Mindy McGinnis

View Original

The House of Writing Metaphors - Hell's Chimney

Part of the charm of having an old house is chimneys. Real brick chimneys that shoot straight through two floors of house, right out of the roof. But I've got one in particular that doesn't seem to end. This bugger has a locatable top (predictably, on the roof), but the bottom seems to keep on going... straight down to, uh, whatever is down there. Also, there's not a fire*place*, just a chimney. Yes, Mindy’s HoWM really is a quirky place.

As a writer, how often are you asked this question: "Where do you get your ideas?"

That's a tough one, 'cause hell - I don't know! Sometimes I can trace the origin back to a dream, or something I observed in my people watching that bloomed into a story. But usually I have no idea, and I don't question it. Inspiration is so fleeting that I don't search for the source, I'm grateful that it's there, and to whatever muse feels like I'm the right person to drop it on.

Much like Hell's Chimney, I don't ask. I just go with it, decorate around it, and watch what unfolds.

What's your source of inspiration?