Monday, October 4, 2010

Why I Wrote POSSESSION

So I've had people in my real life asking me this question: "What's your book about?" or "Why did you write this book?"

So okay, I thought I'd expound a little.

First, some facts:
1. POSSESSION used to be titled CONTROL ISSUES. If you've heard me talk about that before, it's the same book.
2. POSSESSION was the third novel I completed. The first two are terrible with a capital T.
3. I wrote POSSESSION in 17 days in April 2008. It was 90,000 words. This upcoming published version is about 77K.
4. I edited POSSESSION at least 20 billion times, some lightly, some heavy, some in between. This is the life of a pantser.

So there's all that.

But why did I write it? Where did the idea come from?

I can't pinpoint the time and day when I thought about the overall idea for POSSESSION. I wanted to write a dystopian novel, because I'd just read UGLIES by Scott Westerfeld (go, now. read. love). I'd never written a dystopian novel before--in fact I'd never considered writing science fiction before.

That's what geeks did, right? Um...don't answer that.

I'd been thinking a lot about my life, and the choices I'd made that had led me to where I was, and that led to the question: What would life be like if we couldn't make our own choices?

And bam! Instant brainwashing society. Just add words. So I did. I added more and more words. And a generous helping of cute boy. A pinch of angst. A teaspoon of betrayal. A handful of snark.

And POSSESSION was formed. It's not quite ready to be born yet, but I'm anxiously anticipating it's book birthday on June 7* 2011.

Favorite quote from POSSESSION: If I fell, I'd kill the stupid bad boy for making me climb up here.

So why are you writing your current WiP? Where do your ideas come from? And most important: are you a science fiction geek?


*date subject to change

95 comments:

Natalie Aguirre said...

Sorry, I'm not a science fiction geek though I'm getting into it more because my daughter & her friends really are. I've already told them about your book and they're looking forward to it.

I'm writing mine because I love fantasy and don't really see any stories with an adopted (not orphan)kid as the main character or really much of a character. I've edited mine zillions of times too. Glad to know I'm not the only one who had to cut over 10,000 words. I'm almost done.

Susanne Winnacker said...

Not sure if I'm a sci-fi geek but seeing that my book on sub is post-apocalyptic and one of my WIPs is sci-fi I probably am. lol
I love love love dystopian books and I'm incredibly happy that so many of them will be published 2011!
Where do I get my ideas? I wish I knew. They seem to be coming from everywhere... ;)

Anonymous said...

FIrst of all, you wrote it in 17 days? You are amazing, Elana!

My WIP combines a character I wish I were and a setting that brings back memories of one of my favorite childhood hobbies. Now add a lot of twists and a grim spin on the whole setting and there's my WIP. It practically wrote itself--but it took a lot more than 17 days. Sorry, I'm still in amazement about that.

Vicki Rocho said...

Mine came from the saying, "worshiping at the porcelain throne". I wondered what if there really were a Porcelain God listening in to our depraved rantings just as we're about to heave...

Christina Lee said...

Awesome. Yeah novel ideas tend to be random-- this thought leads to another and usually while walking my dog ;--)

Can't wait to read it E!

Christine Fonseca said...

My current WiP..Hmmm..not sure where the idea came from. The mc just started talkng one day. More importantly...CAN.NOT.WAIT to hold your book in my hands!

Melanie said...

Although I officially can no longer call it my "wip" (since it's done!!!), the idea for this story came to me from memories of a place I stayed in a long time ago that was part of family week for an alcoholic family member. It was intense and the place sucked because I was a teenager and forced to adhere to all the same strict rules as the alcoholics and well, teenager+restrictions and rules=not my idea of a good time. So, being that I had just finished my first novel (trunked) and was on this paranormal/powers kick, I thought, what if there was a place like this where teens who were troubled and law breaking had to stay as a sort of rehabilitation/therapy/treatment program and the idea for Breaking Out was born.

Bast said...

17 days for 90,000 words is incredible!

The book I just finished was inspired by the music video for Paramore's "Brick by Boring Brick." I was just watching the video and the idea came to me.

Stina said...

17 days!!!! Wow!!!

My ideas come from everywhere. I have two wip right now. One I'm about to query next week. That was basically a idea I got from a project I shelved. Yep, I believe in recyling. The rest of it (myth and characters) will be used for another book.

