MaryLu's Musings - Where do you get your best ideas?

The other day a friend of mine asked me where I get my ideas for the plots and characters in my books.  The question really caught me off guard because this was a social setting and these were my friends, not my readers, and we rarely discuss my writing. In fact, you may find it odd but most of my friends here in town don't really care that I write books. Most have never read my books. In fact, most of my family has never read my books. Weird, huh? But I actually like it that way. Every author needs some down time just being normal (if that's possible for a writer), and hanging out with friends who really don't give a flying fig that they are a published author.  But I digress.

Normally when I'm asked where my ideas come from, I give the standard answers... from movies, TV, from life, from God, etc.. All that is true, but when my friend asked this question, I just blurted out before I had a chance to think:  The Bathtub.

Whoops, sorry, that's my dream bath tub!! 

Here's my real bath tub!

Anyway, once I said "Bathtub", I realized how true it was!  I cannot tell you how many times I've spend the entire day struggling over a scene, trying to get it right, trying to figure out what each character would say and do in a certain situation. How they would react, feel, act. It can drive an author nuts! For those of you who think writing is easy, it's not. I used to be a computer programmer for IBM, and let me tell you, being an author taxes my brain much more than writing computer code ever did. Some days after writing multiple scenes with multiple characters, I can still hear my characters talking it up in my head long after I stopped writing. Once I get them charged up, they don't seem able to shut up and go to sleep!  I tend to walk around with that dazed look in my eye and my husband  asking if I'm all right. Sure, I'm all right. I just have twenty other people in my head who are dancing, sword-fighting, sailing ships, and falling in love! Those are the days when I've usually written well.  But some days I just can't figure out what should really happen in a scene. And of course when I need my characters to talk, they slam their mouths shut, cross their stubborn arms over their chests, and stare at me. Brats!

But once I slip into that warm, sudsy water and lay back on my bath pillow and close my eyes, scenes start popping into my head. Suddenly I can picture the entire scene being acted out in front of me with my characters talking and things happening. It's almost like a movie!.  In fact, I usually have to make an effort to impress the entire thing in my mind so I don't forget. (Which is why I'm often seen running out of the bathroom in my towel trying to find a pen and paper!)

So you see, that's just one of the many reasons I love my bath. Not to mention that it's very relaxing and one of the few places I can escape the family and be alone.  Maybe it's because of those very things that the creative side of my brain can finally come out.

So, what about you??  Is there someplace special you go to think? Is there a place in your house or yard that you tend to gravitate toward when you are tired or stressed and need to unwind?  Do you find that you get your best ideas there?  I'm curious...  please leave a comment and let me know! 

And have a great weekend!!