# How Do You Get Story Ideas?



## T.S.Bowman (May 11, 2014)

I know that a lot of writers get their ideas from dreams that they have had. I know some can get ideas just from looking around.

My wiring must be messed up or something.

I haven't had a dream that I can remember any details of in probably 30 years or so. I used to be able to remember some of the details of my dreams. When I was younger it was easy. Somehow, though, it seems that particular circuit in my brain has been switched off.  

I also don't seem to be wired to have ideas pop up by just looking around. I have often looked at someone or something and thought "What if?"...but I can never seem to manage the rest of it.

I have said before that ideas are hard for me to come by. I have had a few over the last 5 years or so, but none of them (except my WIP) ever go much of anywhere. I'm not sure if I am just wired differently tan most other writers, or what the deal is. I guess that's why I am hoping I can make my WIP good enough to get published. I really don't have much of anything else. LOL


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## Sam (May 11, 2014)

My imagination.


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## amelhope (May 11, 2014)

i don't know


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## stormageddon (May 11, 2014)

I get inspiration for lyrics from my dreams, but my prose writing seems to be the inspiration behind my dreams, and not the other way around. I get inspired for that by...well, literally anything.

Sometimes words do it - I got a whole chapter out of someone saying the word "sodden" and my thought process just spiralling. That's the most common sort. Sometimes there's nothing to make it happen, so far as I can tell, and I just randomly think "omg! This!" and get writing.

Other times, it's what I see, particularly weather - fog inspired me to write a steampunk assassin story.

And then there are the times when I have to chase the ideas, which I do by getting out and about and making myself think "what if" the entire time. That's how most of my old man stories come about >.>

Really, ideas are everywhere, no matter how your brain is wired. If you're stuck for them, look for them in everything and eventually you'll begin to see them. And if you still can't think of anything new, don't worry about it until you have to. I always worried that when I finished the first story I was working on, I'd be out of ideas and never be able to write again (I was 12, don't judge). Then I found that the more desperate I became for ideas, the easier they became to find. I do find that most of my best ideas are insufficient for a novel on their own, but as of this year have begun to get around that by combining worlds, which does wonders.


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## Jeko (May 11, 2014)

I write.


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## Skodt (May 11, 2014)

Everywhere, I honestly sometimes wish I could slow down on the ideas. It sure would help complete what I already want to complete, instead I just keep adding to a list that by now will never see the end in my lifetime.


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## Bard_Daniel (May 11, 2014)

From every single academic subject/medium you can imagine. I read voraciously and study it while I read even if its not for a class. I underline, I circle, I use highlighters, I work.

I also gain ideas from my own life, which is interesting enough, but I plan to make it more intriguing. 

Besides that, there is always, as Cadence said, writing itself. Springboard for ideas.

P.S. Dreams are also integral.


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## J.C.O Goss (May 11, 2014)

Dreams are one. Random imaginings are another. Those are the main two, honestly, but other sources of inspiration for me include, well, anything. Any number of books, movies, TV shows, or even video games and comics.


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## Riptide (May 11, 2014)

Dreams all the way! Well, I also have an active imagination and out of one thing ten ideas can sprout. Some times it's from friends. I want to write a story about them or their hobbies and I do. I'm like Skodt, I have too much going on. I remember telling myself I'd work on these few I have... and then I though up another grand story and started writing it


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## InstituteMan (May 11, 2014)

Some of my ideas come from memories of my life. It all seemed pretty normal to me at the time, but there are good stories there, maybe because of how normal some of it was under the surface of oddness.

I also have a terribly wandering mind. A trip to the DMV will have me full of ideas about the people there (and the spaceship with the human filleting knife they have parked in the back).

On a more mundane level, there are simple and beautiful and sad stories all around me: a daughter's first date,all full of excitement and bright eyes; my grandmother (now twice widowed) planning her life around baseball broadcasts and giving away every non-necessity she owns while she still can; a nephew born with a hole in his heart, alive and thriving now. Stories are out there.


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## EmmaSohan (May 11, 2014)

For me, the ideas come from anywhere, but I can't control it. So as far as I know, I might never get another idea again. And the original idea usually doesn't make it to the final book without some serious changes.

My last idea came in an online chat, so I have a complete record of it! That was so strange to reread. The person I was talking to said that amnesia was the Holy Grail of the hypnotic trance. But I think amnesia isn't very safe. My response was

Me: "How is this for the start of a book? Everyone thinks they'll be happy if they find the holy grail. Will they? Will they have more friends? Real friends? Be any wiser? Have a better way of dealing with the disappointments of life?"

I mostly discarded the original idea. But the main character never thinks it's good that the Holy Grail is in her attic, if anything she complains about it. So the attitude in that idea made it to the final book.


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## bookmasta (May 11, 2014)

I have a lot of ideas for books and only so much time to write them all. However, there is one plot that is somewhat sacred to me. I've had it in my mind for over a year now, but I've never found the right time to start on it. I don't know when I'll ever write it, but considering the different devices and the theme its based on, I'm going to be looking for advice from someone in the hierarchy of my church one day. Its not of matter of if I'll write it, but when. 

