One of the most common questions I get asked as a writer is: where do I get my story ideas?
Ideas are one item that are never in short supply for me. I find them everywhere. I clip newspaper and magazine articles that pique my interest. My local newspaper is a source of wonderfully quirky stories. I’m still trying to make use of the story about the lady who had her false teeth stolen but only the top set. The photo accompanying the newspaper article showed the theft victim with the bottom set of her teeth in a glass. Unsurprisingly, she had a real frown on her face in the photo!
I watch movies, and I love watching documentaries on television. The subject matter ranges from crime to obsessive love and everything in between. I’m a huge fan of travel and animal documentaries. I like magazines on all sorts of subjects from women’s magazines to ones about cars and men’s health.
When I visit a book store I’ll often check out the new arrivals on the non-fiction shelves. No topic is safe from my roving eyes. It’s the same at the library. I reserve my books online and my intrepid husband goes to pick them up. The libararians must really wonder about our sex life. That’s all I’m saying…
Like most writers, I’m a people watcher. When I go to the mall or shopping or even for a walk, I watch people. I listen to their conversations. Yep, that’s me with the flapping ears, but it’s a great way to find character quirks!
Recently some song lyrics spiked a brainwave and subsequently, a story. I have so many ideas I have an ideas file on my computer. I’m writing one story and another is waiting in the wings ready to spring onto the page of my laptop. Well, not quite, but you get the idea.
In contrast, one of my writing friends has real problems with story ideas. They only come one at a time. I think that would really worry me, but she seems to cope.
Where do you get your best story ideas?
Congratulations! The winner of my blog participation prize this month is Fedora who wins a book prize – a bit of a mystery one since I haven’t decided what it will be yet. 
Fedora – I’ve emailed you for address details etc.
Don’t forget – all you need to do to enter the March contest is comment on one or more blog posts. Chat with me. I hate feeling alone. I think I’ll give away downloads for March, and I’m feeling generous. I’ll pick two winners to each win one download of their choice from my Ellora’s Cave or Cerridwen Press backlists.
Related posts:
March 2nd, 2009 at 8:20 am · Link
Stealing someone’s false teeth? That’s sick and wrong….but kinda funny.
March 2nd, 2009 at 9:27 am · Link
All my ideas come from day dreaming, but the day dreaming could be caused by something I’m reading, or hear on the radio. I’ve only clipped a couple of articles, and never used them in any way.
March 2nd, 2009 at 9:29 am · Link
Basically all those things for me.
People watching is fun. I often wonder about them.
Daydreaming works for me as well.
March 2nd, 2009 at 9:33 am · Link
The upper false teeth theft is too good not to use sometime, Shelley!!
As for ideas – they usually come to me in the form of a scene, as if I’m flipping through channels and stop on a dramatic scene for a moment. Often this will happen to me when I’m at a live concert or performance – not pop music, but orchestral or choral music. Never fails to give me ideas as I listen to the music, or watch a dance piece. But I do seem to require the live performance part. Perhaps it’s the creativity crackling in the air from the performers that I pick up on. Who knows?
March 2nd, 2009 at 11:35 am · Link
Sandra – I know. I felt sorry for the lady but the accompanying photo just cracked me up!
Alice – I think allowing the mind to wander allows us to string ideas together. I tend to do my best thinking while in the shower or riding my bike. It’s a form of daydreaming.
Amy – Yes, I love people watching. You can imagine all sorts of scenarios and really let your imagination go wild.
Julia – that’s interesting. Maybe it’s also part of doing something you love that stimulates your imagination too.
March 2nd, 2009 at 12:19 pm · Link
I’m an avid reader not writer. However, there are times I wish I could weave the stories the way some authors do. I do think about story plots in my mind but they tend to come from my life experiences. Have a great day.
March 2nd, 2009 at 12:22 pm · Link
Sounds like we’re pretty similar with where ideas come from. I read all sorts of things, watch things on TV, see something in real life, etc. Anything and everything can spark an idea!
March 2nd, 2009 at 12:32 pm · Link
Wahahaha! Since I’m a visual person for my work rather than story ideas I must say the answer is still the same… everywhere. i took a photo of a lady’s bracelet in the airport once because the color combo was too great not to make a kit from. A great deal of my inspiration comes from my little Emma but come on, a 4 y/o is just entertaining in general.
I see the dentures being a prologue about a grandma and the story vaguely referencing back to them as the grandson finds passion but I’m sure you have even better ideas than me. LOL!
Hugs,
-Amy
March 2nd, 2009 at 3:07 pm · Link
For me, ideas are everywhere. Though not all ideas become stories, of course! Finding ideas for stories is not the hard part for me.
March 3rd, 2009 at 12:55 am · Link
Hi Roberta – thanks for popping by. I think an author’s life experiences always color their plots. I know there are times when things that happen in my life bleed into my books. Of course, I’m not admitting exactly what’s truth and what’s fiction.
Karen – You’re right that ideas are everywhere. Too many ideas sometimes!
Amy – that’s a neat story about the lady’s bracelet. I must admit the dentures are a problem. I keep them in the filing cabinet inside my head and bring them out for lots of stories, only to shove the idea away again. One day…
Kaye – yes, you’re right. Not all ideas are good ones. That goes with the territory!