I can pull short flashes out of thin air when forced too. But dont think that they're ever quite solid enough to be developed much further. I've only ever come up with maybe 2 ideas for short story's ever. And 1 novel.
How come you guys are always so full of stuff to write about? I think and think and think in the car, at night etc, but its rare that something tangible sparks in my neurons.
Do you think reading a couple of the short story zines more regularly might boost my idea ratio a bit? I ouhgt to try a couple of the big ones out methinks. Which ones do you suggest?
Posted by Beth (Member # 2192) on :
Practice - the more you practice grabbing ideas and turning them into stories, the better you get at it. That will help you more than reading other stories.
But of course you should do that, too.
Posted by ChrisOwens (Member # 1955) on :
Usually, I'll have an interesting dream, and that sparks a story idea. But for best results, see OSC's Characters and Viewpoint, where he basically outlines a story with two questions: (1) What happened? (2) And with what result?
Posted by Vatyma (Member # 2749) on :
quote:Usually, I'll have an interesting dream, and that sparks a story idea.
This usually works for me too.
I write all my dreams in a journal that I keep close to my bed. It has really helped me to remember my dreams more vividly and it provides tons of ideas for stories.
But I also think that ideas can be spun from anywhere; just listen to two people gossiping and the ideas will materialize!
Posted by TheoPhileo (Member # 1914) on :
Story ideas come from everywhere, you just have to leave your dragnet in the waters. When I first started writing, I carried a small notepad in my back pocket, and wrote down anything I saw that sparked an idea. Spend time people watching; you can get some intriguing ideas by just seeing how people interact. Ask yourself questions about their life and speculate away. Read science journals if new technology interests you. Hop over to liberty hall and do some of the flash challenges. You'll realize quickly that, when pressed, you can come up with a story from almost anything.
I've only been writing two years, and I have at least 7 ideas for novels simmering in the back of my mind now, not to mention all the short stories I've written. You just have to train yourself to recognize the possiblities hidden in everyday life.
[This message has been edited by TheoPhileo (edited September 09, 2005).]
Posted by pixydust (Member # 2311) on :
I'm with TheoPhileo. Watch, read, and imagine. I get my ideas from people watching, movies, News, magazines, other peoples photo albums, the list is endless actually. Experiance and watch as much as you can. And always--ALWAYS--keep a notebook handy. Sometimes the ideas for a story starts with just an odd word, or a persons attitude at having to wait for coffee. Be ready to write stuff down and then when you go back to it the spark can turn into an idea. I unfortunatly have too many ideas and can't decide which one to choose. That's always my delema. It makes it very hard to focus on any one project. that's why I love the flashes. I can play around and not feel guilty that I'm not working on my novel. Posted by thexmedic (Member # 2844) on :
I often find that I have a few quasi-ideas, none of which could sustain a story themselves, but when I start pulling them together then something starts to bloom.
Othertimes I'll just try to think of an interesting scene and then try and work out what story might lead to that scene and where that scene will go.
The problem I have is keeping steam once I'm working on a project but that's a whole different topic...
Posted by Robert Nowall (Member # 2764) on :
[taps skull] Out of nothing.
Posted by Paul-girtbooks (Member # 2799) on :
"I get my ideas from 239 Center Street in Bangor, just around the corner from the Frati Brothers Pawnshop. Plus there's a great little bookstore on 42nd Street in New York called Used Books. I go there, too, when I run dry."
Whoops, sorry - couldn't resist that! (That was a quote from Stephen King.)
Actually, I never keep a notebook handy. A friend of mine was horrified when I told them this. I simply replied that if I couldn't remember the idea then it wasn't worth remembering in the first place.
I have only had - that I can recall - one idea for a story from a dream, and that was my second novel. Come to think of it, it wasn't an idea as such as it was a case of dreaming a new episode of the novel over a period of several months (this would have been the late '80s. I wrote it in the early '90s.) That's never happened before, and was pretty unusual when I think on it. It was like a soap opera or a TV mini-series: tune in tomorrow night to find out what happens next!
Although I've written another three novels since then, that one's still one of my favorites.
The best way to get ideas? One question. Just keep asking yourself this one question:
What if...?
