Where Did You Come Up With That Idea Anyway?

In honor of our Giveaway Extravaganza I decided to answer a question I get every so often. How did I get the idea for my series? I thought you might all be interested as well. Or maybe not, but I needed a posting idea so indulge me.

So where did I come up with the idea for The Reboot Files? The answer is, it wasn’t the idea I started out with.

I know big surprise.

You see before the Reboot files I had been trying to write fiction for years. Trying being the operative word, and none of it was very good. I tried different genres, and we all know my troubles with genres. Even worse I was trying to be dark and disturbing (I can hear you laughing Nancy Jill!), and I was trying to write novels which I hadn’t yet discovered I wasn’t good at, I just thought I was supposed to write novels.

Now I’m old enough to remember that the internet did not exist for some of this time, so traditional publishing, with all their rules and regulations, was the only option available. Hard to believe I know, and yes, dinosaurs roamed the earth. Moving on…

To be honest most of these efforts were so bad and uninteresting I never even finished them. It was all rather mystifying because I knew the Lord had called me to be a writer, and He wouldn’t let me give up on it. Believe me, I tried. You know how persistent God can be when He wants you to do something? What I couldn’t figure was if He wanted me to be a writer, why was I so bad at it?

In case you think I’m putting myself down, I’m not, this was just what was going on at the time. Looking back on it now it wasn’t my writing that was so bad. It helped that I worked in the clerical field which gave me experience in technical writing as well as helping my composing skills.I know now that God hadn’t given me the right story, but finally He did. 
Here’s what happened, and it’s the truth. Believe me I’m not talented enough to make something like this up.

I was working on yet another doomed plot. It was all about a supposedly cursed treasure, everyone getting lost in the deep, dark woods trying to find it, and a rouge grizzly bear thrown into the mix. It was as bad as it sounds. I couldn’t figure out where to go in the plot, and I didn’t like any of the characters, never a good thing. I was about to give up in frustration and delete it all, but then I made what seemed at the time to be a minor change. I added a character named Irene.

Then the Gates of Heaven opened and the whole idea for a series about a wrongly disgraced Christian reporter stuck on a cheesy paranormal investigation TV show involving dubious ghost, monsters and such invaded my brain and took over my imagination.

I can feel your disbelief, but really, that’s all it took. That one character named Irene Waters who came out of nowhere, well God really, and the whole thing fell into place. Since every Sherlock needs a Watson Troy Stenson came along next. Then came their boss Bernie, an unexpected man of mystery.

So why did I add The Records Department headed by the mysterious Secretary? Well I had finished the first book and discovered I needed to explain why Irene Waters had up ended in the pickle she was in. Since I started my professional career as a legal secretary, I liked the idea of powerful woman in a profession not always given the respect it deserves in the shadows pulling everyone’s strings. Except for Irene but it’s not want of trying. As to what her end game is, she won't say. Funny, my other characters won't shut up, but she's not into conversation.
Don't worry, I'm not crazy, not yet anyway. It's just the way my imagination works. My characters talk to me, except The Secretary but I think it's to keep me interested.

Anyway, that’s how my story came to be, I hope my fellow authors will also share the origins of their plots as well. I suspect that in itself would be an interesting tale.

Remember to scroll down to sign up for the giveaway to win free stuff! Free Stuff is GOOD!

 

Mystery writer C.L. Ragsdale is the author of The Reboot Files a Christian Mystery Series. A California native, she loves to "surf" the web to research plot details for her fun, quirky stories. Working in various fields as a secretary has allowed her to both master her writing skills and acquire valuable technical knowledge which she uses liberally in her plots. She loves to embroider and knit and is a big fan of the old Scooby Doo cartoons.

Current E-Books
THE REBOOT FILES:  The Mystery of Hurtleberry House, The Island of Living Trees, The Harbinger of Retribution, and The Wrong Ghost.

www.coloringwithoutcrayons.blogspot.com
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