Ask the Author: Thom Quist
Answered Questions (5)
Thom Quist
There were two parts to the inspiration to the story: the first was a couple questions that only a nerd like me would wonder about: 1: Why can elves live so much longer than humans when their anatomy seems so close to ours? 2: What allows them to hear/see/sense things so much better than humans? I'm sure there are many explanations to these questions out there, but since they are fictional beings, I figures I would create my own explanation. But the explanation wasn't a story--it was more just a concept. I wrote some of these ideas down, and let them sit, adding to them whenever I had some adjustment to the way it worked in my head.
The story (originally disconnected from my random elf musings) struck me when I was heading to an evening class at Adams State. I was walking though the hall, heading to the classroom, and this image hit me full on: a boy (college student) running through the hall, drenched in rain, in the middle of the night, heading toward the one room in the building that still had a light on. I knew the boy was desperate, and I knew he had been sent to find the person in that office, but didn't know why. The conversation between student and professor came next. When I got a chance, I wrote down this scene, which is now the eleventh chapter of "Guardians of the Covenant Stones."
Some time, not long after this, the story started to come together, and the next clear memory I have of how it started coming into fruition was a conversation I had with my wife as we were driving up I-25. I told her the ideas I'd had so far, she asked clarifying questions, and made suggestions for how to make the story more appealing. This was the conversation that allowed the relationship between Doran and Avery to bloom and become a central part of the story.
It wasn't until a little while after this (after I'd written some more scenes between Doran and Avery) that my original musings on elves found their way into this story, and I am so glad they did!
The story (originally disconnected from my random elf musings) struck me when I was heading to an evening class at Adams State. I was walking though the hall, heading to the classroom, and this image hit me full on: a boy (college student) running through the hall, drenched in rain, in the middle of the night, heading toward the one room in the building that still had a light on. I knew the boy was desperate, and I knew he had been sent to find the person in that office, but didn't know why. The conversation between student and professor came next. When I got a chance, I wrote down this scene, which is now the eleventh chapter of "Guardians of the Covenant Stones."
Some time, not long after this, the story started to come together, and the next clear memory I have of how it started coming into fruition was a conversation I had with my wife as we were driving up I-25. I told her the ideas I'd had so far, she asked clarifying questions, and made suggestions for how to make the story more appealing. This was the conversation that allowed the relationship between Doran and Avery to bloom and become a central part of the story.
It wasn't until a little while after this (after I'd written some more scenes between Doran and Avery) that my original musings on elves found their way into this story, and I am so glad they did!
Thom Quist
Short answer: I live my life.
Most of my inspiration for story ideas come when I am trying to sort out struggles that I'm having in my own life. I'll imagine conversations that I need to have, or analyze conversations I have had, and in the process they morph into stories with characters with an entirely different problem set than I am having.
The other part of my inspiration comes from reading. You can't be a good writer if you never read, and the more you read, the more you start thinking like a writer.
Most of my inspiration for story ideas come when I am trying to sort out struggles that I'm having in my own life. I'll imagine conversations that I need to have, or analyze conversations I have had, and in the process they morph into stories with characters with an entirely different problem set than I am having.
The other part of my inspiration comes from reading. You can't be a good writer if you never read, and the more you read, the more you start thinking like a writer.
Thom Quist
I currently have two projects I'm working on (no dates to announce). The one that is receiving most of my attention, as far as writing projects go, is a sequel to "Guardians of the Covenant Stones." The other is still in the preliminary phases, and is currently just a bunch of disjointed notes on character and plot ideas that I am trying to thread together. I don't want to reveal anything too detailed about this one, but it is realistic fiction.
Thom Quist
Be patient, don't give up, and don't hesitate to ask for feedback through every stage of the creative process. Believe in your project, because if you don't, nobody else will.
Thom Quist
I always have at least two (usually more) writing projects going on at once. One of my methods of dealing with writer's block on a particular project is to just shift to a new project for a while. Other strategies include prayer, reading favorite books, and making note of interesting things that happen/things that are said in a normal day, even if it's not related to the project I'm struggling with.
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