My other wip came from a mix of reality/contest show and a magazine article about a topic I was interested in during university. And this was all because I was doing a presentation for my 10 yo class last year. I was discussing where I get ideas for books. I bought in the magazine as an example, and mentioned the show and gave some suggestions based on that. The idea for the story (which had nothing to do with my examples) hit me on the way home. :)

MAGolla said...

About five years ago, I wrote my fourth manuscript, it had high fantasy, mystery, and parallel worlds. I got nibbles, but it was too much of everything. It went under the bed.

Fast foreward to 2008, I couldn't let go of the character, so I decided to write her back story in real time, thus evolved my 11 yo character. Some bigger nibbles on book #1 and I'm editing book #2. I'll start querying it in a couple of months. I really like the stories.

Unknown said...

It's nice to know that someone can write a book as fast as me!!! I've written two terrible books both taking less than 2 weeks to write and I feel amazing about them (even in all their suckiness)!

I find the ideas and elaborate for a few days then type away. The ideas seem to flow rather well, right now I'm preparing for NaNo where I'll be writing a Greek Mythology type piece... YA style :) Intrigued?

Bish Denham said...

Where do my ideas come from? From everywhere, from out of thin air, from the murky dusty attic or subterranean tunnels of my brain. Sometimes they sneak up on me, sometimes they hit me over the head, grab hold and won't let go. Which is what my current WIP has done. So that's why I'm writing it.

I like SciFi if it's not too technical. I've read tons of it and still do though not as much as I used to. And...oddly enough, my WIP has some SciFi elements.

Laura Pauling said...

I love hearing how different writers come up with their ideas or what led them to write in a certain genre. It's good to experiment and try something new based on something you loved!

Christine Danek said...

I think you brainwashed me into writing a post about where my ideas come from. I just wrote it this morning. :)
Music is the number one inspiration. My current WiP showed up in my head (like a movie trailer) when a song hit me a certain way.
Thanks for sharing how your story cam about. It's interesting to see how others come up with ideas.

Michelle McLean said...

I'm currently revising my first novel...cause I just can't quit it LOL Annnnd because I'd half-heartedly converted it to YA last year and did a really bad job of it. So, I thought I'd give it another shot and actually make it a "real" YA this time. I started writing it in the first place because I love historical romances but they always bugged me because the guy and girl never got together till the end and it was always over some stupid misunderstanding.

So I wrote a book that gave my heroine everything she wanted almost from the get go....and then realized I had to torture her a little bit LOL She still gets the guy sooner than the end of the book, but that isn't necessarily a good thing anymore :)

By the way, your first two novels were NOT terrible....I LOVED 'em....just sayin :D

Magan said...

I started out wanting to write YA love stories...that turned into women's fiction because apparently agents think better than I do...

Then I had this idea for a sci-fi novel, (Come out of the alien closet with me Elana and just admit that you know the Vulcan symbol). I wasn't sure about writing it, so I started researching then I got some awesome encouragement from fantasy/sci-fi authors...including this amazing author named Elana Johnson, then all of a sudden I find myself watching Roswell, listening to Adam Lambert, and discussing what aliens eat.

Everyone who reads this should know that Elana is an inspiration querywise/writingwise/ and awesome human being wise!

Live long and prosper Elana! (Oh like I wouldn't geek out!)

VR Barkowski said...

I'm not a science fiction geek, I'm too selective. But I love dystopian, everything from 1984, to The Handmaid's tale, to The Giver.

I write character driven psychological thrillers/suspense. As a former teacher, I wondered what would happen if a student used something said in class by an instructor to hurt someone else. How would it impact the teacher, the students, etc.? That was the core idea of my first book. It evolved from there.

Ishta Mercurio said...

17 DAYS?!?!?!? HOLY WOW, Elana! My envy-o-meter just shot off the chart.

Okay! Back to earth. Why am I writing my current WiP? Because every time I try to write something else, I end up writing another scene for my WiP. I allow this to happen because I want to finish a large project, and this is the one I started.

I get my ideas from various places - random meetings with people, surreal experiences, a word that I overhear on the bus or the subway.

And as for me being a science-fiction geek? Yes and no. I have watched the entirety of Star Trek and Star Trek: TNG and Star Trek: DS9 and Star Trek: Voyager multiple times. I have various bits of paraphernalia (bookmarks, photos, postcards, books, my favorite jacket) signed by various actors from these shows. But I haven't really been into it much since then. Getting married and having kids and a mortgage, and a husband who isn't into those shows, and years of acting and dance training kind of catapulted me out of that world.

