Do you know the number one question I get asked by my readers?
“Where in the world do you get the ideas for the stories you write!”
The truth is, that the idea for a story comes from various sources. Sometimes it’s from a personal or shared life experience, sometimes it’s from a news story on television or something I read in a news publication. Often, it’s a combination of all of the above.
I’ve even had story ideas come to me in my sleep and I’ve had to jump out of bed in the middle of the night to write them down so I wouldn’t forget them. Believe me, there’s nothing more frustrating than waking up in the morning and knowing that, that awesome story your mind conjured up at 2 in the morning is long forgotten.
In any event, I thought you might find it interesting to know ‘the story behind the stories’ of some of the many tales I’ve published over the last 11 years.
So here we go, below are the thoughts, ideas and interesting tidbits that inspired the 8 stories found in my book – The Twisted Road Ahead: An Anthology of Short Stories.
Tormented Heart
The idea for this story popped into my head on one of my many visits to Bodega Bay, California. As I stood on the cliffs of Sonoma Coast State Park staring down at the vast and beautiful Pacific Ocean, I thought, When I die, wouldn’t it be nice to have my ashes scattered off this very spot into the Ocean.
That morbid, yet comforting thought is what lead to the premise of this twisted love story.
Blame It on the Weather
Something about TV Meteorologists (weather persons) and the idea that they are arrogant enough to believe they can predict what mother nature will do has never sat right with me. It’s easy to predict the weather when you have nothing at stake. When their predictions are wrong (which is 50% of the time) there are no consequences, they assume (correctly) that people will simply forget, and therefore they can move on to their next bold prediction.
But what if there were consequences when they are wrong? Would they still be so smug and callous with their predictions. This has always been a pet peeve of mine, so I decided to write a story about the consequences of being wrong. Try not to laugh!
The Beckoning Sunrise
A simple story about divorce and starting over. I’ve witnessed it many times in my circle of friends and family and each time the story is different. This is one of those stories.
One Shot to the Head
The idea for this story came to me as part of a reoccurring dream (some may call it a nightmare). I take my girlfriend out for a fancy expensive dinner only to discover that to my embarrassment I’ve either lost my wallet or forgotten it at home and of course home is never across the street.
This story takes place on Valentine’s Day and the reason for the main character not having his wallet takes a hilarious and, in the end a festinating spin.
Disturbing Conversations
This story is based on the idea that listening to the voices in your head can make you believe or imagine that things real… but are they? What is the definition of crazy? The writer in this story struggles to find out.
Forgiveness
This story is based on article I read many years ago about the consequences of divorce and how it effects the children in a relationship. The article was about the strained relationship between a daughter and her mother, and how they (sadly) never made amends until it was to late.
My story explores a secret revealed by a mother on her dead bed to her daughter. The revelation explains why she divorced her husband and chose to be estranged from her daughter for all these years.
The truth will change her daughter’s life forever… but will she be able to accept it.
A Toast to My Sorry Life
There are many reasons why couples choose to stay together through troubled marriages, but I’ve always wondered why they stay together when one of the couples is being unfaithful and flaunts it in the other spouse’s face.
This is a story about such a situation and how sometimes getting revenge is the best medicine.
Words to A Kill
This story has a personal twist. I know someone who I’d refer to as a ‘front seat driver’. Said person is simply unable or unwilling to control their disdain (both verbally and physically) when confronted by the sight of poor driving habits of any kind. They will glare at, gesture towards, or scream at drivers in other vehicles who are not driving in accordance with said persons standards.
I’ve warned this person about the possible consequences of their bad behavior, but it always fells on death ears.
The possible fallout from this type of behavior and in this case the crazy consequences are the highlight in this story. The main protagonist uses this behavior as a tool to settle a score.
John D. Ottini - Author 