# Ideas?



## Plaidman (Aug 29, 2020)

As a new writer, one of my biggest struggles is trying to figure out what to write about.

Do your ideas just come to you?  If so, how?
Do you have to go hunt your idea down?  If so, how?


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## luckyscars (Aug 29, 2020)

Writing prompts can help. Google '[GENRE] WRITING PROMPT', pick one, then force yourself to write it. Doesn't matter if you don't feel immediately inspired, write. Don't wait for inspiration to start writing, start writing and it will happen. Do _not_ filter your initial ideas, just write them. Work it out on the page, through the page, in the realm of page. Just about anything can be made into a workable story, if not a great one. If you don't feel able to write when you don't have a great idea formed, you will probably not be successful. It just doesn't work that way all the time.

Beyond that, dunno. Smoke some pot.


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## TL Murphy (Aug 29, 2020)

Write about what you ate for breakfast and just keep going. If you get stuck write down the first word that comes into your head and keep writing.  Don't stop. Write for an hour like that then go back and throw out the shit and keep the good stuff. Then do it again.

It doesn't matter what you write about. Just keep writing. It's the process that's important not the product.


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## Plaidman (Aug 29, 2020)

Luckyscars,

That is probably a good suggestion.  I sometimes have decision making issues.  So I may have to force myself to pick them out of a hat and write.  But, it would at least get me writing.


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## K.S. Crooks (Aug 29, 2020)

I found that when I started writing my first story, another one completely different came to me. Soon after I had several more ideas, as if a blockage had been removed from inside my mind. After a while ideas came when not thinking about my writing; most often when playing with my kids. I make a habit of always having something to write down an idea when it comes to me (phone, slip of paper). You never know what might inspire you so always be ready.


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## Plaidman (Aug 29, 2020)

K.S. Crooks,

So it’s your experience that idea generation gets easier as you go?  I hope that is true for me as well.


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## TL Murphy (Aug 30, 2020)

It’s like anything else.  The more you do it, the more natural it becomes.  It’s a matter of training the brain to look at the world through a writer’s eye.  Then everything becomes a subject to write about. The important thing is to start writing and not think about it too much. Overthinking kills creativity.


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## lisamarie (Aug 30, 2020)

being new to forum sites this is tricky!
but all new ill get there! lol


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## luckyscars (Aug 30, 2020)

Plaidman said:


> Luckyscars,
> 
> That is probably a good suggestion.  I sometimes have decision making issues.  So I may have to force myself to pick them out of a hat and write.  But, it would at least get me writing.



Yep, just pick something and write about it. 

“This is how you do it: you sit down at the keyboard and you put one word after another until its done. It's that easy, and that hard.” -- Neil Gaiman.


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## TL Murphy (Aug 30, 2020)

Your childhood is always a good thing to write about. Take a strong memory and write just the way it happened and if digressions pop into your head, follow them.


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## Olly Buckle (Aug 30, 2020)

I follow a general idea and try to make it particular, sometimes it works, sometimes it simply won't. A recent one was 'Well meaning but much to enthusiastic and pushy people' and I tried to set up a situation where well meant action went horribly wrong. TBH it was not very successful, but there are bits of it I liked and which I shall no doubt use somewhere. As someone said 'It is all good practice', even if it is thinking, 'No, that doesn't work.' it tells you what sort of thing doesn't work, and there will probably be something in it you can rescue.

I do find there are times when I have more ideas than others, thinking back can stimulate a comparison with the present. This morning I was thinking about the Cuban missile crisis and how in my youth there was a period when we all thought we might die. It stimulated books like 'On the beach' and 'Level Seven' and makes me wonder how to write about the low level sniping and unpleasantness that seem to have replaced wicked wit and rejection of ideas in politics. Don't suppose anything will come of that, but it's always worth a try.  Place bum on seat facing keyboard and start.


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## Joker (Aug 30, 2020)

Think about what you'd like to see done. What story haven't you seen told that you think would be interesting?

I love me some Elder Scrolls and Witcher, but if I see one more fantasy story with elves in it, I'm going to _explode. _​Don't be generic.