I do still read a lot of dystopian sci-fi, though - I LOVE dystopian sci-fi!

Ishta Mercurio said...

BTW, by "since those days" I meant "since High School." Sci-fi geekdom was definitely a high school thing for me.

Unknown said...

Wow, Elana. No matter how the first draft looked, 17 days is insanely awesome!

I'm writing my current WIP because it has everything that I love: Scotland, Scottish lore, steampunk, weapons, and a kick butt heroine. My idea for this all came from my dissertation work...which is on Scotland. I just LOVE the place.

Yes, I am a huge science fiction geek. And proud!

Frankie Diane Mallis said...

SOmething's in the blogosophere today, I keep reading about where ideas come from and I wrote about good writing exercises today to keep up the craft. I love learning these things about writers. My book came from a dream, hehe. And it took me 5 years or 6 weeks to write depending on how you look at it--5 years after the dream, multiple drafts including ventures between 3rd and first person as well as originally being written as a middle grade before I realized my heart was in YA.

Erinn said...

Most of my ideas come from dreams. Ugh that sounds so lame but it does. Or every once in a while everything clicks and a story explodes in my head and I have to get it out on paper.

I am a Sci-Fi geek but I tend not to write it, there's so much you need to KNOW about the topic, so much you need to be a expert on. Us Geeks, we like to call you out if you're wrong. It's our favorite thing, it makes us feel superior.

Theresa Milstein said...

How great to hear the process of Possession. I also revise many, many times. Too many to count.

"What would life be like if we couldn't make our own choices?"

Excellent question to springboard a novel. Much of my writing comes from a question too.

Can't wait for your book birthday!

Lindsay said...

17 days! you are my hero. ;)

My ideas tend to come from dreams, although my current MS came from a what if like yours...and it's dystopian.
I don't think I'll finish it in 17 days though. lol.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Hey, I am a proud science fiction geek!!

Unknown said...

I'm curious who picked the name Possession. Did you get a say in the final title?

Jonathon Arntson said...

Let me get this totally pointless tidbit out of the way: I miss CI as the title.

Okay, now that that's out of the way: I totally thought about UGLIES a few times when I read POSSESSION, but not in a this is great fanfic way, but totally in a Westerfeld will feel proud to have lead to this brilliance kinda way.

POSSESION possessed me, fo sho, and has left a haunting impression in my mind. When you revealed the cover the other week, my mind was swept up in a whirl-wind. I had voices in my mind. Not 'You-know-who's' voices. I had your voice in my head. Your voice in POSSESSION wound around the insides of my head and planted something that has been growing and manifesting itself into something that looks a lot like motivation. Thanks for paying it forward, Johnson.

Kerri Cuev said...

17 days!! Woa! It was an honor to share this journey with you and am sooo excited to read Possesion (I think I will still call it Control Issues out of habit though lol)

Inspiration comes from anything. It could be a story my kids told me from school, music, a random thought or phrase that makes a spark and BAM fireworks :)

Angela said...

90,000 words in 17 days? Holy cow that's fast! Tell me, did you step out of your house and squint into the sun on day 18?

Eleven Eleven said...

My inspiration came from my protege. She wrote a screenplay scene and I wanted to show her how to make the characters more likable and strengthen the premise. It doesn't resemble her original anymore, but she's pleased as punch that she inspired the story with her work.

Christi Goddard said...

I love to read science fiction, but I write fantasy. I don't know where the ideas came from for my last three, but my first was inspired by a fanfic I wrote a long time ago. As for the others, I get plot ideas and jot them down, then when it's time to start a new book, I look at my list and pick the one that most attracts me.

Melissa Hurst said...

*raises hand* Yep, science fiction geek here:) I've loved sci/fi and fantasy since I was little. I even remember watching the original Star Wars multiple times when I was old enough to like it (around first grade for me).

I'm currently revising my WIP. It's a YA dystopian. I loved UGLIES, too. That book, plus THE HUNGER GAMES, really inspired me to write mine.

Creepy Query Girl said...

I never thought I'd write fantasy. Paranormal, yes. Romantic contemporary, sure. But fantasy? I kinda felt like you did with sci fi. The idea for my wip came on some random day. I wrote down the idea in a word doc and went back to add in more detail as it came to me until I had an actual plot. I'm a plotter so the outline came next. I can't wait for 'Possession' to come out (although I did love the title 'Control Issues'.=)

Anonymous said...

