The Idea

I had just published my first book and it felt great! Now I had to come up with an idea for my next book. I decided to go get a cup of tea then I would settle in to write. The barista recognized me and made my order before I even got to the counter. I could tell this was going to be a great day. I took the scenic route home and watched as the trees swayed in the wind.

           When I got home, I headed straight to my desk. I opened up my laptop, ready to write. The only problem was, I didn’t have any ideas. I tried not to panic. Every writer gets the occasional writing block. I took a deep breath and tried some freewriting. I got some writing done but it wasn’t helpful at all. I was just writing the plot of Twilight. Darn the popularity of werewolves and vampires. I tried freewriting a couple more times but I was getting nowhere. I had to try something different.

           I decided to read a book. Reading a book is a great way to get inspiration for writing. I picked up the last book I had started and began reading. It was To Kill a Mockingbird. You can’t beat a good classic. I read for several hours but even the charms of Scout didn’t spark any inspiration. I was starting to run out of ideas.

           I took a break for dinner. My wife made steak and baked potatoes. If this dinner didn’t spark inspiration, I didn’t know what would.

           I said “Hey honey, how was your day?”

           “It was pretty good, how was yours?”

           “It wasn’t bad, but it could have been better. I need to come up with a new book idea but I am having major writing block”.

           “Why don’t you go out tomorrow. Maybe you can find some inspiration in your surroundings”.

           “That’s a great idea. Thank you!”

           We cleaned up dinner and then I went to bed. I would find my inspiration tomorrow.

           I decided to start my journey at Central Park. I sat on a bench and watched as people walked by. There were couples having picnics beneath the trees. Women were jogging, pushing their babies in strollers. I even watched a group of men playing football. I sat there for a couple of hours but nothing was sparking my interest.

           The next spot I tried was a café. I took a seat in the center of the restaurant and watched the people around me. There was a group of men talking about the Vietnam War. Across the room there were some girls gossiping about the things that were happening at school. At another table there was a man proposing to his girlfriend. This was all very good, but nothing here screamed, the next best seller!

           I went to a nearby college campus next. I sat in a lecture on the Psychology of people. I thought this would be interesting. Although the lecture was interesting, I still wasn’t getting the inspiration I needed. I decided to ask some of the college students what they would be interested in reading about. I was given an overwhelming variety of responses. The answers ranged from space werewolves to what is living. I was perplexed by the spectrum of ideas. I would keep their suggestions in mind but I wasn’t sure they would be “The Idea”.

           I decided to go on an adventure. Afterall that is how the writers in movies got their ideas. I booked a fishing trip with an old sea captain.  We would be going fishing for some Blue Marlin.

           I got up early and met the captain at the pier. He seemed like a great guy and I couldn’t wait to get on the water. It seemed a little cloudy but the captain didn’t seem to mind so I just didn’t worry about it. Once everything was ready to go, we boarded the ship and headed out to the open sea.

           The boat was very nice. It had an under cabin with a bed and a toilet. There was also a cooler full of drinks and some snacks. I decided to take a nap in the bed until we reached the first fishing spot.

           When we arrived, the captain poked his head in the cabin “Wake up dear we are here”. I went up to the deck and the first mate was preparing my fishing pole. When it was ready, I grabbed it and waited for the Marlin to hit. I kept reminding myself that part of fishing is patiently waiting for the bite.

           I was relaxing a little bit when the first bite came. The rod curled towards the water and I could hear the line buzzing. I grabbed the pole and reeled as hard as I could. The captain cheered me on, making sure I didn’t give up. After about an hour of reeling we got the fish on the boat. The captain and first mate had taken turns helping me reel.

The captain said “Great job dear, she is a beauty”.

“Thank you! This was amazing!”

“It will only get better; we still have more time to go”.

           We fished for a few more hours and then the thing I had feared happened. A nasty storm rolled in. The wind was blowing above and the waves were crashing against the boat. It was also pouring rain. We took cover in the cabin, waiting for the storm to blow over. However, the storm did not blow over. The waves were crashing into the boat and the water was coming faster than we could bail it out. The boat began sinking, so we grabbed some life preservers and jumped in the water.

           The Marlin that I had caught was now dead and floating in the water. We saw sharks beginning to come towards the boat so I swam as far away as I could. However, the captain refused to leave the boat and the first mate stayed with him. I ended up at a nearby island. I looked around and there was no civilization to be found. I gathered some branches to make a shelter. I was also able to catch some fish to eat. As I was eating the freshly cooked fish I got “The Idea!” I would write my book about a man that was stranded on an island. He would have a volleyball as a best friend and its name would be Wilson! Now I just had to wait until someone rescued me so that I could write this next bestseller.