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## Matchu (Aug 30, 2020)

I couldn’t understand what I wrote [edit]


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## Pulse (Aug 30, 2020)

Some ideas will come to you as one-liners and stay as 'flashes of brilliance' it would be futile to add to.  Write them down, anyway; send them to yourself if you like; you may want a copyright.

If you want to write a longer work, you could try mind-mapping, or heart-mapping, or soul-mapping.  To do this, write down your main idea in the centre of a page and draw a circle round it.  Then create five other circles, sprouting from the first one, each with an idea inside.  If each of these five has another five, you could end up with 31 linked ideas, which could take you a month to unpack.

Good luck!


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## TheManx (Aug 30, 2020)

TL Murphy said:


> Your childhood is always a good thing to write about. Take a strong memory and write just the way it happened and if digressions pop into your head, follow them.



Yep. This is exactly how I first broke through. And as I was writing, I started to play "what if" — and the rest is history. Well, sort of.


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## Taylor (Aug 30, 2020)

Plaidman said:


> As a new writer, one of my biggest struggles is trying to figure out what to write about.
> 
> Do your ideas just come to you?  If so, how?
> Do you have to go hunt your idea down?  If so, how?



My ideas torment me.  I can't stop thinking about them.  I only wish I was a more prolific writer so I could get them all down.  I think they just come from life around me.  I am fascinated with people and what makes them do what they do.

What goes on in your mind when you are starting to write?  What are the messages you wish to share with your reader? Also, as a reader, what things do you like to read about?


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## Taylor (Aug 30, 2020)

Olly Buckle said:


> Place bum on seat facing keyboard and start.



Absolutely love this!  Best inspiration ever!!!


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## Cave Troll (Aug 30, 2020)

I get ideas from all kinds of places; music, art, conversations. 
Literally started a story after chatting with a couple of guys
that mentioned something about taking a shower. Story is 
almost 12k now, all from something random discussed in a 
chat.  
So you never know what might spark your imagination and 
get the juices flowing.


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## Taylor (Aug 30, 2020)

Pulse said:


> Some ideas will come to you as one-liners and stay as 'flashes of brilliance' it would be futile to add to.  Write them down, anyway; send them to yourself if you like; you may want a copyright.



Interesting!  But can you copyright an idea?



Pulse said:


> If you want to write a longer work, you could try mind-mapping, or heart-mapping, or soul-mapping.  To do this, write down your main idea in the centre of a page and draw a circle round it.  Then create five other circles, sprouting from the first one, each with an idea inside.  If each of these five has another five, you could end up with 31 linked ideas, which could take you a month to unpack.
> 
> Good luck!



Great advice!   Do you think the main idea would be your theme, and all the other ideas would be the start of your plot?


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## Pulse (Aug 30, 2020)

Taylor

I have been through enough experiences not to get too precious about ideas, but I don't see why not.  The internet makes it easy enough.

In terms of the mapping, traditional plays often have five Acts, so a plot could be sparked, even for a story.  I saw this idea discussed as 'mind-mapping' by Deepak Chopra and I couldn't get anywhere with it, so I moved to heart and then soul, which proved more fertile.

If your ideas torment you, don't let them fester.  Let the page become pageant.


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## Taylor (Aug 30, 2020)

Pulse said:


> If your ideas torment you, don't let them fester.  Let the page become pageant.



That's sounds like such good advice!  The truth is, I often find it hard to write, and I'm not sure why?  It's like I have to go to a certain part of my brain.  A part that has to work a harder.  Once I'm there, I'm good, but I can't get there often enough.  Any ideas on how to deal with that?


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## Pulse (Aug 30, 2020)

Taylor

If it happens more than once it is part of you.  It's not readily available; but it's there.  Know that and go for a walk (notepad in pocket).  Sounds to me as though you are the channel for words that will not be rushed.


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## Taylor (Aug 30, 2020)

Pulse said:


> Taylor
> 
> If it happens more than once it is part of you.  It's not readily available; but it's there.  Know that and go for a walk (notepad in pocket).  Sounds to me as though you are the channel for words that will not be rushed.




Ok...I'll try that!  It's true that I am very slow, perhaps that is part of my struggle.  Thanks for the good advice.


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## EternalGreen (Aug 30, 2020)

I actually DO filter my ideas mentally. It seems to work just fine for me.


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## Pulse (Aug 30, 2020)

There may be stuff you don't think other people could cope with.  That needn't stop you writing it.


