Guest Post: Ideas Are Everywhere by David Litwack (@DavidLitwack)

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    Ideas Are Everywhere

    Mt. Etna erupting, a rustic stone church in Boothbay Harbor, Maine, the Temple of Zeus in Agrigento, the old merry-go-round in Oak Bluffs, the Chihuly Glass Museum in Seattle, and the Palantine Chapel in Palermo.

    All of these are sources of inspiration for my next novel, The Stuff of Stars, the second book of the Seeker series..

    I’ve always believed that the difference between the creative and non-creative person is not the ability to come up with new ideas, but rather being open to them when they present themselves. That’s why it’s so important to write regularly. When I’m writing every day, I live in two worlds, the world of my evolving story and the real world. As a result, when I see something that strikes me, my mind makes connections. The images I see morph into scenes in my story. What would the mood of the setting be like? How would my characters experience it? In what way would the experience alter their actions and therefore change the plot.

    Out comes my smart phone. A few pictures, some hastily entered notes. Then, when I get home, I rough out a new scene. Does it always fit in? Of course not. But it gets the creative juices flowing.

    When I reread a copy of a soon-to-be-submitted novel for the final time, I always wonder how it all had come to pass. But I know this: if I’m open to new ideas and follow the threads, one thing leads to another. And a couple of years later, after much blood, sweat and tears, voila–instant novel.

    To see more of images, visit my blog at: http://bit.ly/1oARFRf

    David Litwack, author of There Comes a Prophet, Along the Watchtower, and The Daughter of the Sea and the Sky





    Speculative Literary Fiction
    Date Published: May 19, 2014

       After centuries of religiously motivated war, the world has been split in two. Now the Blessed Lands are ruled by pure faith, while in the Republic, reason is the guiding light-two different realms, kept apart and at peace by a treaty and an ocean.

    Children of the Republic, Helena and Jason were inseparable in their youth, until fate sent them down different paths. Grief and duty sidetracked Helena's plans, and Jason came to detest the hollowness of his ambitions.

    These two damaged souls are reunited when a tiny boat from the Blessed Lands crashes onto the rocks near Helena's home after an impossible journey across the forbidden ocean. On board is a single passenger, a nine-year-old girl named Kailani, who calls herself The Daughter of the Sea and the Sky. A new and perilous purpose binds Jason and Helena together again, as they vow to protect the lost innocent from the wrath of the authorities, no matter the risk to their future and freedom.

    But is the mysterious child simply a troubled little girl longing to return home? Or is she a powerful prophet sent to unravel the fabric of a godless Republic, as the outlaw leader of an illegal religious sect would have them believe? Whatever the answer, it will change them all forever... and perhaps their world as well.



    http://youtu.be/1cn-Wagy4uA



    David Litwack

    The urge to write first struck when working on a newsletter at a youth encampment in the woods of northern Maine. It may have been the night when lightning flashed at sunset followed by northern lights rippling after dark. Or maybe it was the newsletter's editor, a girl with eyes the color of the ocean. But he was inspired to write about the blurry line between reality and the fantastic .

    Using two fingers and lots of white-out, he religiously typed five pages a day throughout college and well into his twenties. Then life intervened. He paused to raise two sons and pursue a career, in the process becoming a well-known entrepreneur in the software industry, founding several successful companies. When he found time again to daydream, the urge to write returned.

    He's published three novels so far in this new stage of his life: There Comes a Prophet, Along the Watchtower, and the recently released The Daughter of the Sea and the Sky.
    David and his wife split their time between Cape Cod, Florida and anywhere else that catches their fancy. He no longer limits himself to five pages a day and is thankful every keystroke for the invention of the word processor.
    Twitter:@DavidLitwack


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