But yes, most of my plots are products of my inspiration and my imagination. There's over a thousand of them in my mind, but only so much time to write them. However, inspiration and ideas can only go so far in writing. It takes discipline to sit down and write every day, even on the days that you don't want to.


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## Nickleby (May 11, 2014)

I generally have two sources--things I mishear and people I meet. There are missing perceptions all around us, such as backstories to people and places, that we will never know. Make up something, change the milieu, and run with it. A bus driver can become the leader of a caravan. A schoolteacher can become a governess to vampire children. A tired old businessman can become a baron facing his last battle. Two old tropes can combine to make something new and fresh.


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## Apple Ice (May 11, 2014)

I'm surprised by how many of you are inspired by your dreams. My dreams are all nonsense so I'm envious of you all to be able to do that, lucky bunch of sods. 

Walking is mostly where I get my ideas. Just walk and think a lot, mostly to and from college. I get ideas for particular scenes when listening to music.

I don't know about you lot but I can't for the life of me remember _how _I conceived an idea. I try and can only remember how it came about for a few of my stories. The rest it seems like I just wrote an idea down one day. It's quite annoying


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## Lyra Laurant (May 11, 2014)

I don't usually have ideas popping up in my mind like magic. My ideas come from my will of writing.

I decide I want to write about something, and then I think about all the possibilities that could make the story more interesting. That's it. A lot of hard mental work.


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## Pidgeon84 (May 11, 2014)

I tend to draw off of the athmoaphere or mood of moment. So like if I'm in the mountains it might make for something about nature, space, etc. Or whatever atmosphere that my music might have. Which doesn't necessarily come from lyrics, but sometimes. Thats for poetry though. For stories the inspiration probably comes from a more substantial storyline thats subconsciously making its way into my work.


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## Ephemeral_One (May 11, 2014)

Unfortunately, there is no single well of inspiration in life, I find. And the famous 'writer's block' can sometimes be more an emotional blockage we need to deal with in our perspectives with life. I know for me, it's always tied into my low self image. I flat out refused to believe that I was interesting for most of my life. But, I'm finding quickly, now that I'm taking a wider look around me, yeah, I'm fairly damn interesting with plenty to share. Now if I could just find someone else who thinks so, you know?


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## dvspec (May 11, 2014)

I'm a popper.  I can do a random typing exercise and come up with a list of things easy.  The hard part is finding time to write them.

I do have something that may help you.  I have been taking an online writing class through my library.  To write a good fiction story, you need the premise which boils down to this:

What if someone set out to do something in order to goal for greater good and discovered  inner self revelation.  That is what you build your story around.  That gives you the who, what, why.  Now go plug in the when and were and add the plot to get your someone from point A to point B.


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## Winston (May 12, 2014)

Observation, experience, then extrapolation.

I commute on a ferry across The Puget Sound in WA State.  I see so many people with their noses buried in their phones, laptops, tablets etc.  I look out the window.

I also pray (meditate).  Sometimes, when you can quiet your mind, clarity is much easier.  That's hard to do while playing Angry Birds.


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## TheYellowMustang (May 12, 2014)

I love doing things like painting walls, taking long and lazy walks or riding the bus. Especially the latter. Everything that allows me to just zone out. I also think some youtube videos are great at capturing a certain mood or feeling, and that can inspire me as well. I love machinima and multifandom videos. Writing prompts can also help.


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## Gyarachu (May 12, 2014)

I don't have a clue where my ideas come from for the most part. I think someone has a transmitter wired to my brain and zaps them into my consciousness. Although for all their cool technology they don't have many creative ideas to offer...

I'm also one of those people who is super influenced by the things I read/watch/play. If I read a book I really like, for the next week I won't be able create any story that isn't a direct ripoff, and any ideas I had going previously become inadequate and boring because they aren't the one I just read/watched/played. It's a problem.


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## Bishop (May 12, 2014)

The alien overlords.

Okay, no seriously, I daydream a LOT. I just... think about my universe. I'm not really sure how else to explain it. I draw on other sci-fi mediums a lot, and take inspiration from other books, but for the most part, I just daydream and write, and what comes is what comes.


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## aliveatnight (May 12, 2014)

I have one idea that's based off of a dream, but truthfully I tend to zone out and daydream a lot, and that's where a lot come from. And of course then there's getting them randomly too. My only problem with getting ideas is that I'll be blank for a while and then have 10 come all at once.


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## dvspec (May 12, 2014)

This has a bunch of potential as a story line.  Write it from the woman's view, the killers, the sheriffs, an FBI investigator or a reporter, family, neighbor or friends view the options are endless.  Maybe he's done this before . . .