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## Tiamat (Aug 30, 2020)

I'm reading a book right by now Elizabeth Gilbert ("Eat, Pray, Love" author) called "Big Magic." The premise of said book is about embracing creativity and giving yourself permission to be creative. Anyways, there's a chapter in which she postulates that in addition to the world being inhabited by people, places, and things, it's also inhabited by ideas. These ideas' sole desire is to be brought to life, so sometimes they'll hang out around people trying to attract their attention. If they're not able to get that person's attention, they wander off and try someone else. I don't know that I buy into all that--and she presents it quite literally so I believe she believes it any rate--but there is quite a bit of value in learning to think creatively. With all things (as others have mentioned), you just gotta do it to learn how to do it. 

I find that writing every day helps. One word, a thousand words, or ten thousand words--doesn't matter. If you don't know what to write, sit down and start writing anyways. You'll probably find something along the way. Then, once you've started writing (and this is the hardest part in my opinion), you've got to finish stuff. I have old notebooks full of sentences here, paragraphs there, maybe a page or two that started strong and fizzled out. Don't be like I used to be. It led to several wasted years of basically not writing at all. Sometimes you won't find the story until you've written the end of a rambling pile of garbage that doesn't go anywhere, but sometimes you've got to write a rambling pile of garbage to find the story in it. And eventually, you won't need the garbage pile at all. You'll just start finding stories all over the place--possibly in the form of invisible ideas trying to attract your attention, who knows?


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## Pulse (Aug 30, 2020)

You could always open a notebook and write whatever comes to mind on the left-hand page.  Then see if you want to develop the content or form on the right-hand page.


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## TheManx (Aug 30, 2020)

There's a Pedro Almodovar movie where the guy gets his ideas from the papers in the grocery store checkout line...


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## Tiamat (Aug 30, 2020)

Because truth is stranger than fiction? (I mean, these days...)


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## Taylor (Aug 30, 2020)

Tiamat said:


> I'm reading a book right by now Elizabeth Gilbert ("Eat, Pray, Love" author) called "Big Magic." The premise of said book is about embracing creativity and giving yourself permission to be creative. Anyways, there's a chapter in which she postulates that in addition to the world being inhabited by people, places, and things, it's also inhabited by ideas. These ideas' sole desire is to be brought to life, so sometimes they'll hang out around people trying to attract their attention. If they're not able to get that person's attention, they wander off and try someone else. I don't know that I buy into all that--and she presents it quite literally so I believe she believes it any rate--but there is quite a bit of value in learning to think creatively.



She may or may not believe it to be true, and it doesn't really matter because it is such an interesting idea for a story.  See now why didn't that idea hang around me...lol?  

But something that I think is perhaps more important than the idea itself, is how compelled the author is to convey the idea in a story or article.  When I read this, I thought about all those ideas floating around looking for someone who could not just notice it, but who could embrace it.  Perhaps that is what she is trying to portray in her story as well.

I saw a Netflix movie last night called Christine.  It is based on a true story of a news reporter who is struggling for various reasons, but one of them being that she struggles to find story ideas that garner high ratings.  She is conflicted with her desire to do softer people interest stories and her desire to get a promotion.  In an effort to gain the attention of the producer, she forces herself into telling more sensational crime and disaster stories that are not her passion.  I'm just not sure that is a good idea as a writer.


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## TripleFade (Aug 30, 2020)

I read a lot of non-fiction and think about it's application in a fantasy setting. Stuff like cybernetic augmentation has a ton of information in the field of prosthesis, so I read a lot of books on some of the crazy ways people have replaced limbs, figured out how nerve impulses carry signal and the like and that inspires me to "what if" their applications in a world where that stuff is farther along than it is, or the dark applications of what could be.

I do this with just about everything. "What if?" is like my biggest go-to for writing.


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## Tiamat (Aug 30, 2020)

Taylor said:


> But something that I think is perhaps more important than the idea itself, is how compelled the author is to convey the idea in a story or article.  When I read this, I thought about all those ideas floating around looking for someone who could not just notice it, but who could embrace it. Perhaps that is what she is trying to portray in her story as well.


