The Magic Answer

Aurelia: You haven’t blogged this week.

Me: I know. I know. What would you like me to blog about?

Aurelia: What have you been doing?

Me: Cleaning my house. It was a disaster.

Aurelia: You did not start cleaning until today.

Me: Sigh. True. I was also writing story ideas.

Aurelia: That sounds fun. Let’s talk about those.

Me: It’s a tad early to—

Aurelia: Then let’s talk about how you get ideas. People always want to know that.

Me: Ummm, it’s always different.

Aurelia: For example?

Me: Well, you introduced yourself by griping about an itching ankle.

Aurelia: It was driving me crazy.

Me: And Aerin was standing in that compartment on the spaceship, removing her headband and contemplating whether she could wash away her past as easily as she had scrubbed the dirt from her bare feet.

Aurelia: That scene is posted on the excerpt page of your website: http://www.anneosterlund.com/.

Me: Mmhm.

Aurelia: And Salva?

Me: Oh, he was checking out the pretty girl on the church steps.

Aurelia: You mean Pepe was checking her out.

Me: You’ve been talking to a biased source.

Aurelia: Ha! OK, so these new ideas you were writing this weekend. Where did they all come from?

Me: Alexandra was hiding under the steps during a barbecue. Anna was walking in the powdery dust while collecting water from the spring. Ecaterina was peering down a cliff and thinking about hurling a clay pitcher over the edge.

Aurelia: She sounds interesting.

Me: And Miranda. Well—the idea for Miranda’s story comes out of three months of directing twelve-year-olds in a play.

Aurelia: That cannot be worth it.

Me: You asked.

Aurelia: I suppose I did. So . . . what you’re really saying is there is no magical way to come up with ideas.

Me: The best way is to sit down with a pad of paper and start writing.

Aurelia: But that’s so BORING!

Me: That’s why I’m the author, and you’re not.

Aurelia: Point taken.