Putnam County Sheriff Howard Sills said Thursday afternoon authorities still do not where the head of Russell Dermond might be – confirming for the first time publicly that the 88-year-old Great Waters resident was decapitated and that his head has not been found.
He also confirmed Dermond was likely murdered sometime between Friday and Sunday and said Dermond’s 87-year-old wife, Shirley is still missing – despite rumors to the contrary.
Dermond’s body was found by a neighbor Tuesday morning in the garage of his Reynolds Plantation home at 147 Carolyn Drive – a million-dollar property at the end of a cul de sac, on lot that backed up to a small cove off Lake Oconee.
Full story here. 
http://www.msgr.com/news/article_35704cae-d56d-11e3-81f5-0019bb2963f4.html
But Sills said he did not know if that was the location of the murder.


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## Plasticweld (May 12, 2014)

Like Dvspec I get my ideas from current events and news and the use history as a measure to re-enforce the point I am trying to make.

I am working tonight on a story inspired by the news, I am going to make it into a fiction/humor story, should be fun to do, I have been rolling the idea around in my head all day today.  I think the best part of coming up with a story line is mentally rehearsing potential lines in the story and playing with sentences in the coarse of the day, my version of  day dreaming


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## Erik Fantasia (May 12, 2014)

I'm just insane. I have to supress story ideas with a wall. I love making stories.


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## J Anfinson (May 12, 2014)

Imagination and What If. I look at everyday things and think of ways to twist their purpose.


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## dvspec (May 12, 2014)

Plasticweld said:


> .  I think the best part of coming up with a story line is mentally rehearsing potential lines in the story and playing with sentences in the coarse of the day, my version of  day dreaming



I do this out loud, in the car.  

I have to be careful when I go to stores or anywhere I feel like I'm alone.  Can you imagine being in the next stall when someone in the bathroom starts saying things like, "Don't hesitate to kill him.  Once he's down, put one in his head, just to be sure."

Awww, there's another story. . .


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## J Anfinson (May 12, 2014)

^Ah yes, random lines of dialogue, either real or imagined is a great kickstarter as well.


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## T.S.Bowman (May 13, 2014)

Oh geeze. 

So I start this thread a couple of days ago because I realized that it's sometimes tough for me to find something to write about. 

But, in recent days, I wrote my LM entry based on only one line of dialogue that popped into my head. Today, I was trying to find a solution to the connection problems I've been having with my laptop and not having any luck. So I went to YouTube and found an OLD song from my youth called Don't Pay The Ferryman by Chris De Burgh. I wasn't even really listening to the lyrics, but the title kept running through my head.

It got me thinking about what would happen if Charon decided he didn't want to be The Ferryman anymore. Or at least what he would do in his downtime (and trust me, he has some), between the groups of souls he has to take across.

I think I have a pretty good idea for the downtime. 

Sometimes I will get a few ideas at a time, then nothing for months. It drives me bonkers.


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## dvspec (May 13, 2014)

I have been making notes about stories I could write. That way if I can't come up with one I already have another one started.


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## ChrisK (May 13, 2014)

When I get ideas they come from different sources. Lots are little side steps from reality, maybe listening to what somebody is saying and taking little phrases out of context (imagine a couple of animals having the same conversation), watching some people interacting and building up a back story in my imagination, spotting unusual things out in nature or as I'm walking through town, strange doors, something growing up through cracks in the pavement, the shape of a gnarly tree. Another thing that I like to do, especially when thinking of younger children, is to think about traditional stories from other angles, points of view or different contexts. There is quite a lot of this around now already, but it's fun to do anyway.

- - - Updated - - -

simple but effective


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## garza (May 13, 2014)

I have little imagination and my dreams mostly involve a great deal of driving through country I've never seen before except in other dreams. In the dream the car is my old E-type, except it's a RHD-DHC while mine was a LHD-FHC. Anyone care to analyse that and tell me what sort of story idea can be pulled from it? Any symbolism that can be extracted to create a theme?

Otherwise all I have left for ideas are the world as a setting and 73 years of looking around at what goes on for characters and plots.

edit - In the sentence above the linking verb should be is, singular.


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## Morkonan (May 13, 2014)

T.S.Bowman said:


> ...[h=2]How Do You Get Story Ideas? 				[/h]



I can't stop from getting them... Honestly, there is no way I could imagine not having the ability to come up with a story idea. However, I could imagine the curse of having plenty of ideas that ended up not worthy of being full stories...  But, combine enough of those together and something is bound to stick!


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## TheYellowMustang (May 13, 2014)

Okay so I was going on one of my idea-walks earlier tonight because I had to figure some stuff out about this story I want to write (one billion plot holes already, and I haven't written the first word yet). So I thought I'd try to pay more attention to the process and how it works for me, since this is a very interesting thing to discuss. My conclusion was that the initial idea itself isn't the important part. I think ideas really come to life when you start asking why and how. How did the aliens get here? Why does Voldemort want to kill Harry? How did Andy end up in prison? Why is the prince a beast? Who killed Goldie? The more questions I ask myself, the more new questions pop up and the plot starts to grow, new characters emerge and backstories form. 