Incidentally, it's not fiction and she does use a specific example of an idea she had but eventually lost interest in. Later, another writer friend of hers wrote and published what was basically the exact same novel she'd started and given up on. So yes, I would say that's EXACTLY what she's trying to portray. :lol:


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## Olly Buckle (Aug 30, 2020)

Joker said:


> Think about what you'd like to see done. What story haven't you seen told that you think would be interesting?
> 
> I love me some Elder Scrolls and Witcher, but if I see one more fantasy story with elves in it, I'm going to _explode. _​Don't be generic.



Then of course someone comes up with someone like Capt. Holly Short in 'Artemis Fowl'  If you can put a new spin on it you can still use the old generic stereotypes. On the other hand you can give them all new names and shapes and still have them doing all the same boring old stuff  

It's simple, you just need to be original in a way people like


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## Phil Istine (Aug 30, 2020)

Ideas flood into my mind sometimes, but other times it's more of a trickle.  The strangest things can trigger a piece of writing.  I remember watching a daddy longlegs flying around when an old memory came back.  My parents had some weird bible group in the house and they had mentioned something about respect for all life.  Then a daddy longlegs flew in and my father flattened it with a newspaper.  I ended up writing a lengthy monologue about hypocrisy.


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## Plaidman (Aug 30, 2020)

TL Murphy said:


> It doesn't matter what you write about. Just keep writing. It's the process that's important not the product.



I’m a new writer and I may be missing something here.  But, wouldn’t you wan the end product to be something “good”, something someone else would enjoy reading?


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## Plaidman (Aug 30, 2020)

K.S. Crooks said:


> I make a habit of always having something to write down an idea when it comes to me (phone, slip of paper). You never know what might inspire you so always be ready.



Just out of curiosity, when you use your phone, do you just use the notes app?  Or, is there something else you use?


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## Plaidman (Aug 30, 2020)

TL Murphy said:


> Your childhood is always a good thing to write about. Take a strong memory and write just the way it happened and if digressions pop into your head, follow them.



This actually just gave me an idea for something to write about!


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## Plaidman (Aug 30, 2020)

Joker said:


> Think about what you'd like to see done. What story haven't you seen told that you think would be interesting?



I actually have a concept for a book.  I’m nowhere near ready to write it though.  I have a lot of fleshing out to do before I will feel ready to start.  In the meantime, I thought I would focus on writing some short stories to just kind of get used to the process and start learning some basic writing skills.


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## Plaidman (Aug 30, 2020)

Matchu said:


> I couldn’t understand what I wrote [edit]



I have that problem sometimes too!  :mrgreen:


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## Plaidman (Aug 30, 2020)

Taylor said:


> What goes on in your mind when you are starting to write?  What are the messages you wish to share with your reader? Also, as a reader, what things do you like to read about?




_What goes on in my mind?_  Right now, not a whole lot.  It’s like when I think about writing, I just kind of lock up mentally and nothing comes to mind.  Maybe I’m trying too hard.

_What messages do I want to share?_  Not a clue.  I haven’t really thought about that at all.

_What do I like to read about?_  It depends.  I’m a rather moody reader.  I read anything from hard science fiction to mysteries.  I’ve read non-fiction, classics, all sorts of stuff.  I’ve even been known to read a text book simply because it caught my attention at the time.

I also sometimes have problems making decisions when it comes to what to read next.


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## Plaidman (Aug 30, 2020)

Tiamat said:


> Anyways, there's a chapter in which she postulates that in addition to the world being inhabited by people, places, and things, it's also inhabited by ideas. These ideas' sole desire is to be brought to life, so sometimes they'll hang out around people trying to attract their attention. If they're not able to get that person's attention, they wander off and try someone else.



That’s an interesting concept.  But now I’m just annoyed.  Not only can’t I come up with something to write, now there flying around me and I can’t see them!  :mrgreen:



Tiamat said:


> once you've started writing (and this is the hardest part in my opinion), you've got to finish stuff. I have old notebooks full of sentences here, paragraphs there, maybe a page or two that started strong and fizzled out.



Now this, I have some experience with.  Several times I’ve started something and I get a few paragraphs in and it just fizzles.  If I understand you correctly, you’re saying to force it on?


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## Plaidman (Aug 30, 2020)

TheManx said:


> There's a Pedro Almodovar movie where the guy gets his ideas from the papers in the grocery store checkout line...



