When the idea of writing fiction novels appealed to me enough to take myself and my ability seriously, I wondered what I’d write about. My mind was a blank page with no prior writing experience what-so-ever.

I remember being in Daytona Beach Florida during the Daytona 500 in February 2013. I had volunteered to do an eight day medical study and had my trusty laptop along to fill my endless hours of free time. As I sat on my twin bed in a room shared with two other volunteers, I cruised the internet looking at various websites to kill the time.

I decided to break for about an hour and get some exercise. I did laps through the building and called my mom in California to chat for a while. Our conversation moved through the usual dialog until we began talking of some troubled people we were both familiar with. They led a sad, drug ridden and dangerous life on the streets. Not only were they homeless, they were homeless with a baby. It was unimaginable, scary and sad to think someone would bring a child into the world living the way they did. Because of the bad judgment and lifestyle they chose, they named this baby Insanity. Yes, that’s right – Insanity. I couldn’t imagine it, this infant, as innocent as she was, was given this burden of a name to bear.

After the phone call with my mom ended I went back to my room to continue my web surfing. My cell phone rang and it was my son who lives near Tampa. My son brought up an idea that intrigued him – trying his luck at writing a fiction novel. Several months earlier I found myself reading about the success ordinary people had as Indie writers self publishing their own works. I thought it seemed interesting, but put the idea on the back burner for the time being. We talked about it for a while that afternoon and I looked up information on several successful author’s that had self-published their own works. I became more interested in seeing if I could create something from nothing… a novel.

I thought back to the conversation I had earlier with my mom and this child named Insanity. What if I wrote a book about a girl named Sane instead? She could be living a hellish life with her parents, but completely different than the homeless people I knew. From that moment, the plot began to take shape for my first book. Sure, I changed the beginning several times, and it took a long time to write. I was new at the idea of putting on the author’s hat, but I wrote the book called Becoming Sane and I’m pleased with the outcome.

As an author, you’re going to hear, see and talk about things in your daily life that could make a good story. Keep a notepad handy and write those things down. Many times I come up with ideas as I lay in bed at night. I get up in the morning and remember something I thought about in those late hours. I often add or change a few sentences I have in a current book because I came up with an idea late at night. I need to quickly add it to my manuscript before the thought escapes me.

You’ll always find something to write about. Stories begin to take on a life of their own as you shape your characters and take them through the chapters. Your book can turn out any way you want because you’re calling the shots. Enjoy the journey.