Or, you know, if you're not an overthinking weirdo who makes plot-maps with post-its - just write.


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## Mutimir (May 13, 2014)

Several different places. Sometimes it is just a decision to do something. One of the stories I'm working on was just a decision to write a comic. Another was an experience of walking into a coffee shop. I asked myself why I had a difficulty making conversation with the people behind the counter making my coffee. Another was something I ripped from the headlines about a bank robber. 

I never seem to remember my dreams but when I do they seem to be rather useless or make me seem self-absorbed.


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## Blade (May 14, 2014)

Mutimir said:


> I never seem to remember my dreams but when I do they seem to be rather useless or make me seem self-absorbed.



Same here, the last one I recall involved me sitting on a grassy hill with a bunch of rabbits running around watching a hockey game on what, in real life, would have been a football field. Not useful.:dejection:

Most ideas actually come to me during unguarded moments when my attention is elsewhere. I suspect they are generated by conversations or things I have read and only surface later after having been digested somehow. Delayed reaction seems to be my strong suit.:-k


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## Quentin (May 14, 2014)

I usually get ideas simply by reading the newspaper or reading scientific articles, history, etc. Then it's just a case of 'What If?'

For instance, a year ago I started studying the history of the Ancient Greek city-state of Sparta. And the idea for a story popped into my mind: 'What if a city/country ruled like ancient Sparta existed today with our modern technology?'

Sometimes I just watch the news and try to imagine what the future will look like. Last idea I got: The Chinese economy is still rising, but one day it will collapse. What will happen when that happens and what will be the consequences on the rest of the world? (I got that idea while watching the documentary 'How China fooled the world' which is available on Youtube + use my real-life experience in China) That is a raw idea, of course. I will have to fine-tune the idea if ever I decide to write that story. But I seem to have more ideas than I have time to write them down.


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## Burzum0727 (May 18, 2014)

History!!! History repeats itself over and over and it can do it easily in a novel.


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## Cylver (May 18, 2014)

I'm quite the same where I never really remember my dreams anymore as much as I try to, I only remember like one a week and normally all my nightmares. I never really got inspiration from my dreams, any ideas that did come out of dreams I normally haven't used cause they are to chaotic and there's too much going on for me to use any of it.

A lot of people have said that they can't stop getting ideas and i'm very much the same. Normally my ideas just pop up when i'm thinking about something, I could just start thinking about something that was going on in the news, and then change to something about my life and before I know it i'm thinking about a new idea that I then can't stop thinking about. It really affects me while i'm trying to work in my project so for a while now i've been just trying to see if new ideas can be applied to my project and if they can't I scrap em.

I must have five novel series ideas or something by this point. xD
It's interesting to see how everyone else gets their ideas.


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## RubyEclipse (May 18, 2014)

I honestly just have an overactive imagination. I already had a base idea but my starting scene for my current work came to me whilst I was just trying to make up stories in my head to fill time until the end of an exam after I'd finished. I've never really thought about it, I just get ideas, I prefer to live in the world of my stories than my actual world, they're more exciting


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## Jeko (May 18, 2014)

I also wouldn't say that I 'get' story ideas. More often, they get me.


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## deBroglie (May 18, 2014)

Universal themes. I have a specific lesson in mind I want to convey and that depends on my mood, really. I may be feeling adultery one day, love another, and revenge the next. It all depends on what I'm in the mood for.

I then fill in the blanks from there and plan the story around how I want to convey a certain lesson or theme. It's not always successful, but it works for me.


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## Apple Ice (May 18, 2014)

Update: I had a rather horrific dream the other night and I realised it would serve great as the stat for this idea I've struggling with. Dreams do work after all. Rather chuffed at that.


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## Missingtrees (May 18, 2014)

Read Scarlett Thomas, typewriters and monkeys - and look at her matrix.  In my last piece I just selected two things and then decided what could happen, then wrote a free write.  

Or, just choose one thing.  Anything random. A bottle of wine. A dog. An aeroplane. A bed.  Whatever you think of, start writing, just for ten minutes.  Don't stop no matter what.  Don't correct or think, just write the first nonsense that comes out of your head.  Even if you end up writing ' I can't think what to write my brain is dead this is crap.'  Believe me, something will pop out.  Go on- try it!

- - - Updated - - -

Read Scarlett Thomas, typewriters and monkeys - and look at her matrix.  In my last piece I just selected two things and then decided what could happen, then wrote a free write.  

Or, just choose one thing.  Anything random. A bottle of wine. A dog. An aeroplane. A bed.  Whatever you think of, start writing, just for ten minutes.  Don't stop no matter what.  Don't correct or think, just write the first nonsense that comes out of your head.  Even if you end up writing ' I can't think what to write my brain is dead this is crap.'  Believe me, something will pop out.  Go on- try it!