Well, there are certainly some interesting things there to read.


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## Taylor (Aug 30, 2020)

Plaidman said:


> _What goes on in my mind?_  Right now, not a whole lot.  It’s like when I think about writing, I just kind of lock up mentally and nothing comes to mind.  Maybe I’m trying too hard.



Perhaps you are trying too hard to come up with a clever idea.  Sometimes I get locked up too.  So, I just physically put a character somewhere.  Ok, she's on the Brooklyn Bridge.  Now, what does she see?  What does she hear? What does she smell?  Next, what is she thinking?  Finally,  where is she going?  All of a sudden I have an idea, and I'm writing.  



Plaidman said:


> _What messages do I want to share?_  Not a clue.  I haven’t really thought about that at all.



Try this exercise.  Ask yourself, as a writer, "how can I contribute to society?".  You might not actually have a goal to contribute to society, but for the purpose of this exercise, you must decide on something.  Write it down.  Then try to satisfy that goal with your writing.  This is how I get ALL of my ideas.  And like I say, I have more than I can get to.



Plaidman said:


> _What do I like to read about?_  It depends.  I’m a rather moody reader.  I read anything from hard science fiction to mysteries.  I’ve read non-fiction, classics, all sorts of stuff.  I’ve even been known to read a text book simply because it caught my attention at the time.I also sometimes have problems making decisions when it comes to what to read next.



You are a lot like me in that sense.  But, I realized that there was one type of book that I liked to read, that I couldn't find many of.  I think others have made similar suggestions to this, write about something that is unique or original.  And like Olly says, "original in a way people like".


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## Tiamat (Aug 30, 2020)

Plaidman said:


> Now this, I have some experience with.  Several times I’ve started something and I get a few paragraphs in and it just fizzles.  If I understand you correctly, you’re saying to force it on?


That's my recommendation, yes. I'm nobody though. It's a bit of advice I originally got from Neil Gaiman, and he maybe knows a thing or two about ideas. Sometimes (often) you find things you'd never have found if you didn't make yourself keep going.


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## Twisted Head (Sep 1, 2020)

Everyone has different ways for getting ideas. Some do the "what-if" scenario. Some take situations in their lives and run with it. Others think of a title and start writing based on that. I think too many people try to force the ideas. But ideas can come in so many forms. I often start with a title and have index cards with a bunch of them written down (probably close to a hundred now). It's what works for me and it gives me confidence that I'll always have at least something to write about.


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## Olly Buckle (Sep 1, 2020)

Plaidman said:


> Now this, I have some experience with.  Several times I’ve started something and I get a few paragraphs in and it just fizzles.  If I understand you correctly, you’re saying to force it on?



Almost anything can be a prompt...
Plaidman was the sort of guy who had ideas which seemed promising, but then they fizzled out, sometimes it simply didn't seem worth pursuing, sometimes it was only an isolated idea that connected to nothing and led nowhere, but this time he was sure it was different ...

Now, by the time you have told us where he was, what he was doing when it struck him and who he was off to tell about it you might have some concept of what sort of idea it was. Was it to save the world? Make him a fortune? Find him a girlfriend? Or what? That I leave to you because it will depend on who and where he is and who he knows, but by the time you have decided all that ...

I was stuck for something to write about once and started in on a detailed description of a tea towel that was lying across the cooker, it turned into one of my favourite stories, all be it with a bit of a daring start, describing a tea towel is not a common 'hook'.


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## ArrowInTheBowOfTheLord (Sep 1, 2020)

Plaidman said:


> I actually have a concept for a book.  I’m nowhere near ready to write it though.  I have a lot of fleshing out to do before I will feel ready to start.  In the meantime, I thought I would focus on writing some short stories to just kind of get used to the process and start learning some basic writing skills.



I'd suggest reading some short stories, then. Reading Ray Bradbury always gets my short story ideas flowing; his prose is so arresting and mythical. 

My ideas just 'come to me.' How do they come? Hmmm. Well, did you ever play 'pretend' as a kid? That's what I do all the time, even now. It's not so much a stream of ideas as a stream of images and 'videos.' 

