That's where I get ideas for my writing. Seriously. Sometimes the story comes to me full blown, and it takes all I have to get it down on paper (er, computer!) before it disappears. That little story fairy is a fickle one -- she likes to take away as much as she gives if you're not fast enough! Other times, she gives me one small idea and leaves the rest up to me.
I get my ideas from songs, stories on the news, quick comments I hear other people make. Sometimes all it takes is one picture, or line of a song to get me started.
So.... how do you find your story ideas?
JodieG
Prepublished and workin' to change that!
A winner of the Big Finish 2 Contest, March 2008!
I love this question!
Can't wait to read some of the answers.
My story ideas...hmm...for the last writer's challenge, I wrote about a waitress having a really bad day. I was inspired from events that actually happened at a restaurant a few weeks ago. In real life, all these things didn't happen to the same person but they did happen.
I'm inspired a lot by real life--either my personal experinces or someone elses, comments directed to me or ones I've "overheard", and occasionally something from tv. At the moment, I have a story idea that steams from my frustration with the never-ending diet crazes.
Shannon
Shannon
batmom72@yahoo.com
GREAT DISCUSSION!
My stories come from a million different places. Sometimes I see something and wonder what if? or a story in the newspaper hits me as a starting point or I wake up at 2 am thinking, WHOA, where'd that come from?
Key for me is taking advantage of those moments. I don't wait around on the muse, but man, I love it when it hits.
Mary Beth
mbl's blog
http://marybethlee.livejournal.com
I play What If....
I'll see something happen...it could be totally innocuous and I'll think What If they did this instead. I'll read a story, magazine, newspaper, fiction, TV....whatever and I say what if this happened instead.....Usually that starts the seed of the idea and it grows into a completely different idea. For instance, my sister-in-law drunkenly tried to set me up on New Year's Eve a couple of years ago. I wasn't particularly interested in the guy. He wasn't interested in me, but we were both single. From that, I wrote a story about a blind date that worked.
I also have a habit of making up back stories for people on the street. I know thats wierd.
Laughter is an instant vacation- Milton Berle
I do a little bit of all of
I do a little bit of all of those - pictures, conversations, real life, just watching people and wondering, playing what if, things people say, the news, etc. Oh yeah.. and during church, LOL.
I also get a lot of story ideas while I am sleeping. LOL! I keep a steno next to my bed to jot things down when I wake up. I also keep a steno in my purse so that I can always write something down that I might forget. Movie titles and song titles are also idea starters for me.
My Email: Lindaloo_30@yahoo.com
Sometimes I watch the story
Sometimes I watch the story unfold in a dream--I've kept a dream journal by my bedside for years. I also have one of those story fairys. I didn't know there was more than one.
Bits and pieces of songs, conversations, little things I've seen throughout the day. I don't get nearly enough of them written down. Some hang around for years, others just drift away...
Nancy
sheandeen@gmail.com