Wednesday Writing Tips #4: Ideas.

Welcome to this series of writing tips. If you would like to pen a guest post for this series, email me at ACBwrites@aol.com.

I am often asked where I get my ideas for stories from. This is a slightly puzzling question, to me, as I've more ideas for stories than I have time to write. I get my ideas from all over the place, but while this answer covers it from my perspective it's probably not so helpful to anyone else.

The standard advice to all writers and poets is to carry a notebook around with you so whenever you see or hear something of particular interest you can note it down. I used to do this. Now I've a cupboard jammed with notebooks which I never even glance at as there is a long queue of ideas in my mind already, and so I no longer use this method. You're totally free to try it and see if it works for you, of course. Perhaps the real benefit of note-keeping is that it primes the mind to be aware of ideas for stories.

Only you can decide what seems interesting to you.

I'm interested in fine art, pottery, needlecrafts, keeping various pets, the environment, local history, ancient history, folklore and mythology, philosophy and metaphysics, reading and travel. And these are just my main interests. All these interests influence the things I write about, but I also draw on conversations with others, everyday events including totally mundane events, daily activities, the news, social issues - anything at all, in other words.

If, in all this wonderful realm of infinite possibilities which we so glibly call Life you can't find anything to interest you enough to write about it, then maybe creative writing's just not for you.

Further Reading:
Wednesday Writing Tips #3: Read!
Wednesday Writing Tips #2: Edit Your Writing! (Guest blog).
Wednesday Writing Tips #1: Write!

Comments

Anonymous said…

Keep on working, great job!

27 June 2017 at 05:29

Anonymous said…

This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

2 July 2017 at 19:56

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21 November 2017 at 07:27

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