Where do you get your ideas?
This is the most common question writers are asked. Non-writers seem to think there is some magical store where we buy the idea we want for our stories.
Ideas are all around us, our job is to notice them. When I teach a new creative writing course I do a whole session on getting ideas for stories. So how can we help ourselves to come up with ideas?
Always carry a notebook with you. Ideas are fragile things, and if you don't note them down the moment they appear you won't remember them when you get home.
Keep an ideas book. This can be an A - Z card file, an indexed book, or the way I do it, a lever arch file with an A - Z index in it. I type up the ideas I get, mainly because my handwriting is awful and if I came to them four years later I'd never read them if they were handwritten.
I also keep a box file of pictures of people I've cut out of newspapers and magazines. These can act as excellent prompts for creating a character. And it's surprising how often, when you use one of these images, the story associated with that person magically appears too.
Overhear people's conversations in the supermarket, on the bus, on the train, and note down any interesting dialogue. Pick up stories from TV, magazines, and newspapers.
I always draw a map of the world I am creating. This helps me to describe the setting more effectively, but it can also suggest story ideas. Sending Bi and Keri over the mountains in Eyemind gave me the idea of getting them trapped there.
Re-use myths and fairytales, ask 'what if' and see where it leads you. Use your dreams or the weather as your story trigger. And if all else fails, go for a walk and let your mind relax into finding the information you need.
Yes, ideas really are all around us.
Ideas are all around us, our job is to notice them. When I teach a new creative writing course I do a whole session on getting ideas for stories. So how can we help ourselves to come up with ideas?
Always carry a notebook with you. Ideas are fragile things, and if you don't note them down the moment they appear you won't remember them when you get home.
Keep an ideas book. This can be an A - Z card file, an indexed book, or the way I do it, a lever arch file with an A - Z index in it. I type up the ideas I get, mainly because my handwriting is awful and if I came to them four years later I'd never read them if they were handwritten.
I also keep a box file of pictures of people I've cut out of newspapers and magazines. These can act as excellent prompts for creating a character. And it's surprising how often, when you use one of these images, the story associated with that person magically appears too.
Overhear people's conversations in the supermarket, on the bus, on the train, and note down any interesting dialogue. Pick up stories from TV, magazines, and newspapers.
I always draw a map of the world I am creating. This helps me to describe the setting more effectively, but it can also suggest story ideas. Sending Bi and Keri over the mountains in Eyemind gave me the idea of getting them trapped there.
Re-use myths and fairytales, ask 'what if' and see where it leads you. Use your dreams or the weather as your story trigger. And if all else fails, go for a walk and let your mind relax into finding the information you need.
Yes, ideas really are all around us.
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