But there's some things that cause creative spikes: I've noticed that watching a play almost always does. Sometimes movies, too, particularly very trope-y, genre movies with a lot of flashy visuals. I think it's because my brain can start wandering and 'going' even while I'm watching the movie or play, whereas a book demands total commitment. Cliches or riffs off of cliches help me generate ideas, for whatever reason. The more trope-heavy the movie, the more inspiring (?). Not really sure why. Also, Far Side comics. Seriously! I think it's the use and spoofing of tropes, plus the weirdness. I will have mounds of story ideas after reading through a couple pages of Far Side. 

Late nights. Being physically tired. Doing math while tired. Camping or being in new places. Lying on the ground. Sometimes I'll read a book or story, and think, 'I could do that, but better/different.' That's always a good starting point. Sometimes it's just putting characters in a situation, and seeing what they do - though I'll admit I haven't created any good stories from that method, some authors swear by it and I do it for fun ("what if x and x met on a bus and started debating theology?").

'Write what you like to read' is good advice. There's not enough dinosaur stories, so I write them. I also think Christian cosmic horror should be a genre (this one's harder, but I'm working on it).  

One thing that I've noticed is that thinking about 'being a writer,' or dwelling on what people may eventually think of a story, kills ideas in their genesis. The first is a waste of time always; the second is for the revision stage. Just pick something, write it, work out the rest later. If it's narrowing down ideas you're having trouble with, pick the easiest one first so that you can get writing right away (ideas that require a lot of research, for example, can be saved until you're more in the groove of writing and idea generation. I have a story that involves the FBI on the back burner because I'm not ready for something that grounded yet). 

Good luck!


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## Davi Mai (Sep 1, 2020)

Nearly all my ideas come to me in the shower. Just thinking  "what if?"  Some also come to me after the second beer. Its really important to note those down, because they disappear after the fourth beer :-(


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## Theglasshouse (Sep 1, 2020)

The what if question is good for thinking and plotting in any genre. Reading short stories and combining that short story with your own story idea can produce a new story. I borrowed or stole an idea from a short story and then I made it my own by making it into a science fiction premise. I have used what if question to find more answers as to what is the plot and brainstormed the plot this way.

For example a writer on this forum combined the island of doctor monreau from h.g. wells with another idea they had or with another story idea. Dean koonz combined two ideas as well. One was from the invasion of the body snatchers with another novel that I don't remember the name. But read a classic and combine it with another classic novel and you too can write something interesting that wouldn't violate the copyrights of the authors.


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## TheManx (Sep 1, 2020)

Davi Mai said:


> Nearly all my ideas come to me in the shower.



Me too! That means I'll get an idea at least once a month.


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## indianroads (Sep 1, 2020)

Start by writing a journal. Get something down everyday if possible. Write about your day, or current events, or people you know. Get out and visit places and people, write about that. Read books in a genre you like. inspiration comes from life mostly, but also from books you read. 

Play with stories and characters in your journal and let things grow from there.


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## apocalypsegal (Sep 2, 2020)

I can't say how my ideas come to me, I just know that they always have, since I was a little child. Anything I saw, heard or read could spark an idea for a story, often many at once. It can get overwhelming, but you eventually get a feel for what story you want to write the most, or the one that has better sales potential. Then you have to discipline yourself to stick with it, despite all the new ideas that will be coming.

Until you get the experience, just write something. Anything. It really doesn't matter what's the "best" one, just write. Try to put all you've learned to work, practice the writing skills you've gotten. Keep learning, keep practicing. If you're lucky, you may turn into a writer who has stories people want to read.


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## bazz cargo (Sep 4, 2020)

Start with what I enjoy. I miss Terry Pratchett, so I have been noodling with an homage. 
Then what is burning my patience. 
What issues do I have issues with? 
Good luck
Oh, and I recommend trying the LM.
https://www.writingforums.com/threads/185409-The-New-quot-Literary-Maneuvers-quot-Coffee-Shop


Plaidman said:


> As a new writer, one of my biggest struggles is trying to figure out what to write about.
> 
> Do your ideas just come to you?  If so, how?
> Do you have to go hunt your idea down?  If so, how?


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## K.S. Crooks (Sep 5, 2020)

Plaidman said:


> Just out of curiosity, when you use your phone, do you just use the notes app?  Or, is there something else you use?


