In the first part of this, I mentioned having a dream that inspired the [potential] idea for a story. Dream that turns into story idea – follow my creation of this story With that post, I mostly just left it vague, general, and all over the place. I was talking about questions to ask, ideas to follow, where we could go. Or I technically. You if you wanted to play along.
So now in this post I’m going to once again go along a path of questions, but I will let those others percolate in the background as I go. When I first begin to work on a story, I tend to go down a lot of open roads and don’t necessarily follow a strict path. What I gain then is freedom. My mind isn’t stuck on one solid path and even when I begin to write or outline, I can change it. But right now I really have zero solid ground with this idea. So having all those open questions in the background will help.
It’s how I work. I keep options open, ideas percolating. Until I begin to really focus on the outline. That process (or percolating) can take quite a while, too. I will have an idea like this dream started. Then I will put it into my developing ideas notebook. I’ll jot down the dream, write down a few questions, then leave it for days, months, some years. Eventually when I am nearing the end of the book I’m currently writing, I will begin to look through my notebook to see which one still feels right, or calls to me. Often it’s the same one I’ve been thinking about, sometime it’s one I forgot about.
Now, this is a mention I will make. I have often seen the advice that you should leave ideas that you don’t remember. If it’s an idea worth writing, it will come back. Only thing is that we don’t all work that way. Some don’t remember any ideas, some remember too many, and then the brain struggles with writing in general. I prefer to clear my brain. By writing it down, I tell my brain, this will remain here for later. You can come back to it. It’s been written down. No need to remember or continue to keep it lodged in there.
I have too much to remember daily. I have limited resources and focus. I don’t want to forget to feed my dog or myself, so that bit of brain is taken up by an idea. I don’t want to forget something else so that I can keep the ideas in there. Obviously we don’t truly forget things, they remain there. It just frees up mental energy for me. So yes the idea can still come back. For me, I have learned as of the past few years, that I have a lot more mental energy when I write the ideas down, and then leave them. Not all ideas get that treatment. They have to really trigger something in me.
It also allows me to come back to it. I can play with the idea and see if I can further develop it into something I want to write by having it there. If not it gets dumped and I may never touch it again (trash), or I find another use for it later on. When I read it again, it triggers the same reaction as it would if it popped back up in my memory. I imagine those who also say don’t write them down, or they will come back probably have good memories. Or better ones than I do. Some of us can’t handle that extra mental storage taken so it eases the stress inside by writing it down – each of us are different in the process. Do what feels right for you.
So as a refresher – the dream was basically a human (possibly) female, pregnant with the baby to an alpha werewolf.
I asked questions about who she was, who he was, why that was important, and on and on as you can read in the post. So now I have to narrow down to something resembling an actual idea. An idea for me to use. Also reminder, I may not write this. Most likely not. I’m still working it as if I were. All the way to the end, even potentially making a cover and title.
My brain keeps taking me down the route of scientist. That means it pops up when I think about this. That’s about it. So I will follow the path and see what comes up. I’m not gonna look back over the questions, either. I’m going to start from scratch. My brain wants me to follow the path of the scientist so we will go from there. I’m going to work with the dream, and what I can remember without going back over that post.
Fairly often what I will do is read the dream over again and then try to figure out where it was headed overall, use it as a scene itself, or start the story with it. All sorts of methods. With each story I come up with, the process changes.
In this case, I am going to simply go off whatever my brain wants to remember (scary!) and focus on, which is the girl having been at a breeding facility (just popped into my mind), then became pregnant with the alpha’s baby, and the pack not liking a human carrying his child, and him taking an interest in both human and child.
See where my mind was already changing things up? I don’t remember if I mentioned it specifically being a breeding facility, but suddenly it’s popping up. We’re sticking with the idea. This is the whole purpose of an idea percolating and running with whatever comes up. I’m liking that idea.
So I’m going to just free flow what comes up.
This girl with no name – Ginger. Okay, Ginger. Ginger was at a breeding facility and the scientists asked for volunteers with a special case. She needed the money so despite the reluctance of the others, she decided to go for it. The doctor in question who came out to ask was well known. Not a doctor people tended to volunteer for because they were never heard from again.
Well.
This free flow took off the moment I thought of breeding facility and Ginger. You’re going . . . where is this coming from? Good question. Not a clue. I wrote the name and I won’t hold the muse back. Didn’t even have a plan for a name. I’m pausing to interject this and it’s already saying lemme go. So again, free flow. Questions that may come up will be written, otherwise what you get is what literally comes up in my mind, nothing more. Bold italics will be my thoughts or questions interjected. They are to spur my own mind. It’s what I do when I write, but it’s less neat, lol.
