I Think Best When I'm Naked

I vividly remember first getting the idea for Immortal Writers. I had just seen a great movie that I really connected with, and I was furious. What fun was reality when it didn't have magic in it? Where were the dragons? The fairies? The phoenixes? Why had I never ridden a unicorn? And why, for goodness' sake, couldn't I be as awesome as the characters I loved in my books?

And then I stopped to think. If those things were real, what would be the consequences?

I was in the shower at the time. Maybe that's why the entire novel came to me at once. Perhaps I think best when I'm naked. It makes sense to me. I'd like to think I'm inspiring. But as I stood there with the water running over me, the entire plot to Immortal Writers slapped me silly. I stood there for several minutes, absorbing it all. It was beautiful. It was perfect. How had I not thought of it before?

That night, I wrote the synopsis of the first book of Immortal Writers. I knew what had to happen. I knew the protagonist intimately already. It was like Liz had introduced herself to me and told me her life story. It was beautiful and it was terrible. Would it be fun to have my favorite stories come to life? Of course. But the consequences were nearly unbearable. As a writer myself, I wouldn't want to be placed in Liz's position. But I could sure have fun writing about her predicaments.

I hope that, when Immortal Writers comes out next year, you will all enjoy it. I hope it makes you think. I hope you have fun imagining your favorite stories and your favorite authors going through the same type of thing you'll see Liz going through. I hope your imagination soars when you think about this world absorbing your favorite lands, such as Wonderland and Middle Earth. And I hope you get as angry as I did when I realized that none of my favorite stories would ever exist in this world.

But when you get down about that, just strip down and take a shower. Who knows what your mind will come up with?