*raising hand sheepishly* Um, yes to the geek.

I have really eclectic reading habits, so I've dabbled in writing just about everything except westerns and horror. (Yes, I tried a straight romance once. It was hilariously awful, since I'm not really a romantic.) My current WIP is pure fun, born from a tongue in cheek comment on a blog post I wrote.

My ideas come from anything, anywhere, at any time. Getting ideas isn't the problem. It's getting an entire book to match the wonderful idea that's the hard part.

Jennifer Shirk said...

Dang, girl. I still can't get over the 17 days part. LOL
That book was just itching to get out of you! :)

Patti said...

I started off writing historical fiction about my ancestors from Iceland, but there was a fantasy element in their story. A legend about hidden people, so I decided to take that tangent instead.

Anonymous said...

Great post. I get asked a lot how I come up with my story ideas.

For one of them, I woke up with the first sentence on my mind. Maybe i dreamt it, maybe I didn't. Who knows. But regardless, I woke up, started writing, and a couple weeks later I had a novel.

I think we can find motivation for stories and story ideas anywhere. I once got an idea just sitting in a Barnes and Noble working on a different novel.

A girl wearing an outrageous outfit sauntered in and I literally stopped what I was doing, wrote down the description of her, and bam, had the beginnings of a new book (A demon tried to kill her. . . go figure).

Anyway...ideas can come from anywhere!

Lisa Potts said...

OMG, 17 days? And here I am worried about my first NaNo.

Lisa_Gibson said...

Hmmm, I don't know about sci-fi geek. But a great dystopian can always suck me right in. I truly do <3 them.
My current WIP I heard a guy explaining his Pig & Twig Theory on the radio and the whole idea just flowered in my head to the contemporary story of love and survival that it's shaping up to be.
Lisa ~ YA Literature Lover

Jennie Englund said...

I'll bet POSSESSION is fab -- can't WAIT to see it in print. When? When?

A few weeks ago, I asked my writing partner why we write, and she said it's because we can't not.

LOVE it!

Sandy said...

99k in 17 days -- that's just beyond amazing!

My current WiP is born out of my love for time travel storylines. But it's mostly a mesh of all sorts of tropes that I've read and enjoyed. :)

R. B. LeMoyne said...

Why am I writing my novel? Because I love writing, and if I wasn't doing that, I'd go crazy. Actors gotta act, writers gotta write. I was just waiting for the right inspiration to get out of the fan-fiction trap and do something truly original.

While the inspiration behind my novel is something that I've talked about on my blog - http://rblemoyne.blogspot.com/ if you're at all curious - I will add that people talking to inanimate objects certainly triggered a number of questions inside me that became the premise for my story. What if the printer you're cursing at could hear you? What if it, and all the other objects you use and abuse throughout the day, had a secret life hidden away from mortal eyes? What if some unsuspecting kid stumbled across that world accidentally?

As for being a sci-fi geek, I read more paranormal than sci-fi, but I watch more sci-fi than paranormal. And then there's stuff like Ghostbusters, which merges the two and makes me very happy.

Colene Murphy said...

17 days!! You are totally getting the "awed eyes" right now. WOW.

Tina Lynn said...

*best Wilbur Robinson voice* THAT is an excellent question. I started out with a love story and it morphed as I wrote it. And yes, it's sci-fi/dystopian, too. Proud science fiction geek.

S.A. Larsenッ said...

I love that you wrote a dystopian novel. Mostly, that you just kept writing. Thanks for always sharing your journey so truthfully with us.

Nicole Zoltack said...

wait... you wrote 90K in 17 days? holy crap!

I once took a quiz that asked which Disney villain frightened you the most. I can't stand the villain in Sleeping Beauty and that result read that I can't stand to lose my freedom or my choices. So your book will probably scare the crap out of me.

Anyhow, to answer your question, I'm writing my current story because it's the final book in my fantasy romance trilogy. I get ideas from everything: life, dreams, research, life. lol As for science fiction geek, , yep. Although I haven't finished a science fiction story yet, I have started a sci fi short story.

Sherrie Petersen said...

A single line in a nonfiction book made me think of this whole novel I'm working on now. It's funny where ideas come from sometimes.

