but apperently, it's not new...

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  142. common ben, just...clean up what u can..at least

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