10 Places I Get Ideas for Stories…
…in no particular order:
- PostSecret (My short story “A Touch of Charlotte” was inspired by one of the postcards from PS.)
- The “Science” section from one of my favorite magazines, The Week. Actually, almost all the sections of The Week get my juices going (a close second – almost anything in Wired).
- The news, in general.
- Cop shows like Law & Order, SVU, Criminal Minds.
- Freak shows that A&E and TLC like to run, like Hoarders.
- People watching, anywhere.
- My idea journal. (When I was a kid, I loved going through my toy box and finding things I’d forgotten about. It’s the same experience with my idea journal, which is where I record ideas whenever they come to me, including the middle of the night.)
- The shower. What is it about the shower that does it for so many people?
- Driving. Ditto the shower; there’s something about driving that soothes my muse and allows the ideas to flow.
- The beach, especially during the off-season when no one is around.
If you’re a writer, where do you get your ideas? Share in the comments.
February 14th, 2011 at 12:52 pm
I get inspired the most by music (if I listen to any good song, my mind immediately begins to construct a narrative), by memories of what I enjoyed most in my favorite books, by non-fiction reading and thinking about what crap movies did wrong 😉
February 15th, 2011 at 9:01 am
Phil, do you listen to music while you write? I find that I can’t (unless it’s ambient sound in a coffee shop), but I will say that when I’m heavy into my WIP, I’ll become obsessed with a song or two that I play over and over on my PC in between writing “takes.”
February 14th, 2011 at 11:38 pm
This may seem extremely nerdy, but I have two sources for ideas. Roleplaying games in which you create a character and sit at a table with other folk (or at a convention with other gamers) gets my mind really going with possibilities and scenarios for that character.
My other inspiration is pictures. I’m a fan of art and I surf through Elfwood or DeviantArt or even professional art books (I own a couple of Michael Whelan’s and H.R. Giger) plus one of my favorite artists is Salvatore Dali. Anyway, I stare at a picture and a story pops into my mind about the picture.
February 15th, 2011 at 9:02 am
Not nerdy at all! (Or maybe that makes me a nerd? :)) I think roleplaying is a really cool idea. Sometimes I’ll have conversations in the car when I’m driving and it’s between my characters. So I guess that’s somewhat similar.
February 15th, 2011 at 10:59 am
It’s funny you mention Post Secret but I was on that site recently and thought that it was a great place to get ideas. The idea for my current WIP originally came from a personal experience, but has transformed to something completely different. I’ve also gotten ideas from songs, the news, and things that have happened to me or other people. I love those random TLC shows too!
February 18th, 2011 at 8:38 am
@Ghenet Random TLC shows are the best. (But what a time sink sometimes!)
February 18th, 2011 at 2:51 am
3, 8 and 9 — big time.
February 18th, 2011 at 8:41 am
I think there should be a study on why the shower is such a perfect place for ideas. (Who knows? Maybe one already exists.) I just read about AquaNotes – waterproof notepads for the shower: http://www.myaquanotes.com/