Free flow again.
Ginger is standing at the back of the room when the doctor enters and she notes how others are avoiding his eye, not wanting to participate. She also knows he’s willing to pay out a lot of funds. Skeptical, she waits to hear what the task is about.
Doctor person looks at his clipboard and says he will take volunteers for a special case he is processing. Special case? What is the special case? What does processing mean? One in which volunteers rarely make it, but to the one who qualifies Qualifies like what? Gets pregnant I guess? he will pay double the amount. They must adhere to a strict privacy policy, and be willing to leave the facility, and enter a special holding home. Holding home? What’s a holding home?
(listening to this in the background – https://youtu.be/_1eCGZL5sgc)
Ginger is beyond excited but petrified. She can’t help but see those who step back at the mention of the holding home as if it’s dangerous. They already all know the risks of what they’re doing. These aren’t human children they’re being implanted with. They look human, sure. But there are rumors that when some give birth, the child turns around and changes, kills them, or something else does. The father – werewolf – finds them and kills them? Do the females know it’s a werewolf? They must if she fears the alpha, and they all do. Why would the werewolves kill them? Or . . . the scientist. I see a body torn apart by claws so it can’t be the scientist. The women would be way too valuable to them if they get pregnant I’m guessing. Seems so.
This particular doctor is called Doctor Death for a reason.
Oh, I bet it’s something to do with the alpha. Is the alpha killing them, or his pack? It makes sense he’d wanna hide a female who’s pregnant thn. Perhaps the other Lycan don’t like that his child is out there. Or is it more? Maybe others not wanting him to have a child? Rivals?
Has he paid the doctor? Threatened the doctor? Scientist? Demanding him to get him a child because there’s something amiss with his DNA and he can’t have a baby with another Lycan, or human, and it’s a struggle for some reason?
Ginger steps forward and the entire room turns into a tomb. Faces lose color as she walks up to the man. What if she isn’t human, but wolf herself who just can’t transform? Maybe they all are, and this is the only way for them to have children? Volunteering to be implanted. Most Lycan might shun them and not want to breed with them because they can’t shift so fear the children wouldn’t. Only that makes them that much more able to?
“I’ll volunteer,” she says. He asks if she’s sure, looking dubious. Why? Why would he be dubious of her in particular, or is it just someone stepping forward. No, I sense because it’s her. Is she beyond plain? Beyond low in the pecking order so to speak? Perhaps so, and perhaps nobody realizes that makes her ABLE to carry the alpha’s baby. Because her body allows it when another wouldn’t? Oooo also a route – what if their bodies reject normal methods of becoming pregnant? So they have to also turn to these doctors/scientists to help them.
Ginger is positive. Ginger gets pregnant. She doesn’t know until she is pregnant that it was the alpha’s child. When she finds out, she’s already signed a waiver that states no matter what, she will bear the child full term. It is part of the stipulation and why so many fear volunteering. Too many rumors in the place, too many fears, more so related to that doctor.
Ginger’s entire life falls out from beneath her when she finds out she’s pregnant with the alpha’s baby. Not just anyone. HIS. He will kill her. He will kill the child. She must protect it, protect herself. They’re all gonna kill her if they find out. Who is all? His pack? The other wolves? Someone else? All the above?
Okay, I’ve gotta leave it there. Getting long and brain literally stopped. Good sign that my muse wants to percolate on those ideas. We’ll get back to this next time. Getting dough started for tacos later. Dough to make fry bread of sorts to act as the shell. Think a Taco Bell Gordita/Chalupa shell.
After that I’m working on my outline for the Sorceress series again. Oddly I’m getting excited at the way this idea is turning. Interesting.
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If you like this content, consider a small donation.
Donations help me keep the lights on, heat running, food in the belly, and keep my sites going. Even a small donation can go a long way, and I cannot begin to express my gratitude enough for anything you can help with. As a FT caregiver to my elderly mother and older brother who have a lot of health struggles, I am struggling these days. I have a couple tiers up to check out as well if you’d like to sign up for that, instead of a single donation. More will come as I think of stuff, or I get feedback on what I should add.
If you prefer Patreon (more payment options) – http://www.patreon.com/kimberlysueiverson❤️️
If interested in following my other sites I post? Including for book information like on the Dark Moon Dynasty Universe website, and other social sites like Twitter of YouTube where I’m most active? If you prefer Substack (also includes more personal posts) over WordPress? Feel free to find all that on the link cave. It’s only me, and my site, if I list it there. I try to keep that updated.
Kimberly Sue Iverson - Author 