The Ever-Amazing Creative Process by Martha McKinley
People are frequently amazed at just how an idea comes to someone for a piece of art or a short story. Over the years, I have found that there is an interesting tale to tell about the origins of many a person’s creation, whether that be a clay sculpture, pop song, perennial garden, or main course at a dinner party. So indulge me while I share with you the backstory for my new novella, Get Real: The Art of Love and Belonging.
One September evening in 2009, as I was driving home from an Argentine Tango lesson with Jane, a new artist friend, we fell to talking about ourselves. I admitted to her that I wrote erotica, and if Jane were shocked, she didn’t reveal it. Coincidently, I was due to model with another person at Jane’s life drawing group the following week, and, as I had never done a model-pair before, Jane offered to critique our poses before we “went live.” Then she added, “Why don’t you write a story about that!” And so I did, about a real life situation that goes pleasurably awry—changing the names and biographical details, of course, to protect the innocents.