Inspired By Theme

You know how you hit that point of the work day when it’s pointless for you to even be sitting at your desk because you’ve got the attention span of a gnat on crack, and all you can think about is chocolate, alcohol, or your Friday night plans?  (Possibly all of the above.  At ONCE!)

I’m. So. There.

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Seriously.  It feels like an hour has passed.  :looks at clock:  THREE MINUTES.

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My thoughts are super scattered, but those that I’ve managed to catch with a butterfly net are related to the books I like to read–the tropes and…not exactly subgenres (like…paranormal or contemporary would be subgenres of romance)…and not tropes (e.g. second chance romance or friends to lovers romance)…I’m not sure it’s a category either (just because in romance that has a very particular meaning)…hell, there may not be a dedicated word to what I’m thinking about.  Romantic themes maybe?  I’m talking about, like…cowboy romance.  I LOVE THE CRAP out of some cowboy romance.  It’s all Candis Terry’s fault.  She hooked me with her Sweet, Texas series and then her publishers decided some other stuff would have broader appeal and so far she hasn’t bent to my attempts to ForceMotivate her StarWars style to write more and indie publish it (seriously, Candis, I NEED SMILEY’S STORY).

I’ve read a lot of other cowboy romances since then, though none have captured me quite like the Wilder brothers.  And every time I pick one up, I think, “Someday, I wanna write my own spin on cowboy romance.”  I don’t know what that would be yet, but it’s hanging out in the back of my mind.

I’ve got a bunch of thoughts like that swirling through my head.  Wishful was just such a thought.  It’s absolutely my love song to my adoration of small town romance.  I’m sure it won’t be the only small town romance I ever write, but it’s likely to be the only one where the town is, in and of itself, almost a character on its own.  Or not.  I should probably not say never.

Bad boy romances.  That’s another romantic theme I love.  Whether it’s military/ex-military, spies, warriors, cops, bikers…  I love reading about some bad boys.  The Sooper Seekrit Project I’m plotting out now that I plan to try to write at the same time as Something’s Gotta Give is going to be my first play with that.

I also want to do something on an island (I have no idea why), something paying homage to female friendship (in the vein of la Nora’s Bride Quartet–I’ve got something in mind for that), and don’t even get me started on the various and sundry concepts I have to explore a steampunk world.  So much inspiration.  So little time.

What kind of fictive themes spark your imagination and make you think “I wanna write something like this someday?”

6 thoughts on “Inspired By Theme

  1. Something very “geek.” As in the main character(s) is(are) geeky people. With the wave of “geek chic” I found more books with characters that like the same things I like (cosplay, AD&D, anime, manga, and so on). While they were good, there was always something off or missing for me. However, I just keep getting the same tired idea of transported to another world and dealing with it better than the “normal” people. So, the right idea hasn’t struck me yet.

    Though, my wanting to do something superhero inspired will soon come to fruition. MUAHAHAHA! Hopefully more on that soon. 🙂

    1. YES! That’s the thing I run into for a lot of my gut feelings. It’s not INTERESTING or DIFFERENT yet. I do have one cowboy idea that I love, and I’ll probably write it but I don’t think it’ll satisfy my desire to write a cowboy trilogy or series. That idea is still out there floating in the ether…

  2. Ah…. the super scattered thoughts. Been there, done that, not only about theme. My problem with themes is I analyze people around me. I see their quirks and want to put them in a book and throw all kinds of fun stuff at them to force the growth arc. Problem is, in fiction, it just wouldn’t be believable. Doesn’t matter it happened in real life, in a book…. well…. life is just stranger than fiction.

    Then there’s that island…. yeah, beach stories are so fun to read, except now, I live with a beach at every turn and I can tell you… still working out the details to make the reality of “The Islands” meet the expectations of the reading audience.

    Hmm…. think I’ll have another cup of coffee.

    1. Where abouts in the world do you live, Nancy? I’ve never lived on an island. I’ve visited a few over the years, but I’ve always been intrigued by the idea of life on an island.

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