01.01.07 Finding Story Ideas

A common question most writers hear is "Where do you get your story ideas?" as if it was a difficult process to generate one story idea much less many story ideas. When I'm asked this, I say, "Everywhere". And I get a puzzled look. But it is true. There are stories all around us just waiting to be told.

Now granted, not all ideas make great stories, but some ideas by themselves or connected with other ideas have the possibility of becoming great stories. And that's what I look for - the possibility.

So where do I get my ideas? I said everywhere and literally that is the truth. I read voraciously (but not fast enough to dwindle the ten boxes of books waiting to be read since I buy more books than I can read). I watch television and movies. I listen tot he lyrics of music. I admire art. I watch people. And when something catches my notice - whether that something is a phrase I hear or a news piece I was watching - I take note of what caught my attention. I wonder why my attention was on taht one piece. Then I wonder if there is a story there. Regardless if the answer is a yes or no, I'll file that piece, that idea, for possible later usage.

Sometimes, I get the shake of a head and bemusement as my response. Well, granted we are all different people with different backgrounds and life experiences, so what I think of as a possible story idea may be vastly different from the next person. That said, that doesn't mean we all can't see story possibilities around us.

I once took a self-defense class in college. The first lesson the teacher taught was the 3 A's of self-defense: awareness of our surroundings, alertness to changes in our surroundings, and action we could take at any moment to ensure our survival whether that was to turn and run, yell, or last resort, fight.

The 3 A's can also be applied to searching for ideas. Awareness is being open to possibilities and not letting your internal critic say "no, that's a dumb idea" or "no, that's boring" or "no, no one would want to read that story." Awareness is being observant of your surroundings. Do you like to sit and people watch? While you're sipping a latted at a local coffee shop before work, do you bury your nose in the morning paper, or do you people watch? Do you notice the man walking down the street with his dog? Or do you instead see the man with the strange little hat and the jaunty smile, telling jokes to the dog he's walking as if the animal is a person? Do you notice the dog smiling up at him as if he shares his laughter?

Alertness is noticing what you are aware of. It isn't enough to see the man walking the dog. See the details. Ever notice how he walks? How would you describe his walk? Or did he have a slight limp on his left side? Ever wondered why he was limping or was it temporary or did it hurt alot? Can you describe your character walking with a limp? CAn you describe his walk without actually using the word limp? How does the limp affect the man's life? Sometimes these types of spontaneous writing exercises might be helpful for a later story or not. At least it hones my observation skills as well as my ability to describe what I see.

Action is asking yourself "Can I use this in my current work?" Regardless of the answer, write it down. If you don't need it right now, file it away -- you may need it for a future scene or a future project. Or you can use these ideas to help your critique or brainstorming partners with their writing projects. Keep pen and paper with you at all times (or your Palm Pilot or Pocket PC) so you can jot ideas down as they come to you. Don't have room in your purse for that notebook? If you carry your cell phone with you, that is all you need. Most phones have a memo recorder function. Or you can simply call yourself and leave a message. The important thing is not to lose the idea that caught your attention.

Observation isn't the only way to find ideas. Do you have favorite books or movies that you keep rereading or watching? Story ideas can also come from stories already told. I'm not saying to copy the story, but use the theme or plot to retell the story in a fresh new way. Ask the question: "What if?" to get yourself started. Take the Cinderella fairy tale story. What if Cinderella was forced by circumstances to sell herself on the streets? Waht if this was present day Hollywood? Then you would have a story like Pretty Woman that starred Julia Roberts and Richard Gere.

Or do you find inspiration in music? I like listening to Johnny Cash's I Walk the Line. One particular stirring stanza was:

You've got a way to keep me on your side

I walk the line.

Just listening to the song causes me to wonder what kind fo heroine could cause a not so good hero to change his ways for her and only for her? Obviously, this was the plot of Johnny Cash's movie I Walk the Line. But isn't this theme also repeated in the story of the King of Siam and Anna Leonowens in The King and I? This is also the same theme in Dirty Dancing between the two main characters Frances "Baby" House and Johnny Castle. The character to reform doesn't always have to be the male character. The "reformee" can also be the female character of both characters as seen with Ray and Eva in Deliver Us From Eva. There are finite number of plots in the world, but there are an infinite number of stories.

Ever find your attention caught by a conversation nearby (not that you were eavesdropping - it wasn't your fault they were talking loud enough for you to hear, right)? Make a note of what caught yrou awareness. Ask yourself "What if". It can later be used as a conversation in your own story.

Build up your library of ideas. You may not be able to use them all, but you will be able to broaden your character and scene descriptions outside of your own personal experiences to make a more enriching story.