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## Kyle R (May 18, 2014)

T.S.Bowman said:


> I have said before that ideas are hard for me to come by. I have had a few over the last 5 years or so, but none of them (except my WIP) ever go much of anywhere. I'm not sure if I am just wired differently tan most other writers, or what the deal is.



Writing definitely takes work. It's one of the truisms that we've all heard but many of us don't want to admit. Though, we don't, as writers, have to sit around waiting for ideas; we can sit down and think them up.

Coming up with story ideas, for me, is the easiest part of the writing process. Generally, there are five elements I like to nail down (in no particular order) before diving into a story, and those are:



*Protagonist* - Who is the main character?
*Antagonist* - Who/what opposes the main character?
*Setting* - Where does the story take place? What is the fictional world like?
*Objective* - What is the main character trying to achieve?
*Stakes* - Why is it important? What will happen if the main character fails?

Start by identifying each of these elements. Come up with several possibilities for each category, and go with the ones that excite you the most. 

Enough practice with this, and you'll become an idea-generating machine, with all the pieces for a story that will take you places! :encouragement:


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## T.S.Bowman (May 19, 2014)

I will try this, Kyle. Being the pantser that I am, though, may hinder me a bit. In my WIP, the antagonist didn't let me know who he is until about 50K words in. 

Getting the setting, stakes and objective (or even two of those three may prove immensely helpful.


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## Blade (May 19, 2014)

T.S.Bowman said:


> I will try this, Kyle. Being the pantser that I am, though, may hinder me a bit. In my WIP, the antagonist didn't let me know who he is until about 50K words in.
> 
> Getting the setting, stakes and objective (or even two of those three may prove immensely helpful.



I think Kyle Colorado's plan makes good basic sense. In most cases the principle characters would be established at the get go rather than showing up late. It proposes a reasonable initiation package, IMHO.


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## NerdyMJ (May 19, 2014)

Books, movies, comic books, and of course my own imagination. I usually get ideas for stories while I'm writing in my journal because that's when I'm able to understand my own thoughts best. I, actually, rarely draw inspiration from my dreams because my dreams are usually all about some issues I have with myself and thus, I find them too personal to use in a story.


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## T.S.Bowman (May 19, 2014)

Blade said:


> I think Kyle Colorado's plan makes good basic sense. In most cases the principle characters would be established at the get go rather than showing up late. It proposes a reasonable initiation package, IMHO.



In most cases, yes.

Like I said, I am going to try doing that. But, also like I said, my antagonist didn't step out into the open for quite a while. 

I didn't say anything about the idea not being reasonable. I'm just not sure the entire approach will work for me and my way of writing. It might. It might not.


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## BryanJ62 (May 19, 2014)

For me they come out of nowhere. Sometimes I'll watch a commercial and something about it sparks an idea. One day I was walking through a store and I saw a note someone wrote. A story came from that. They just seem to show up, hang out for a while, eat all of my cookies and either stay for a while or I never see them again. At least they smell nice.


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## T.S.Bowman (May 19, 2014)

BryanJ62 said:


> They just seem to show up, hang out for a while, eat all of my cookies and either stay for a while or I never see them again. At least they smell nice.



Don't ya hate when they don't leave any cookies??

As far as smelling nice, I have had some ideas that were real stinkers.


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## BryanJ62 (May 19, 2014)

*I've been lucky so far. They seem to like the smell of spearmint and that Irish soap that's always green. Can never remember the name. It's really a bummer when they show up for dinner. They never do dishes.*


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## TaraLin (May 28, 2014)

Personally, I get ideas for stories before I even finish the first nine I'm working on. I have gotten ideas from lots of places. Sometimes, they just come to me unwarranted. Sometimes, something out of place (like a grocery cart in the police station parking lot) triggers some idea. But honestly, I think one of the best ways to come up with a new story is watch/read/listen to something that brings out an emotion. I have come up with stories of my own by being inspired by someone else's. 

Like, this newest story I'm working on came from watching a show where the mom had cancer and her daughters are waiting for her to die. It triggered the question "Is it worse to know that someone is dying or for them to just all of the sudden be gone?" Then, I was like "What if there is a mom who has cancer and some of her daughters know but some don't." Then I wondered how a mom would tell some of her family, but not all. Then, I came up with the idea for her writing them letters and only some of the daughters read them. And it just escalated from there. 

I don't know what kind of stories you write, but one thing that really helps me is coming up with a tough situation and how some people might respond to that. Hope that helps.


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## Melusina (Jun 4, 2014)

My life and the lives I encounter.   My WIP has been inspired by many things - my journeys through bereavement and therapy and a trip to Rome.   An idea for a future story or novel was inspired by my grandfathers life as a lighthouse keeper.   It's immortalising the issues that are important to me and adding in big doses of fantasy and imagination and what ifs...