Anonymous said...

That is amazing that you wrote a full length book in one month!! I wrote my first novel in 3 months and I thought that was amazing. lol You story sounds very interesting. :)

Krispy said...

I'll read sci-fi, but I don't think I'd call myself a sci-fi geek. I do love dystopians though. I write fantasy because I love it and I love magic and the possibility of more in the world. Excited for POSSESSION!

Southpaw said...

I love sci-fi. My ideas come from everywhere: the weather, the person that just passed me on the street…

Kelsey (Dominique) Ridge said...

Uglies! High five!

The first thing I ever saw in my mind of my WIP was a girl about to be hanged. I knew I needed to track that story down.

lotusgirl said...

Uglies! Yeah. I read anything that sucks me in, and, yes, I totally embrace my own inner geek.

Unknown said...

Can't wait to read it--June seems so far away!

Cinette said...

Yeah, I'm a science fiction geek. Not so much the hard stuff, but the dystopian variety. I have a novel in that stream in the works, but the story I'm knee-deep in right now is a YA paranormal fantasy with twisted humor, for the most part. Why? I guess I'm just twisted:0)

L. Diane Wolfe said...

I'm working on a teen version of my non-fiction book, mostly because it's a better career-wise than writing another fiction.

Bethany Elizabeth said...

I LOVE sci-fi. Well, that's not quite right. I LOVE fantasy, and very much enjoy science fiction. I've never been a fan of dystopian, but I'm in the process of reading Hunger Games, and my mind is, to say the least, changing. :)
I started my last WIP as a project for school. The new one that's floating in my mind I haven't really started, and I'm debating whether or not I should outline first. I really don't know. :) I guess I really want to write high and even epic fantasy that people can really relate to, you know? There often feels like a gap between being able to relate. :)
Sorry for the 'book' - but what a great, thought provoking question! :)
P.S. Yes. I'm definitely in the geek qualification.

Anonymous said...

90k words in 17 days?? My otherwise good math skills have broken down at this point. How does one do that???? Plus, I’m looking forward to the book even more now, considering it releases 10 days before my next birthday.

Katrina L. Lantz said...

Awesome story! I am a science fiction geek, but not usually the space rivets kind (sometimes, though. Sometimes). It's always cool to read stories of how other people write publishable novels. Trimming so many thousands of words must have been brutal!

Thank you for sharing! I'm now even more excited about the release of POSSESSION. June, come quickly!

Golden Eagle said...

I'm a science fiction geek. :D I love reading it, and I've been churning through a lot of the classics recently--Heinlein, Asimov, Adams, I keep meaning to try something by Clarke. And some newer books/authors.

I'm writing my WiP because it's a way for me to explore the possible outcomes of what's happening in the world right now. There's a lot about war/revolution in my story.

lisa and laura said...

Holy crap--17 days??? And June 7th and the quote...LOVE. I can't wait to get my hands on this book. Can't. Wait.

Nicole L Rivera said...

My current WIP I came up with one night in the shower jamming to my Writing Inspiration playlist. Usually I stay in the shower until the steam is so heavy I can't breathe. On this night, I was too excited when the story idea hit me. I ended up hurrying out of the shower and to my computer to type all the stuff that soaked into my head. I wrote the first draft a few months back, set it down to work on edits of another project, and now I'm back at work ripping it apart and re-writing it into something palpable.
I'm not a sci-fi person all the time. Although I did love Twilight, Shiver, Beautiful Creatures, and Hush, Hush... does that count? I mean they are more paranormal romances, right? Either way I write YA and that's what I read no matter what sub-genre. Gotta love the teen voice... even if the writers aren't teens anymore. Hey, we survived it, we can write it. ;)

Carolina M. Valdez Schneider said...

Ah, the story behind the story! Very cool. It's insane you wrote it so fast! Some stories just can't help but pour out of you. I wrote my last one in about 4 1/2 weeks, but it went through serious revision. But 18 days? Dang. That's mega. Congrats, Elana. Can't wait to read it!

Susan R. Mills said...

Wow! 17 days? That's fast. It took me 3 months to write my latest project, but it took me 11 months to rewrite it. Like you said, the life of a panster!

erica m. chapman said...

Wonderful post! I can't wait to read it, Elana ;o)

Let's see, mine came from asking the question, "What happens to us after we die?" So, I came up with my version ;o)

17 days?? OMG, that's amazing!

erica m. chapman said...

