I’m not sure what the fascination is with where writers get their ideas but it definitely exists.  I’m guilty of it as a fan of certain authors for inquiring about their inspirations.  So I thought I would share where the idea for UNPLANNED came from.

For those not familiar with the law school system in the US, the first year consists of certain core doctrinal courses that everyone takes.  One such class is Torts.  Basically torts are offenses that aren’t crimes but have civil implications (yes, some torts can also be crimes too but that’s not important).   Anyway, in one particular class we were discussing whether a woman could commit torts against her unborn child by drinking or smoking during her pregnancy.  For some reason, that particular seed planted in my brain and spawned the idea of a group of women dealing with unexpected pregnancies and finding strength from their new bonds.

I have to admit that first draft was not at all ready to see the rest of the world.  It was a rough sketch and would take numerous revisions to flesh out the core characters, their specific struggles and the relationships with their sphere of supporting characters.