Writing Ideas and Where They Come From

Summer has finally arrived. We skipped through spring after a cold winter.

Summer is always busy around here. Yard work. Garden work.

I am still writing, though I don't post a lot.

I write (and rewrite) a lot. I am a perfectionist and try to get every word just right.

I haven't sent anything to a publisher all year - until a few days ago.

I sent in a PB manuscript to a publisher.

This manuscript started out as a poem, but the more I looked at it the more I realized it had great potential for a picture book.

So, a poem that was inspired by a craft I had my Crazy Crafters at the local senior center do, is getting sent off to publishers.

What was the craft? This cute egg holder made from an egg carton.

I had this craft on my mind for so long, I woke up early one morning and the words flowed onto the paper. I sat there in the dark on the edge of my bed scribbling down words about this ornery rooster.

If anything ever comes of it, I will have my Crazy Crafters to thank for it.


My MG, Duck and Cover, came from a small childhood memory.
My historical novel (which I am still editing and reediting) was inspired by my grandparents. 
Using a few known facts about my grandparents as a starter, I stirred in a large amount of imagination and this fictional story was born.


Do you ever come up with ideas out of nowhere or on the spur of the moment?
Have any of those ideas every gotten published?