I have a few methods. Sometimes I'll be some place, see something, and imagine something interesting occurring with it. Then I try to figure out how that situation came to be. For example, I was once riding the subway in NYC and I saw three guys dressed as clowns, waiting for a train. Then I imagined that one of them sprouted wings and flew into the train tunnel, while the other two waited for the train. What would be behind this? Another method: I look at news headlines for anything that "hooks" me, and then try to apply it to my genre. Take the famous NY Post headline, "Headless body found in topless bar". Now if I wrote sci-fi stories, how could I take that headline and use it? The headless body could be found in a star wars like, futuristic strip club. I like the second method better because it starts with a strong hook.
Interesting, Sunny100, I have always had vivid dreams which I could control, sometimes I went back and re-dreamed the ending if I didn't like it! As for Ideas, although you might come across an awesome idea that comes from any of the above mentioned places, the rest of it really comes from writing it out. Most writers don't get the whole storyline worked out before they start writing, they start with a great idea, [or a bad one], and sit down and write. Sometimes it's amazing what comes as you get the words down. I have a poster that says 'Ideas are like rabbits; get a couple and if you manage them right before you know it you have a dozen.' Well, with the rabbits it's a bit simpler- never mind, you get the idea.
I like that Douglas Adams quote. Although I think that even if you're writing fiction, you can get a lot of ideas from other books, history textbooks... If you take Tolkien for example, I think he majored in Old norse on college and also a lot of his ideas and names come from Norse mythology. My latest idea actually came from a history textbook and I am quite thrilled about it, it may actually develop a new plot. Also I try to read a lot of different books, watch movies that reflect my type of book... Next thing I'm going to try is going to the park and just sit on a bench for a while, observing everything around me and thinking about the book. But first I must wait for a better weather. But otherwise, a lot of ideas come from conversations, movies, books, TV shows... P.S. sorry if my english is bad, it's not my native language. Good luck with the book
^ Your English is perfect, Poziga =) @MustWrite I see what you mean about the rabbits At this point I'm not sure if there is really anything else someone could add, though feel free to do it. Sorry for not checking in here a lot - exams taking up time.
Most of my ideas for writing come from writing. I think best while in motion, so writing simply to write often generates bigger ideas or pieces I'd like to expand.
As a kid, I was inspired by my waking imagination, which was in turn inspired by fantasy movies and horror/romance novels. Now my writings are inspired from dreams, most of which are nightmares, which are in turn caused by being human.
Super jealous of everyone who gets inspiration from their dreams. My dreams are always really lame I'm largely influenced by the kinds of media around me - books, films, games, that sort of thing. Sometimes I'll catch some little element in a story that I really like, and go looking for something similar, but have trouble finding exactly what I want. A lot of the things I write end up being big mash-ups of the kinds of things I wish there were more stories about.
There's no such thing as "our own ideas" because you can be certain that someone, if not many, have had the exact same idea or thought before, and most likely it's already been described in literature. What is uniquely our own is our personal experience. This is why I feel comfortable getting inspiration from other sources, but the way I write it is my own, because of my unique experience of life.
Ideas I get my ideas from many places, sometimes I actually have a dream and work it into a story. One of my stories came to me while I was dusting at work, I was thinking about my birthday and friends feelings on ageing and came up with an idea. Another idea came from a tale I used to tell my daughter when we walked in the woods. I had made up stories about little fairies who lived in the trees and came out at night and danced and sang. It inspired me to write a short excerpt on that only in a grown up version, this I might turn into a longer story. Sometimes I go for walks in the woods and I get ideas from just being alone
For some reason my imagination and creativity is immeasurably enhanced while I'm in the shower. Almost every good plot or character idea I've had, has been while standing mindless and half awake, during my morning shower.
My ideas come from the most random things. Once I had an idea of a story taking place where orphans are euthanized by age 16, and that was inspired by a line from "The Dark Knight Rises". The thing I'm currently working on is based around a line from an Imagine Dragons song. They just get me thinking about things and then characters evolve, events occur, and it all goes from there.
Music gives me feelings that evolve into ideas. Headlines, history books, people's faces or styles... they all can give me ideas. One of my characters randomly spawned nearly fully formed after I saw a picture of Thaddeus Stevens in a history textbook back in high school... Movies and shows and other books also spawn ideas. I think they mostly form from feelings I get.
I place an Etch-a-Sketch and a glass of absinthe on a tree stump deep in the woods. I check the stump every other third prime numbered day of the month. Sometimes the glass is empty and there is an idea expressed on the silvery screen in either words or pictures, other times I find only an empty glass. I like to think it is a wise and witty gnome giving me my ideas and not some hobo.
