Welcome to Story Seedlings!

I've been a professional writer for nearly twenty years and one question I'm constantly asked is, "Where do you get your ideas?"

Frankly, it isn't so much where I get them? as what do I do when I find one? How do I take that initial idea and create a 400 page historical romance from it?

Well, I'm going to show you how I spin a story from one of the great sources for historical writers -- minor historical incidents. My source is going to be the records of the Central Criminal Court in London, the Old Bailey, specifially Old Bailey Online. They post a transcript of a real case every day.

Now, since I have other books to write, I can't do this very often. I'm not sure how frequently, in fact, as it will depend on what else is going on.

But let's start today, shall we?

On this date in 1798 (because apparently it wasn't a holiday in England), Margaret Thompson was charged with stealing a pewter pot worth six pence from Mary Clarke, who kept the Golden Key public house.

The witness to the theft was one George Hanna, who killed bed bugs for a living. He was in the tavern, which was crowded (sounds like a typical New Year's Eve in a pub) when he noticed the accused wrapping a pewter pot in her apron. Realizing his was missing, he went after her, caught her by the door and found a pewter pot in her basket.

The pot in question was produced by Thomas Minett, the constable.

The only defense Margaret Thompson offered was that she didn't know how the pot came to be in her basket.

She was found guilty and sentenced to a year in the House of Correction.

(Personal note: We stayed in what had been the gatehouse of a House of Correction in Folkingham, Lincolnshire, which had been built on the site of a Norman castle. Very cool -- and it came with ye olde handcuffs, too. And see that end table by the brass bed, the one that looks like a chest of drawers? It's a commode!)

But back to creating a story out of this.

Here's how my imagination works:

Did Margaret Thompson really take the pot? That is one lame excuse, but maybe she really didn't do it. If so, who did? Did George the exterminator do it? He's the only witness out of what was presumably a crowd. Why would he? What if he had a beef with her and this was his way of getting revenge?

What if she did steal the pot? Why would she? Desperation? Compulsive kleptomania? A beef with Mary Clarke?

A year is a long sentence for what we would consider petty theft. A lot can happen in a year. Margaret Thompson could die, or her family suffer. What if her family never finds out what happened to her? What if she leaves young children orphaned and impoverished? That could be the backstory for a hero or a villain, or a heroine, too.

What would have happened if this had been at a dinner party in Mayfair, with Lady Mary Clarke accusing Lady Margaret, daughter of the Duke of Thompson, over a missing drinking glass? What if George was a comely footman? Or a nobleman? Would the constable have been called, and how would he have proceeded?

What if Lady Margaret is the mother of one of the main characters? Or a sister? What if she's the heroine? Who's the hero? George? Or is he the villain? Could Thomas be the hero?

Basically, the theft could either be the inciting incident for your story, or it could be a vital element in the backstory of one or more characters.

See? Finding the idea was easy; creating a whole unique novel? That takes a lot more work.