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## Bishop (Jun 4, 2014)

Melusina said:


> My life and the lives I encounter.   My WIP has been inspired by many things - my journeys through bereavement and therapy and a trip to Rome.   An idea for a future story or novel was inspired by my grandfathers life as a lighthouse keeper.   It's immortalising the issues that are important to me and adding in big doses of fantasy and imagination and what ifs...



Welcome to the forum! Always envied people able to take experiences from their own life and make them into great stories.

Me? I just use aliens and plasma guns.


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## Melusina (Jun 4, 2014)

Bishop said:


> Welcome to the forum! Always envied people able to take experiences from their own life and make them into great stories.
> 
> Me? I just use aliens and plasma guns.



Thanks , happy to be here


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## BryanJ62 (Jun 4, 2014)

Bishop;1739811[I said:
			
		

> *]....aliens and plasma guns.*[/I]



*Yum. But only if there's enough brown sugar.*


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## J.T. Chris (Jun 5, 2014)

I don't really start with any ideas. I usually start with a character first. If that character intrigues me, and I want to explore his or her life, then I try to figure out what that character wants and that's where the story comes from.


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## thepancreas11 (Jun 5, 2014)

T.S., as far as I know, ideas come from one of three places: learning, reading, or simple observation. Learning introduces you to something new, something you've never seen before and jumpstarts the creative juices. Learning is by far the most effective for me. Reading, well, when you read something, chances are you get plenty of new little snippets that you never thought of before, new ways to approach a problem, normally derived from a disagreement between you and the way the author resolved or presented the story. Observation I find to be the most difficult in that you can't usually force it to happen; it just does.

That being said, I'm going to try and come up with a writing idea off the top of my head by simple observation, using a preset number of steps.

1) Observe: Pretty straight forward. Look around, see something in the world, write it down. In front of me, I see a vase full of fake flowers.

2) Find an Unusual Thing: This is the difficult part, but the one that generates the idea. Simply stated, you have to try and imagine what makes this situation strange, silly, or abnormal. Well, plenty of people have fake flowers. Sometimes they even have those flowers in a vase with fake water in them...which sounds weird...recreating nature with plastic...while the real flowers and trees die off.... Okay, now I have it: the fake nature prospers while the real nature suffers. That's the Unusual Thing.

3) Translating the basis into a premise: You can't just leave it at the original thought because you'd be hard-pressed to write a good story detailing an argument between real and fake flowers (although, please, by all means, give it a shot). How can you apply this to a situation that you've either had before or could realistically see happening. Fake things doing well...real things falling short... Well, for one, you could go with models, couldn't you? A buxom, tanned model who bought her body-parts (including her skin tone) gets the job over a natural beauty whose curves aren't quite as enhanced as the plastic ones. You could go with politicians: he who lies keeps his job but never accomplishes anything good, and he who votes for the right and struggles to find morality loses the election. I'll go with the former because it strikes me as more familiar (politics is a land of make-believe to me).

4) Finding the story: Now, a premise generally has no conflict or theme; it's merely a thought superimposed on a situation. First you start with theme, or as I like to call it, your opinion on the situation. My opinion is that I'd rather have the real thing, regardless of how attractive she is than a woman who's drop-dead gorgeous, polymerly speaking. My theme, therefore, is that fake appearances and vanity will lead you to fake happiness and fake relationships because I'd rather have it end positively for the real girl. Next, the plot. Conflict and resolution being the most important parts of plot, you have to find them in that situation, i.e. come up with a place and time that the theme is most overtly expressed with your own opinion in mind. This means I have to show a place where the real woman finds rejection and the fake woman succeeds initially, but then, after some time, the opposite happens. Depending on how long I want the story, I can adjust how gradually the decline and incline take place. So now I have it, my two models are roommates (you have to connect them) who have opposing views on body-image. One decides to start simply by using the fake tanner and as she finds success, gets pressured into implants, rhinoplasty, tummy tucks and diets until she one day looks in the mirror and doesn't recognize herself. The other struggles to find herself while she supports her friend, always feeling on the outside like she's nothing. Real girl gets to the point where she considers going the route of fake girl until she finds a job as a photographer, having been on all those shoots, and realizes that she wants to start a new trend of photographing women in real life and helping to sell this body image to the young crowd, especially the ones like her.

5) Writing: So, if you'll notice, not everything has panned out just yet. I don't really have a conflict or a resolution in mind, but I have the idea. At this point, I would start writing until the conflict came out, which will happen eventually, I promise.

All you have to do is translate that unusual thing into something substantial. If you can do that, the idea generator never turns off.


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## T.S.Bowman (Jun 5, 2014)

Damn, panc. That's some good stuff right there.

It's that kind of response, and others in this thread and others I have started, that keep me asking the questions and bringing up the things I do.

Even though I may, at times, wind up being thought of as complaining or whining a bit too much, I think it's important for new writers to have threads that ask the questions I ask, and have the subjects that I bring up. Then they get a chance to see how great a place this is for new writers who may be struggling to find where and how they fit into this craft we call writing.


