Where a Story Begins
The people, places, questions, and life experiences that help shape a story.
People often ask me where my stories come from.
The honest answer is that they usually begin with something small: a question, a memory, an unusual conversation, or a moment that refuses to leave my mind.
Life experience contributes to the process, too. The people I have known, the places I have been, the difficult moments, the funny ones, and the lessons that only time can teach all find their way into the way I see a story. They may not appear on the page exactly as they happened, but they help give the characters, choices, and emotions a sense of truth.
I have never believed that imagination lives somewhere far away from everyday life. It is already here - in the people we meet, the choices we make, the mistakes we regret, and the possibilities we quietly wonder about.
That is why my stories may travel into science fiction, adventure, drama, comedy, or places that are far from ordinary. Even when the circumstances are larger than life, I want the people inside those stories to feel recognizable. I want readers to see a little of themselves in the questions being asked.
What would happen if one accident changed everything?
How far would someone go to protect the life they know?
What happens when a person is pushed into a world they never expected to enter?
Those questions can lead to very different stories. They helped shape the world of Nanonaut. They are present in the hard choices and consequences of In-Correction. They can also be found in the humor, memory, and neighborhood life behind Another Yard.
For me, writing begins when an ordinary piece of reality takes an unexpected turn. From there, life experience, imagination, and the characters themselves begin to shape the path forward.
Every story has a bit of truth in it.
Thank you for being here and for exploring the worlds I have created. I look forward to sharing more of the thoughts, experiences, and unexpected sparks behind the books.
- Wayne Stewart