When I use a phone to record an idea I send an email to myself. That way when I go to my computer I get the reminder to place the idea in a proper place.


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## Bevo (Sep 5, 2020)

Read more, you tend to learn your style based on what you know. Reading builds that. 
‘Think of a romance writer that only reads suspense thrillers, how do you know what everyone likes?

Absorb everything in your area and revisit that as you write. 
in my case, writing for me is like reading, I honestly don’t know what happens next and love it.

Today I told my wife about a scene I wrote, I was thrilled but had no idea where it came from or how it would finish, it ended up amazing!
Reading it back to her it felt like Tom Clancy and at points a Reacher novel. This was my interpretation of what I read coming out in my story, no one would confuse me with those two..


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## ironpony (Sep 6, 2020)

I would say my ideas come to me a lot accidentally in conversation, like wouldn't the world be a terrible place, if this happened, etc.  And then you use that idea, for a story.


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## Sir-KP (Sep 6, 2020)

Looking back in my high school days as a bored guy, all the stories I am currently trying to write now simply came from "What If...?" Very common method.



> Do your ideas just come to you? If so, how?
> Do you have to go hunt your idea down? If so, how?



Yes and yes.

It begins with: What If > Inspirations from things (or the other way around) >> Research to solidify


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## JJBuchholz (Sep 9, 2020)

Plaidman said:


> As a new writer, one of my biggest struggles is trying to figure out what to write about.
> 
> Do your ideas just come to you?  If so, how?
> Do you have to go hunt your idea down?  If so, how?



Some ideas pop into my head on the spur of a moment. Some are found through doing every day things, like going for a walk, or watching the traffic on the highway from my balcony, or even from something I see while driving. 

I never really have to hunt for an idea. In some cases, I get only a snippet of an idea, and have to really rack my brain and try to find the additional details that I require to help me start the story properly.

Aside from that, I would have to say that inspiration can come from any direction. You just need to know how to catch it, and interpret it.

-JJB


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## Lee Messer (Sep 12, 2020)

Dreams and Nightmares mostly. Music while I'm sleeping can induce it more.

My characters literally come from real memories of people I've met in life, usually brought on by conversation. That's the basics I build characters from.

Current events, movies, other books. One that gets me that's kind of weird though. When I'm riding in a car. Not driving... only when I ride along. I guess my mind wanders when there's nothing to do but think.


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## Tim3003 (Sep 14, 2020)

With respect, if you're a writer - certainly one of fiction - ideas just come. If they don't, what makes you a writer?


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## JJBuchholz (Sep 14, 2020)

Lee Messer said:


> Dreams and Nightmares mostly. Music while I'm sleeping can induce it more.



Dreams are often where I get ideas, and I neglected to remember this during my first post. The only issues with story ideas that come from dreams are the fact that a lot of times, my dreams don't make a lot of sense nor do I remember them all. I do however, jot down points from dreams that I do remember and draw inspiration from. One has to piece together the fragments and look for meaning before using them to their full potential.

-JJB


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## Lee Messer (Sep 15, 2020)

JJBuchholz said:


> Dreams are often where I get ideas, and I neglected to remember this during my first post. The only issues with story ideas that come from dreams are the fact that a lot of times, my dreams don't make a lot of sense nor do I remember them all. I do however, jot down points from dreams that I do remember and draw inspiration from. One has to piece together the fragments and look for meaning before using them to their full potential.
> 
> -JJB



I have heard entire songs complete with lyrics, but I only seem to remember the sound of the notes and lyrics during the chorus. I see in color, even remembered eating a nice juicy cheeseburger. It smelled better, and tasted better than any I had ever eaten. I can taste, smell, touch... everything. It's sometimes very hard to tell I'm dreaming, and I always have to look at my hands to know. As soon as I do... poof! I wake up, or enter another dream or nightmare. Sometimes it goes on for hours I think... one dream to another.

Once when I was young, I was tested to see why I got such high grades on tests without trying. I would read the chapter once, and never did the homework, yet I would get 100% or more regularly. Less than 100% was actually less likely. Anyway, they gave me an EEG, and found I was dreaming the entire time once I got into deep sleep. It was supposedly unusual, but I don't think it happens now that I'm older. Every once in while though, I get to do something cool. If its too fantastical, my mind rejects the reality, and I wake up. I hate that. It pretty much ruins my day. I wish that would happen when I'm having a nightmare though... it always seems to know I'm afraid and I want out. It always keeps me there just to torture me a bit longer.

