In my Commonplace...

"I am often asked where I get my ideas from. It's a very good question and one I always feel I should be able to answer. And yet, I struggle.
     How can I not know?
     I think it's because there are many ways, some clearer than others. I walk around with a notebook, and for many months before writing a book I observe and listen, taking down turns of phrase, single words, quotes from poems or books, snippets of conversation, or clipped articles from magazines and news reports. I often liken it to a pointillist work of art. Putting a dot of an idea here, another there. Some large, some tiny." 

Louise Penny,  A World of Curiosities, Acknowledgements ​