Oh, Those Weird Ideas

Writers are often asked the universal question: "Where do you get your ideas?". As a horror writer, I get that one a lot in the email, at the mall and in the post office parking lot. Seems it's something everyone wants to know.

I answer, while trying not to think about the underlying reasons for the question, possibilities that might be summed up as, Geez, are you really that weird? or Are you anything like the characters you write about? or What really makes you tick?

Trying to put their minds at ease isn't easy because I am weird, if weirdness is defined by carrying a notepad with me everywhere and occasionally stopping whatever I'm doing to jot something into it. I call it my 'little black book' and it contains all sorts of things: phrases, snippets of colorful conversation, juicy stuff I might use in a story. I never know when I might need something from it and I find I refer to it often.

Is weird defined by waking up from three or four hours of deep sleep (I'm lucky if I get that much rest!), prodded by that unseen, driving force I affectionately call 'my muse', to haul my ass up out of bed to write? I admit, sometimes I forget to eat while I'm in the middle or a story or novel chapter and might starve if not for my husband and kids reminding me they are hungry.

If that's just not normal, then I guess I'm weird.

But am I like the characters I create? Well, yes and no. I suppose since I create them, good and evil, a little of my soul goes into them. And sure, there are certain personality aspects that reflect my own. For instance, Dinah Morgan, the restaurant critic in Unforgivable prefers gourmet food. (So do I, and I plan on eating it regularly when I'm rich enough to afford to hire a personal chef, hah!), Mike Nicklas, in Beyond the Mist, works on a lobster boat, doing the same job I do in the Autumn. Nell in Pumpkin-Eater lost a best friend to death in college; so did I. Stanley, the janitor in The Bones of Angus McHill has sort of a phobia going on about being poisoned by fumes and the protagonist in Honey has a similar affliction about bees. Having fear (or great respect) for the same things, trust me, I can identify with these characters.

But that's really where the similarities between my characters and myself end. I suspect if I created a character just like me, readers would find it rather boring. Not much intriguing about a thirty-something wife and mom rushing through errands and chores so she has more time to write, heh heh.

I am not my characters. Last year, a lady approached my husband while we were grocery shopping and said she'd heard I was a writer. "Does she write children's books?" she asked. "Something I can read to my kids?" My husband managed to keep a straight face, bless his heart, and told her, "Only if you want to keep them up all night screaming." He added, "My wife is a horror writer." The lady looked a bit shocked. "But she seems so nice..."

And how about, Will you be dressing up for the writer's lecture? Stuff like that makes me chuckle. Sure, I'll wear clothing and maybe a little makeup. How about that? Heh, heh.

Over the years, I've met a lot of fellow writers, editors and film makers in this genre. Guess what? They're a nice bunch of folks. I suppose what makes us different than, say children's writers, is that we are out to scare you. That's our purpose: to thrill you with something to think about when you turn off the lights.

So where do the ideas come from?

The answer is everywhere. Ideas for plots, villains, characters and settings surround us. Dreams, nightmares and personal fears play a good part in this, too. (I keep another notepad beside my bed for jotting down dreams, especially the scary ones because I figure what scares me can also scare you.)

Observation is vital. I find myself drawn to watching people interact with one another. When I'm in an interesting setting, I try to take in every detail--the feel of the breeze on my face, the color of the sky, the smells in the air, the looks of buildings and trees to my eyes--and how I feel about being there, experiencing it. If it's an interesting enough place, it will find its way into a story or chapter.

The great 'what if' emerges as if on-cue. That's pure imagination, plain and simple.

So if I can suspend your disbelief, if only for a little while, in ghosts, demons and things going bump in the night, that's a hallmark of good horror. I believe great horror will haunt you long after you've put away the book and that's quite an achievement on part of the writer.

It's the goal I strive for when I write. And yes, when it does happen, that's precisely what makes me tick.

Author's Bio: T.M. Gray's works have been published at: Bloody Muse, Errata, Gathering Darkness, Dueling Minds, Deviant Minds, DeathGrip, Blood Moon's Pillow Screams, The Goblin Muse, UNHINGED OnLine, HorrorFind, Castle Dracula, Lone Wolf Publications Extremes III: Terror on the High Seas, Abe's Tomb Tales of Terror collection, Objet d'Evil anthology and Short, Scary Tales. Her collection of short stories 'Feast of Faust' will be published soon. Gray is a member of the Horror Writers Association and you can visit the website of Maine's maven of macabre at: http://www.horrorseek.com/horror/tmgray/