Oh.. LOL I do like Sci Fi ;o) Forgot to put that in my comment. Sorry!

Shannon O'Donnell said...

Ha! I am a TOTAL science fiction geek - and so is my 13 y.o. son! We devour it in large quantities. But...I don't write it. At least not yet. I write PB's and chapter books, but I am seriously considering throwing myself into MG next trip. Maybe sci.fi/fantasy. My current MS idea was originally my husband's creation, as a way to playfully threaten the children to behave. Hence, THE NAUGHTY BOY FACTORY was born. :-)

Chris Phillips said...

I'm not a science fiction geek. I'm in fact, one of the few bad-boys of science fiction. I'm that guy at the star wars conventions making the slave princess leia's jaws drop as they ask their friend Rebel soldier #16, "Where did he get that Han Solo costume?" And they whisper back, "What costume?"

I'm writing my current WiP as a break between sending out queries and receiving form rejections. The idea just popped in my head.

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

17 days huh? Can I be jealous? It took me 3 months to write my current WIP's first draft. SIIIGHHH ;)
And yes, I'm a fantasy/scifi geek. In fact I'm a geek thru and thru

Kate Avery Ellison said...

I really love sci fi, and I can't wait to read your book. It sounds awesome.

Also, 17 days bit makes me feel better. I wrote the rough draft of one of my MSS in about 2 weeks and the felt horribly sheepish about it for months. Aren't books supposed to take years or something? :-) Now I know that each book is different.

Write Chick said...

All right, truth-ness coming on right now. I actually love sci-fi. I was just as excited for Star Wars 3 to come to theaters as my geeky little brother.
My writing sometimes feels like an off-set of sci-fi in the fact that I always have to do all this scientific research in order to make my stories work in the end.

My story ideas come in a plethora (sorry that was the only word that popped into my head) of ways--news stories, interesting characters I see at the store or on television, magazines, songs...I mean, you name it, I could get an idea from it. My problem is that the ideas crop up so fast I often forget to write them down.

I should probably fix that, huh?

Jolene Perry said...

I love a good sci-fi. I'm totally going to be screaming the release of this book from the rooftops. I'm way excited. It's on my books I should be excited about list. And the list is SHORT.

I think my best book is one that I wrote in just about the same amount of time. Three weeks? It is currently with a crit partner waiting for me to hack through it again.

Meredith said...

Aww, June 7th is such a cool book birthday! Can't wait to find it on the shelves :) I love dystopian novels, and yours sounds super intriguing. Congrats!

Debbie Davis said...

You are so darn fabulous! I love the new title to your book and I am so looking forward to reading it. I think your blog is amazing, but then I have thought that about you since I sat behind you at book camp for storymakers. You have this amazing vitality that is so compelling. As far as my wip, I am still working out the rough draft a year later, I think it is so amazing that you got this out in 17 days. How did you do that?? As for me I am a secret geek of science fiction, but I also love paranormal and distopias. They draw me in like crazy, especially if it promises a splash of romance! Are you going to storymakers this year? I hope so!
=0)

Shannon said...

Looks like a picked a good day to reappear in the blogsphere. First, thanks for sharing this - I love learning about the method behind the madness. And second, LOVE the new profile picture of you. =)

-Shan

Sage Ravenwood said...

I love reading horror and thrillers. When someone asked me why? My reply went something along the lines of, I learned at an early age to recognize the monsters in human guise. So naturally it made sense I'd write along the lines of paranormal suspense, the far left of horror.

The thing is, no one would expect that from me. The first time my husband read my writing, he said, "You scare the hell out of me." I laughed, apparently I found my niche.

I do remember when you used to talk about Control issues. (Hugs)Indigo

Brodi Ashton said...

Wow! You have quite the comment count! I knew you were popular...

Possession sounds so good, and as a fellow geek, it is right up my alley.

My first book (the one that didn't get bought) was about an alien invasion. So, yeah, geek.

Again, can't wait to meet up in person.

Jemi Fraser said...

I LOVE Westerfield's stuff - he's amazing!

I definitely am a science fiction geek - from the moment I saw my first Star Trek rerun... or maybe it was the Jetsons... :)

Leigh Caron said...

Ideas? They come from where the wet things are, cause I'm always in the shower when one streams in my brain.

Lola Sharp said...