You take a mundane occurence (something that either happened to you or someone you know, or even something you just read about) and you ask "What if this happened instead..." "... and what if this happened instead after THAT!"
Example: Richard Morgan's kickass debut novel Altered Carbon: he asked the question, "What if dying wasn't the worst thing that could happened to you? What if getting killed was no more of a hassle than resetting a broken bone? In a world like that, what would be the worst thing that could happen to you?"
If you get stuck, or you have an idea but it just doesn't have any ummph to it, then go over it and ask yourself that vital question: what if?
[This message has been edited by Paul-girtbooks (edited September 09, 2005).]
Posted by Shendülféa (Member # 2408) on :
I get my ideas from life. For instance, I heard about Christian martyrs that are being persecuted all over the world and wrote my first novel based on the theme of martyrdom. My short story, "Shethdyn" came from a conversation two college guys were having behind me during a test review. They were talking about going to get drunk because it was the weekend of Halloween and they had nothing better to do. I was disgusted by that and decided to write a short story that expresses that disgust.
My second novel is based off of the idea that everyone who falls can be redeemed. This idea came to me while I was watching a child star in a movie. I thought about how this child turned out and was saddened by it, so I decided to write a novel about a boy who becomes king but eventually falls into corruption until he is rescued.
Today I was bringing a book that I found back to my boss at the library and thinking about how pleased she would be that I had found it. That inspired me to start (or at least ponder) a story where the MC goes on a quest to retrieve some object and he/she returns battered and weary, but to the applause and adoration of thousands for having brought back that object. (How I got that from bringing back a book to my boss, I don't know...but whatever.)
I could go on, but I don't want to bore all of you.
That's the basic idea, though. I see or hear something happening in real life and wonder how I could turn it into a novel or short story.
Posted by JmariC (Member # 2698) on :
Shendülféa, your post reminds me of the movie Big Fish. Life lived grandly.
Posted by TheoPhileo (Member # 1914) on :
That's why I loved that movie so much - fiction is simply real life made grand.
Posted by Corky (Member # 2714) on :
You can apply Paul's "What if this happened instead?" idea to any story you've ever read. I remember reading once about a writer who was extremely prolific, and he said that all he did was stop as he was reading a story and ask himself what he'd do next. He claimed to have been able to come up with several ideas from each story he'd read.
Posted by quidscribis (Member # 2240) on :
I've got hundreds of little ideas that, in and of themselves, aren't enough to sustain a story, but, like others, I string a few together, ask a lot of questions, and get started. On the other hand, I've got a dozen novels loosely planned, 1 written, in one universe, and another 8 or so set in another universe, 2 written, 3 more in plotting, and others in the shadows.
Lately, I've taken to running ideas off another writer - my husband (also writes science fiction), and that's taken on a whole other life with far better ideas & plot than I could come up with by myself.
If you can find such a writing partner, I would suggest giving it a try.
I would also suggest giving the snowflake method a try (http://www.rsingermanson.com/html/the_snowflake.html)
Posted by Kathleen Dalton Woodbury (Member # 59) on :
I've started a topic for people to use to tell how they have grown completed stories from ideas, in case any of you want to share that.
[This message has been edited by Kathleen Dalton Woodbury (edited September 10, 2005).]
Posted by rcorporon (Member # 2879) on :
I like to write my dreams down, and keep a notebook.
H. P. Lovecraft (one of the greatest American writers, IMO) kept a "Commonplace Book" to keep all his fragmented ideas for stories. Sometimes they were only 3 or 4 words.
Just keep imagining.
Also, whenver my wife is nagging me to wash something, I like to quickly slip into my imagination and dream of what other people may be doing that is better than listening to the wife nag .
Ronnie
Posted by keldon02 (Member # 2398) on :
Where? Long commutes to work, long periods gardening, as much woolgathering time as I can afford. Plus talking to lots of people between times and as little TV watching as is considered to be polite in today's complex and urban society.
Stories were better when there was no TV and people sat on the front porch longer.
Robert Frost was a chicken farmer.
[This message has been edited by keldon02 (edited September 20, 2005).]
