DANCING THE MUSE - Danial Neil

 An idea arises, perhaps from a sketchbook of ideas in your head, yes, snippets of thought, inspiration from an article you read, a television news story, real life experiences that includes your own, historical records, and, of course,  information from the  creative Universe.   So, ideas come from many sources. There is never one way to create a story. It is an intimately personal affair. I can only give one view of it all - from my own writing journey, what I have learned after more than twenty novels. A great catologue, you might think, but only six have been published. The other novels, I can reflect now, are where I learned to write well. I am always open to where the next novel comes from. I ask the Universe for a story, something important, what the world  needs to hear. Sounds a bit self-righteous, I know, but I want my 900 hours of work to be worthwhile, that I learned something important, that it contributes to a better understanding of human endeavor and engagement, the hum

 As I enter the last section of my current novel in progress, I begin to consider the ending. All things end, or at least come to a conclusion of sorts, satisfying, hopefully. There may be the promise, or hint, that the story has not ended definitively, that it may continue as a sequel. So, this novel, The Honour in Dying Young, will be a complete and finished work.  This complex stage in story making requires the tying of loose ends, from plot to protagonist, and the conflicts along the way, while maintaining the tension and propulsive fuse of the story. One must look at the work in its entirety, something writers must deal with all the time without losing the cohesive structure of the story they want to tell. Who and what decides? In my case, I leave that to the characters. My protagonist, Grant Barrie, must decide. I simply will ask him what he wants to do. What should happen next? Even what could happen? Nothing in my novels is nailed down. Yes, I have something in mind that guides