I'm pretty sure everyone has heard the phrase, "Inspiration comes from everywhere." And no matter how many times it's thought, spoken, shouted from the rooftops, this phrase remains true.
A lot of people who want to be writers ask the question: where do your story ideas come from?
And I think all of us wish the answer could be straightforward. Like "Doritos" or "walking in the park" kind of thing. But the truth is, every idea is different. So, let's break some of it down, shall we?
Depending on your genre, there may be more common answers than others. For example, those writing in contemporary fiction might gain inspiration from their own lives, or from watching people around them. It might be walking into that special little coffee shop, and suddenly the perfect scene just flits into your head. Or maybe it's catching the train.
Authors of historical fiction are probably inspired by the historical period they're writing in.
Whatever it is, the next step is crucial:
WRITE. IT. DOWN.
I don't know how many times we writers tell ourselves that, "We'll remember." We don't. It's rare. Get that note on your phone going, grab a napkin, ask a stranger to text it to you (or maybe not, that sounds kind of sketch). Whatever your method, if you want to write books, make sure you catch that spark.
I spoke about the difference between a catalyst and motivation in my last post. The idea is your catalyst. It's the thing that makes you want to write, and it presses you onward, into the parts you may not be as excited to work on.
But back to ideas. A lot of it comes down to being open at inopportune moments. I've heard of many writers being struck by an idea in the middle of a meeting, when they're out shopping, when they definitely weren't thinking about writing anything.
This often happens because your brain keeps working subconsciously. And sometimes, all we need to get ideas flowing is to, well, not think. Counter-intuitive, I know, but it really does work.
Here is a list of where all my story ideas came from, and a short blurb about them:
Manuscript 1: An exiled Elf with the power to control life and death.
Writing prompt while scrolling Pinterest: Put your preferred music app on shuffle (all songs), play the first song--this is your protagonist. The second song is your second character, and the third song is their relationship.
This story started out as a lonely girl and an angry boy who meet in a forest where no one is supposed to go. It is now just over 90,000 words, and I'm currently prepping it for query.
Manuscript 2: A thief tasked to steal the heart of her enemy.
I knew I wanted to write a fantasy con story, so I was brainstorming on the track of thief. But then I thought, what would be the most difficult thing to steal? And the idea that a girl, with virtually no love experience in any capacity, would have to make her enemy fall in love with her became very interesting to me.
Manuscript 3: Rebels seek a technomage-hacker with the power to destroy an oppressive conglomeration.
I was researching types of magic. I wanted something that was out-of-the-box, something that we didn't see a lot in fantasy. When I came across magic based in technology, I knew that was what I wanted to write, and the idea of a company that controls the whole city was where it went.
Manuscript 4: The last mage is imprisoned after her attempt to save a tyrant-king is mistaken as an assassination.
My family is very Scottish. I always wanted to write something set in Scotland, I just didn't know what. I had a vague idea, so I started researching obscure stories in Scottish history because I knew I didn't want to write in and around the 1700s as that time period is quite oversaturated. When I stumbled across a story from Dark Ages Scotland, involving both Vikings and Scots (Picts and Gaels), I knew I'd found my inspiration.
Manuscript 5: After years of being hunted and slaughtered for their magic, a sea folk takes on human form to ransom the prince for her people's freedom.
This one is simple: fairytale retelling of The Little Mermaid. Always wanted to write a retelling. I tried to pick one that was lesser-used, but now it's all over the market. (haha.) Still love the idea though, and it feels rather fresh.
Manuscript 6: A pirate queen fights to take down her tyrant father, the Admiral.
Pirates have a special place in my heart, especially girl captains and found families. I started with the characters--searching on Pinterest--to find ones that looked like they had a story in their eyes. And when they connected, I thought about who they were, where they came from, and why they were working against the captain's father.
Manuscript 7: A former con artist gets sucked back into the world when her friend goes missing.
Remember how I was talking about subconscious earlier? This was one of those times. I was scrolling on Facebook when this first scene just came into my head: a girl going to meet an old friend by the pool, but in this moment her friend is not her friend. The friend is pretending to be a Duchess. Immediately, the wheels started turning. I wrote out the whole scene, and then had to figure out who these girls were. Why was the MC at this pool? And why didn't she want to be there?
These are just my own examples, but other things that I've found to be landmines for story ideas include:
Music (focus on the lyrics, what story do they want to tell?)
Pinterest
People watching
I've heard a lot of people say friends/family (just be careful with this one. There aren't many people who want to hear that your awful villain was inspired by them.)
History
Current events
Travel
...to name a few.
You can write about literally anything. Be open to those little things, the tendrils of character names, places, scenes. Write them down, and then start asking your questions. Who are these people? Where did they come from? Where are they now? Why are they there? What do they want?
Questions will help you flesh out the details and get to the heart of the story or the main theme. This is the thing you say when people ask, "So, what is your story actually about?" Things like: we can't do it on our own, finding a place to belong, accepting yourself for who you are. These themes are the pieces that readers tend to take with them when they put the book down.
But, hopefully, now you'll have a place to start! And you can build out from there into a full-fledged outline (if you're that kind of writer).
Happy writing,
Erin
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