Mining for Ideas . . . part 2
After I posted yesterday, I got to thinking about all the different ways I've gotten ideas. If you are stuck, here are a few more tips to get you started:
Pick up a newspaper and read the headlines only - then play what if. For instance, a headline in the local paper today reads "Sex Scandal Pure Hell for Family." What if this was a mystery where the accused in the sex scandal is innocent, but being framed? What if this was a sci fi where the accused is sent to a planet called Pure Hell to fulfill his sentence? What if . . . well, you get the picture.
Look at pictures, online or in a book or magazine. For instance, this image of a dog or the image of the NaNoWriMo runner. What if you wrote a story about a race of tiny people who use discarded objects of ours in their society, or what if there were a writers olympics that used giant writing accessories as athletic equipment?
You can also use pictures from playing cards from fantasy games, and pictures of landscapes work great. Look through an old photo album . . . and if it isn't your own, even better!
Pull a random book off of your bookshelf or at the library. Open it up and pick a character's name. Pull another book and pick another character. Pull a third book and pick a location. Then play what if. For instance, what if Romeo met . . . let's see, who would be a good female character . . . what if Romeo met Alice in Wonderland and they were transported to Gotham? What if Bella from Twilight met Harry Potter and they went on an African safari in search of a rumored unicorn?
Another option that I enjoy at times, but don't honestly use very often, is the Writer's Toolbox. I bought mine from Barnes & Nobles off of the clearance racks. It is good when I need to write a short story to simply get the words flowing. It gives you characters, settings, conflict, first sentences . . . things to throw together randomly to create stories.
There are all sorts of ways to get ideas . . . these are just a few. Mostly, you just have to be open to the ideas that bounce around you all the time. The more open you are to them, the more will come to you.
Enjoy!
Elle
Pick up a newspaper and read the headlines only - then play what if. For instance, a headline in the local paper today reads "Sex Scandal Pure Hell for Family." What if this was a mystery where the accused in the sex scandal is innocent, but being framed? What if this was a sci fi where the accused is sent to a planet called Pure Hell to fulfill his sentence? What if . . . well, you get the picture.
Look at pictures, online or in a book or magazine. For instance, this image of a dog or the image of the NaNoWriMo runner. What if you wrote a story about a race of tiny people who use discarded objects of ours in their society, or what if there were a writers olympics that used giant writing accessories as athletic equipment?
You can also use pictures from playing cards from fantasy games, and pictures of landscapes work great. Look through an old photo album . . . and if it isn't your own, even better!
Pull a random book off of your bookshelf or at the library. Open it up and pick a character's name. Pull another book and pick another character. Pull a third book and pick a location. Then play what if. For instance, what if Romeo met . . . let's see, who would be a good female character . . . what if Romeo met Alice in Wonderland and they were transported to Gotham? What if Bella from Twilight met Harry Potter and they went on an African safari in search of a rumored unicorn?
Another option that I enjoy at times, but don't honestly use very often, is the Writer's Toolbox. I bought mine from Barnes & Nobles off of the clearance racks. It is good when I need to write a short story to simply get the words flowing. It gives you characters, settings, conflict, first sentences . . . things to throw together randomly to create stories.
There are all sorts of ways to get ideas . . . these are just a few. Mostly, you just have to be open to the ideas that bounce around you all the time. The more open you are to them, the more will come to you.
Enjoy!
Elle
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