Q: Where do you get your ideas?

A: They frequently fall out of the sky and knock me down like Newton and his apple. Okay, not really, but it feels that way sometimes. Things happen all around me and sometimes they end up in stories. I mentioned two of these in the question that asked, “How do I get started?” Really, you just have to be alert to ideas. WHEN PAPA SNORES was my first book. My husband and I used to tease each other about snoring in front of the kids. He'd say stuff like, “When your mama snores, the manhole covers bounce up and down.” Well I couldn't let him top me, so I' say something like, “When your daddy snores, the people in the graveyard sit up and yell 'be quiet!'.” It turned into a game until my husband suggested I turn it into a book. HICCUP SNICKUP came from a rhyme my grandmother taught me when I was a child. HOW I BECAME A PIRATE was pure imagination, but I loved pirates as a kid and it was a natural way to go. When an associate at a bookstore, now a friend, (Thanks Helen!) suggested that there weren't many children's books about pirates for kids, (at the time there weren't), I jumped on it. PIRATES DON'T CHANGE DIAPERS came about when my kids, both teenagers by then, walked into the room pretending to flip eye-patches up and down. I thought they'd both lost it. “Mama, look!” they told me “Pirate peek-a-boo.” It was too funny to ignore.

Be a good observer. Listen for sounds and phrases that interest you. Watch for happenings that grab your attention. Keep a bank of ideas on your computer! There are stories everywhere. You just have to be ready to write them.


If you're still not satisfied, drop a line to writers@melindalongbooks.com. Due to the volume of inquiries I receive, I cannot respond to each question, but do get to as many as is possible in a timely manner. And, of course, thanks for your interest!