AUTHORS...how do you get inspiration for the INITIAL idea for your story?

Question

I need an idea, but I just can't think of one. It's the hardest step for me. How do you guys do it?

Answer 1

My ideas are the offspring of an over-active imagination coupled with my frequent, internal "what if?" questions. Also, as the others have said, ideas are sparked from life in general. Your story needs to have elements that drive the plot forward, such as conflict that reaches some type of resolution.

If you're feeling stuck and can't think of anything, you could try writing prompts to get the creative juices flowing. These exercises are at least helpful for practice and motivating you to write every day (something you need to get into the habit of doing, even if it's only a few sentences or paragraphs). Try these links:

http://www.meredithsuewillis.com/writingexercises1-20.html

http://www.seventhsanctum.com/index-writ.php

Seventhsanctum has a story idea and character generator.

Hope these help and good luck!

Answer 2

I am by no means an "Author" but I get lots of ideas from many different places. First from real life. I see something maybe even some small thing and a light goes on. What if that led to this and this happened. Same with dreams. I wake lots of times and write down as much of a good dream I had. Several Authors do this. Stephen King. Just write about something you feel strongly about. The main thing is to write. Don't worry about being perfect just write something than after you are done you can fix the spelling or what not. Good luck.

Answer 3

There is a limited number of ideas and plots. A story is always about conflict. The story can be circle or a line. There is always a beginning, middle and end. The best ideas for me just seem to add up. I generally write about something I can be sincere about. I like certain things. I write about an idea I find of great interest. Do you have a strategy and a plan? It helps a great deal to work out the outline or ask yourself questions until things begin to build into something you find of great interest. Mimic or copy other stories. Try to write a similar short story. As you practice writing you develop a program that makes it easier to repeat or succeed in writing each story in a format or personal style. The more you write the easier it becomes. Just keeping a journal or doing exercises can help. As you progress the story ideas will come faster and easier. Try to relax and give yourself more time. But put aside an hour to write each day, even if you produce nothing, sit there. And lastly, don't worry about being too original. If you can bring an old idea back to life, it may be just as good as any other idea you may of come up with.

Answer 4

Where an idea comes from depends on what genre you are writing. I write Fantasy...

You could try starting with a situation, then add a unique character (usually one that shouldn't be in that type of situation). The situation could be a lost dog or saving the world...OR a lost dog saving the world. Then you need something to cause conflict either with the character or the situation or both. There is a cat trying to destroy the world. Then move the story through the complications to the end. The lost dog while looking for his home learns how to deal with the cat's evil plan. Just when the lost dog figures our all the cat's weakness...he finds his owner and nearly forgets about the rest of the world. However, he realizes when a cat scratches his owner, that he must stop the evil cat in order to save the world and his owner...and the biggest fight of his history is fought and won. (The End)
All of my ideas are not one-liners. It's more like what if...

I write what I like to read and that helps ideas form and it makes moving the story and developing the character very easy....

Answer 5

This is the hardest step of writing. What I do is I take a feeling or an event and I expand it, and I use that.

Another thing that I do is pick a random object, like a key, and make up an entire story about the key, the lock that it opens, and what's hidden behind the lock.

Good luck!

Answer 6

You can have initials ideas for stories from everything around you. If you were a student, then you can observe a teacher or another student and pick something to write about. You can get ideas from the sphere itself. You can watch TV or movies and get your initial idea out of a situation. You can use a certain felling as an initial idea. You can use your neighbors, you bosses, your family, your friend, your hobbies.

Answer 7

Take an event, moment, experience that you lived and imagine what you would want to read if you were reading about that experience. From there you allow your creative cells to bounce around for awhile and get yourself to a quiet place where you can "imagine" it all happening. Usually whatever inspires you in life, will inspire you in the world of writing. Of course if you want to be a serious writer, just sit down and start writing about
everything. When you must write for a living you aren't afforded the luxury of inspiration. But in time it will come. Good luck.

Answer 8

Write every day. Keep on writing. Set a minimum (20 minutes, 1 page, whatever works for you). Once you have some material, say 20 pages, 25 pages, whatever, start re-reading.
Try to find themes that come back. What are the strongest themes in your writing? Make a list. Can they be connected in any way? Maybe some go together and others have to be left out.
Once you've got two or three themes that you find yourself writing about often enough, you know you've got something there you're trying to say. Keep writing about these things. Your writing will shape itself through the writing process.

Answer 9

I get ideas from everywhere...things I read, something I see on TV, a funny line from a comedian, something a family member says, an incident at work...

I create a whole sequence of events around whatever thought I have at the time and just write it out. It may be complete crap, but at least I have something to work with. I can always go back and change it so that it works better.

Good Luck, I hope something comes to ya.

Answer 10

What do you love? What are your problems in life? What do you spend a lot of time thinking about? What pulls you in? Are you interested in sports, cinema, art, music, time travel... discovery of other cultures, mind travel... history, astral travel... what grabs you and says, ah-hah, boy, is that ever interesting?! News? Playwrites, play writers? Old shoes, old hens, the evils of Sai Baba, a self-styled guru and homosexual drag queen, who is the world's biggest pedophile. Lots of folks are now writing the truth about that crap. Join in if you want. Let's see, what else? The chic cheerleaders of the Dallas Cowboys? The Old West, Harbor Town of New York, (if there is such a place), meaning, you can make it all up if you like fiction. Try a little of both, fantasy, fiction, facts, research the life of Sarah Good who hung at Salem for being a witch. Ask her ghost if she really was a witch or if they hung those "good witches" for their money and their land... esp. their land. Easy answer. Land. Did you know they were given fake-o titles to the land they put big sums of money down on, and their land went back to the original evil sellers to resell again? What money whores, huh, and then they called those folks they conned, homeless old hags and witches for being forced to beg for a living and live on the streets... or woods, but mostly in their dungeons and jails... before they hung them all. See what a little research will do to fire up your heart and then your brain. :) Ask your Teddy Bear what his highest idea of love nesting is all about. Tell tall "tails" (misspelled on purpose) about your bunky beaver, your neighbor and his hidious wife, re-read the Scriptures and don't laugh.... You might get some inspiration there, I don't know, I tried it once. Read between the lines and have a saner life. Branch out into other religions if you already haven't. Be saved by everyone. Don't go to hell. Be brave, ask good questions like, what the hell should I write about, ok?:) Call a few bookstores and ask what kind of material they sell the most of... if you're in it for the money. Some folks find the dollar most inspiring. Ask a snarly person on the street if they like their husband or their wife. Be brave. Go hug a homeless person and invite them to tell you their story... if they have one. Have a beer, than make an art piece out of the empty can. Write about that... if you can. (Pun intended.) Whoops,somebody already wrote about that mad man's can art. Art? You could argue that one all day... or maybe not. Depends on whether you like that stuff. Write about the ills of society, the causes and the cures. Ok? That should give you a start. Now here's my question for you. Do you know how to make more hours in the day, cuz I have so much crap to write, and talk and research... yes, research is good, esp. if you're writing a term paper... but I see you're not. Sensing that is called using one's intuition. Nah, it's called the obvious. Hope that helps. If not, don't shoot me ok please. Have fun.