I love visiting your blog, E. I adore your openness, your honesty.
And CONGRATS on Possession's release (birth/due) date! I'm excited for you and to read your baby.

My ideas come from everywhere at anytime and all the time. I have more ideas than I could ever have time to write. I only write the stories that DEMAND to be written.

Right now I'm (STILL) revising my current WiP.

I don't write science fiction, but I LOVE watching and reading the genre. (I won't even tell you how many times I've seen Blade Runner since it first came out in the 80s. It still holds up today, and I still love, love, love it.)

Love,
Lola

Melanie Hooyenga said...

I really need to look up the definition of dystopian...

I got the idea for my current novel from a news article, but right now I'm excited about my NEXT novel. I got the idea last winter and not a day goes by that I don't think of it. It's got a hint of sci-fi and my cousin actually recommended UGLIES for me to see how it works!

Anonymous said...

I adore the Uglies series!

Possession definitely sounds like something I want to read. Thanks for sharing some more information with us!

Little Ms J said...

Um, have I told you how much I L-O-V-E your cover? That alone would sell me... It is AMAZING.

Tamika: said...

I'm not a science fiction geek, but I admire your creativity!

I'm writing this story because the pieces of me that I long to forget are waiting to be uncovered. These words burn on my heart and I want them to bless someone's life.

BK Mattingly said...

17 days!!! That's incredible. I'm writing my WiP because it is fun :) My ideas come from the world around me and most of the time they come through people watching or having a great landscape to look around at.

Carolyn V. said...

I'm so glad you mentioned how many times you revised. I feel like I'm stuck in the middle of mine (but the writing is getting better there). I wrote this book from listening to a song. It just flowed from there.

Elana Johnson said...

So many great things here guys! Dreams, songs, popping in, questions, movies, Star Trek...

I'm so glad I'm not the only geek out there.

And thank you to all of you who say such nice things about me, my cover, my story, my sucktacular writing process...

<3

Taffy said...

I love reading your posts!
I've finished a WWI historical romance, a YA romance and an African story.
But the one I'm editing is an alien body snatching story which makes me laugh every time I tell someone because, as you can see in my above list, I don't write sci/fi or whatever mine is called.

Taffy said...

BTW!
TWO people told me they used or heard people use "awesomesauce" and then they gave me credit.
Of course I took the credit heehee I didn't! I told them this really cool girl I met made up the word.
Go Elana! You're epitacular!

Yamile said...

@Taffy: you made me laugh so much! Epitacular! So cool.

Why did I write my current WIP? Because I was so homesick for my country, my city, my childhood, that these awesome characters took hold of my mind and made me write their story.
Also, there are lots of futbol. Since I can't go wtch my Scoundrels play, I have to make up my own games. And in mine they win, contrary to real life.
But what is real after all... And there we go into the sci fi territory. Not a hardcore fan, but I do read it. Depends on the book, not the genre.

Samantha Vérant said...

I'm a bit of a science fiction geek. My second novel (which I still believe in) was a bit cartoonish with its sci-fi slant, but it worked all the same. WOW! 17 days, You rock, Elana. My current MS has taken well over a year...but it's a memoir and the past year is part of the story.

Anonymous said...

Yup, I've done the write a novel in two weeks thing...fun and wild, but I was left with a shelved mess. (Might brush it up later, maybe?)

My most recent WIP was inspired by a trip to the Renaissance Faire (I can never spell that right, geez). Before that, I'd been brainstorming a YA Dystop, but hadn't found the characters. I "met" them in February and have been tweaking their story ever since. I hope to query this one. *Fingers crossed!*

Heather said...

Great story! I'm a total science fiction geek. I love anything and everything sci-fi and fantasy. I'm writing my current work in progress because I must. The character wouldn't leave me alone if I didn't. Besides, he is a blast. I have no idea where my ideas come from. Is there a stork for that?

Hannah said...

I first got my current ms idea a few years ago. I sat on it and then I saw something a year ago that solidified the idea a bit more and then this year after failing NaNo horribly with another idea, I started writing in January. Alas, I'm still working on it.

Anonymous said...

So glad to read this, Elana. I love the line, too.

I think I write the story I am because it won't go away until I do. It fills up my head and heart and I have to just type it out so I can be semi-sane.

Claire Dawn said...

Current WIP: because I love Disney Fairy Tales, but I believe Prince Charming isn't always as Chraming on the outside :)

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