My Laughing Place

Have you ever noticed that epiphanies for WIPs come at the strangest times?

Last week I took a trip to Disneyland with my boyfriend. He had never been, so it was as exciting for me as it was for him. I spent the two days dragging him along the park with one hand, ice cream in the other.

Great mental image, huh?

One of my favorite rides is Splash Mountain. I don’t know if it has something to do with the fact that I love water rides or that most of it runs through a faux cave (I have this thing for caves). It was one of the attractions we hit first thing, and in the middle of the ride, you know, the part where the animals’ Laughing Place song echoes off the cavern walls and the lights are all colored blue and green and purple, an idea hit me. Bam. In my face. I could have stood up on that drifting log and screamed ‘Hallelujah’.

I’ve been working on separate subplots for the five-book series I hope my WIP LUMINOUS will eventually turn into. During this little trip down Critter Country’s most beloved mountain, Mr. Plot Point came and slapped me in the face.

And again on Indiana Jones. And again on Pirates of the Caribbean.

I freaking love amusement parks.

I guess I receive epiphanies at really bizarre times instead of when I’m actually at my computer–You know, at Disneyland, in the dentist office waiting room, while reading a Hermione Granger/Lucius Malfoy fanfic (Don’t Judge). Without them, my WIP wouldn’t be the same.

So comment and tell me a story of a moment when you received an idea for your WIP while doing something either mundaine or out of the ordinary. Did you think, ‘Wow, how the heck did I come up with that?’, or did you know the reason behind your sudden spark?

Original post published on Old People Writing for Teens by GotYA contributor Sarah Harian. To view original post and reader comments, please click here.