My nightmares are not something I enjoy talking about, but I use them in my novels. Good enough for me, well then it must be good enough for you too. By all means... explore.

Sometimes when I look at my hands, I can create weapons in them to fight back. Sometimes a sword, or gun, or lightning. If I look down at my feet, sometimes I can fly. Sometimes I can change myself into something more evil than the nightmare itself. What better way to fight the zombie apocalypse than to turn into something worse. lol.


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## Olly Buckle (Sep 15, 2020)

People are weird aren't they? "This little boy does really well."  They don't say "Wow that's cool, good on him." They run tests to find out what's 'Wrong'.  Doh!

My mate was always the trouble maker, but he was really good at maths, came home with an end of term report that said, "Does not pay attention, could do better." from his math teacher and got a hiding from his Dad, never mind the fact that he got 100% in the math exam. As he said "How could I do better than that?"


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## bazz cargo (Sep 15, 2020)

Life, is careering along the catastrophe curve with your ass hanging over the edge.  Embrace the madness. Good luck
BC





Plaidman said:


> As a new writer, one of my biggest struggles is trying to figure out what to write about.
> 
> Do your ideas just come to you?  If so, how?
> Do you have to go hunt your idea down?  If so, how?


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## TheManx (Sep 15, 2020)

I can sell you some ideas. They're currently going for a dime a dozen.


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## indianroads (Sep 15, 2020)

Sometimes I watch a movie or read a book and afterward wish they had done it differently. They're either unimaginative or fall into over used tropes - so I take those as seeds and write what I wish I could read.


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## Lee Messer (Sep 16, 2020)

Joker said:


> Think about what you'd like to see done. What story haven't you seen told that you think would be interesting?
> 
> I love me some Elder Scrolls and Witcher, but if I see one more fantasy story with elves in it, I'm going to _explode. _​Don't be generic.



Did some research on elves. They're actually a descendant of an earlier race of hominid called fae. Both seem to have "sprung from nature". According to ancient mythology, these beings are all nymphs, sprites, brownies, boggans, leprechauns, dwarves, gnomes, dryads, etc... and exist all the way back to babylonian mythology (yep, around the same time poems were written about vampires and child-stealing life sucking demons). Even Zoroastrianism has reference to pre-religions before them from destroyed civilizations with similarity. Even northern druids believed in these "nature spirits", which were not always good. I would class them as a subclassification like we would do with biology, and then try to find anthropological similarity across ancient religions or mythology, this seems to be the most obvious connection.

Elves are just a subtype, maybe even a genus. Maybe there are many kinds of elves, but also that means we have not spoken about any of the other families of fae, or genus, or species if you can see where I am going. This is a story untold. Fertile ground.

Take a look on the internet at images inspired by Brian Froud.


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## Olly Buckle (Sep 16, 2020)

> Take a look on the internet at images inspired by Brian Froud.



Thought I would take a look and realised that 'Faeries' book was his, his two models for the pictures were the daughters of a friend. Twenty five year anniversary edition! They must be grown women with children of their own by now.


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## Lee Messer (Sep 16, 2020)

Olly Buckle said:


> Thought I would take a look and realised that 'Faeries' book was his, his two models for the pictures were the daughters of a friend. Twenty five year anniversary edition! They must be grown women with children of their own by now.



Yeah He's inspired a lot of movies too.

Labyrinth...
The Dark Crystal...

Cant remember the others, but those two are favorites. Great for inspiring fantasy. I'm working my Fantasy/Horror crossover right now. I always try to bring these things to reality in my books. It's part of my style. "If Horror really existed in this world, what would it be like?" is the question every one of my books asks. I always cross Horror with other genres. Fantasy has been one of my more difficult ones. I have to "hide" the magic because it's so vulgar and blatant in it's own. Skeksis from the Dark Crystal are great fantasy/horror inspirations as well... if a bit PC or G rated. I'm writing R rated material. No one that can write really scary material seems to do that anymore.

Anyway, most of my "fae" are B. Froud inspired.


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