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## BryanJ62 (Jun 6, 2014)

*We live a few miles from the University of Oregon. When spring arrives I always take time for a nice long walk around campus. Nothing more beautiful than a spring day on campus, especially if it's raining. *


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## Freezeblink (Jun 6, 2014)

Some that I use have already been mentioned: imagination, experiences, learning. One way that gets my mind working are some of my conversations with friends, and posing "what if's." It may vary depending on your friends as well, but we will get off on long tangents about random topics. What if the world suddenly stopped turning? Would we just go flying? Could we survive? What would be the fallout? What caused the world to stop? We will discuss the science of it. Sometimes just make something crazy up. It's fun and if gives you insight to how others may think as well.

Sometimes if you have half an idea it's a good idea to bounce it off someone you know as well to get their opinion. I think it was Bill Nye that said "Everyone you will ever meet knows something you don't." Listening and engaging others helps produce new ideas all the time.


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## T.S.Bowman (Jun 6, 2014)

Freezeblink said:


> Sometimes if you have half an idea it's a good idea to bounce it off someone you know as well to get their opinion. I think it was Bill Nye that said "Everyone you will ever meet knows something you don't." Listening and engaging others helps produce new ideas all the time.



I have done that quite often. I have found that doing that can ignite some really good ideas from even the smallest nugget of a conversation.


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## BeastlyBeast (Jun 11, 2014)

T.S.Bowman said:


> I know that a lot of writers get their ideas from dreams that they have had. I know some can get ideas just from looking around.
> 
> My wiring must be messed up or something.
> 
> ...



This worked for me, as I used it yesterday to start up a new book, and I'm already a bit into the first chapter. For me, my best story ideas come through an outline. I follow this process:

first, write up the general plot of the story you want to write. Keep in mind, at this point were not talking about ANYTHING specific. No names, places, nothing. Write out your plot like, a boy meets a girl with some kind of medical issue and tries to woo her. Again, no names and nothing specific, very general.

second, come up with more specifics. What are some subplots? Where do the people live or where does the story take place? Why are these things in the plot or subplot happening? After this, I would come up with character names and personalities. Personalities, though, in my opinion, don't need to be very fleshed out. When you think of a person, you don't think of their qualities in prose or poetic form. You think of one word qualities and short blurbs. Do that with your characters personalities and then stick to those personalities. Flesh out your story a bit more, and boom, you have an idea with which you can start writing!


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## Greimour (Jun 11, 2014)

I feel like I've answered this before on this forum,

You are right though Bowman, many of your questions are good reads for newbie writers. But not just he newbie writers...

I have been writing with the intent of having a published story one day since I was seven or so. I wanted my story to be the one kids picked up in the library. As I grew up, my stories would tend to follow my age group and changed along the way - but even now, I am constantly learning more and sometimes your questions help in that learning process.

I think maybe sometimes I am hampered by things I have learned, but that is probably my own abilities coming into question. Everyone is their own biggest critic and I won't let much of my work be seen by others.

However.

My stories come from everywhere. Literally.

Games, Stories, Movies, Life, Hear-say, Religion, Mythology, whatever

____

Think Panc covered well enough. Using all of the above like a blob of clay and jug of water, I begin to squish, squeeze and form the blob into something that resembles _anything_. Once it resembles something, I flatten it, roll it out turn it back into a blob of nothing and remake it into what it had begun to look like - only a better version - more accurate version. Then I try again and again until I am happy with it or until I decide it's not worth any more time and I grab a new blob of clay.


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## T.S.Bowman (Jun 11, 2014)

Greimour said:


> You are right though Bowman, many of your questions are good reads for newbie writers. But not just he newbie writers...
> 
> I have been writing with the intent of having a published story one day since I was seven or so. I wanted my story to be the one kids picked up in the library. As I grew up, my stories would tend to follow my age group and changed along the way - but even now, I am constantly learning more and sometimes your questions help in that learning process.



That kind of thing makes me feel pretty good, Greimour.

I realize that a lot of the questions I ask have probably been asked dozens of times before, considering how long this place has been around.

But I also realize that there is a constant flow of new people coming here, and there are also, most likely, a whole lot of people who have been here for a little while, but weren't around to put their two cents in the last time a question of mine was asked.


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## Blade (Jun 11, 2014)

T.S.Bowman said:
			
		

> I haven't had a dream that I can remember any details of in probably 30 years or so. I used to be able to remember some of the details of my dreams. When I was younger it was easy. Somehow, though, it seems that particular circuit in my brain has been switched off.



Exactly the same thing happened to me. In fact I used to keep a notebook and pen ready beside my bed to jot down at least an outline of what I dreamt. For many years now I have not only not remembered dreams but I don't even know if I have had one.

You could sort of 'borrow' dreams by pretending other dreams you hear about are really yours but then you get shit about Hamsters and stuff like that.:disturbed:


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## Gavrushka (Jun 11, 2014)

I'm not entirely sure I've ever had a story idea, or ever will... Sounds terminal for a writer. 

