I'm surprised where stories come from. I'm twelve chapters into a novel called, 'Victoria and Copperhead Beals, a Yukon Love Story'.
I don't know how much of a love story its going to be because I'm not a romantic.
Part of the story is about a car club in Dawson called the Phantoms. That idea came from a guy who owned a yellow convertible Chev impala and drove around Dawson in the early 70's.
A friend told me a story about seeing a bear and a wolf traveling with each other in the Bonnet Plume area.
I asked, "What did you do?"
"I shot the bear," he said.
It made me sick. They were friends traveling together! You don't shoot friends! I wrote that into the story.
A friend told me a bear chased him up a tree. Once there he found the bear's cubs already ahead of him. The bear came up after him. He took black moss lit it on fire and dropped it on the bear. The bear moved off and he got down. I've written that into the story.
If you have read my first book 'Talking at the Woodpile' you will see a story about turpentine and a thief getting his butt painted with it. That happened in Ross River and all I had to do was change the names to avoid causing further embarrassment to the guilty.
A friend of mine lost a finger and a half in an accident. The insurance company paid him out. He had never seen so much money. He bought a new AMC Gremlin, packed up his family, drove clear across Canada and back. He arrived in Whitehorse flat broke but he had the greatest trip of his life. I've written that into the story.
Sometimes it doesn't take much to find an idea for a story. One incident or person will do it. It's easier if the characters are someone you know. I think of all kinds, movie stars, friends, the guy at the post office, the cop who gave me a ticket.
I matched up John Goodman and Mary Walsh from 'This Hour Has Twenty-two Minutes' in a novella about Viet Nam called 'I was a Reporter for Rolling Stone Magazine'. I thought it worked.
So there you have it, the secrete of writing. Take whatever you have heard and seen and write thousands of words about it.
And remember don't shoot friends,
Regards, David
I don't know how much of a love story its going to be because I'm not a romantic.
Part of the story is about a car club in Dawson called the Phantoms. That idea came from a guy who owned a yellow convertible Chev impala and drove around Dawson in the early 70's.
A friend told me a story about seeing a bear and a wolf traveling with each other in the Bonnet Plume area.
I asked, "What did you do?"
"I shot the bear," he said.
It made me sick. They were friends traveling together! You don't shoot friends! I wrote that into the story.
A friend told me a bear chased him up a tree. Once there he found the bear's cubs already ahead of him. The bear came up after him. He took black moss lit it on fire and dropped it on the bear. The bear moved off and he got down. I've written that into the story.
If you have read my first book 'Talking at the Woodpile' you will see a story about turpentine and a thief getting his butt painted with it. That happened in Ross River and all I had to do was change the names to avoid causing further embarrassment to the guilty.
A friend of mine lost a finger and a half in an accident. The insurance company paid him out. He had never seen so much money. He bought a new AMC Gremlin, packed up his family, drove clear across Canada and back. He arrived in Whitehorse flat broke but he had the greatest trip of his life. I've written that into the story.
Sometimes it doesn't take much to find an idea for a story. One incident or person will do it. It's easier if the characters are someone you know. I think of all kinds, movie stars, friends, the guy at the post office, the cop who gave me a ticket.
I matched up John Goodman and Mary Walsh from 'This Hour Has Twenty-two Minutes' in a novella about Viet Nam called 'I was a Reporter for Rolling Stone Magazine'. I thought it worked.
So there you have it, the secrete of writing. Take whatever you have heard and seen and write thousands of words about it.
And remember don't shoot friends,
Regards, David