All I do is have two formless characters talk, and I write down what they say... If it's a narrative start, I gibber, and write down that gibber. Within a couple of paragraphs, it all starts to make sense, and I just carry on writing.

The thought of knowing where it's all leading would send me cold; after all, I'm the first reader of the words I write, and I don't want to know what I've written on the last page!


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## Greimour (Jun 11, 2014)

Gavrushka said:


> I'm not entirely sure I've ever had a story idea, or ever will... Sounds terminal for a writer.
> 
> All I do is have two formless characters talk, and I write down what they say... If it's a narrative start, I gibber, and write down that gibber. Within a couple of paragraphs, it all starts to make sense, and I just carry on writing.
> 
> The thought of knowing where it's all leading would send me cold; after all, I'm the first reader of the words I write, and I don't want to know what I've written on the last page!



That's why I like seat of the pants writing in a nutshell. I am venturing at the minute to do some [planning process work] and see how it affects my enthusiasm, results, progress and style.


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## BryanJ62 (Jun 11, 2014)

*I had a full novel in my head while mowing the lawn.  Afterwards I ran a couple of errands, which took longer than expected, and by the time I got home I could only remember bits and pieces of it. To this day I'm still trying to capture it. *


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## Nippon Devil (Jun 15, 2014)

I have a very vivid imagination, so just about everything gives me ideas. I usually have to look at quite a few things to fully sculpt something i want to write about. 

As an example, I first think about what I'd like to write about. I'm not going to start writing this instant, but I think about a character I'd like to write about. I decide I want to make a woman who looks good, but is actually gritty and rude. Cocky and arrogant. She's not kind to others. I decide that it's going to be a fantasy setting because it's an interesting canvas to paint on. Now this is when the world starts to inspire me. I see a picture of a woman/plant thing. I thought it would be cool if the woman I plan on writing about could be a plant lady too. She could grow her own body armor in the form of leaves and pedals, and cast "spells" by launching spores that burn up or cause people to hallucinate. I'm still not satisfied though, those are cool powers but it's not much of a back story. later I read a review about a game with a completely deplorable main character. She's a witch who swears up a storm and isn't very nice to anybody. This is a character like the one i want to create! However, I want people to not be totally turned off by her, so I take notes and decide how I can get the feeling of the character without turning off my audience. I also like witches, so now my plant lady is a witch plant lady. I realize that being a witch and a plant lady at the same time doesn't work 100% since most of their powers overlap, so she's actually a plant lady posing as a witch. I then decide to start using my own creativity by asking myself questions about the character. Why is she a plant? Why is she posing as a Witch? How can I make her more tolerable? So I decide that she's a plant lady because really bad magical experiments were forced upon her, which is also what makes her a bit insensitive to others. She's posing as a witch because the people who conducted said experiments on her don't like witches, and it's easier for her to blend in and join up with their enemies. The enemies of her enemies are her friends. Then to make her more tolerable, i give her a witch friend. She's the ying of her yang. She's not skilled in combat, not extremely bright, but is as sweet as a cherub and misinterprets everything nasty that plant lady says as praise. This annoys plant lady, who's typically proud and mocking of those around her. The story practically writes itself from there.

But my creation process isn't always so convoluted. Sometimes I'll just look at a picture of a cat dressed in a dapper little suit and ask. "What type of world does he live in? Who are his friends, how does he act?" 

Most of my ideas come from pictures, but I have sometimes been inspired while doing work or other life events.


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## escorial (Jun 15, 2014)

Live it, feel it, write it.


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## T.S.Bowman (Jun 15, 2014)

escorial said:


> Live it, feel it, write it.



Kinda tough to live a Fantasy story. LOL


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## spartan928 (Jun 16, 2014)

escorial said:


> Live it, feel it, write it.



Every myth, legend, and novel is rooted in the drama of what it means to be a human being. It makes no difference if the characters are mice, dragons, elves, vampires, robots or hookers. All great stories begin and end reflecting the human struggle. This is true wisdom you can apply to any genre.


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## Bishop (Jun 16, 2014)

spartan928 said:


> Every myth, legend, and novel is rooted in the drama of what it means to be a human being. It makes no difference if the characters are mice, dragons, elves, vampires, robots or hookers. All great stories begin and end reflecting the human struggle. This is true wisdom you can apply to any genre.



And for some of us, it's the alien struggle. Beings from the planet Gargon often show up in my story, saddened by their emotion glands. Some of them have the emotion glands removed surgically, but that just leaves them dead inside.


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## BryanJ62 (Jun 21, 2014)

*Someday I'm going to write a story about a dream I keep having. I have had this dream most of my life. I'm traveling on a road and there's a town located next to a hill. The buildings are literally on a cliff and some are hanging over. I recognize the people. They all know me and when I wake up I'm homesick. The feeling doesn't last long, maybe a minute, but long enough to remember it. *


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