Where do you get your ideas for writing?

Spock96 · 12-03-2011, 08:09 PM

Hey Guys,
Just curious as to where and when some of you get your idea's for writing? I'm currently working on a short story inspired by David Kitson's Turing Evolved. I have realized of the weekend that bits and pieces of it come to me while I'm practicing guitar.
What about others here?
Spock96

Todd Young · 12-03-2011, 08:16 PM

Mostly, I get my ideas for stories when I'm reading. It sparks an idea and I keep a notebook by my bed. I have a document with over a hundred ideas in it, most of which will never be written.

RobertLCollins · 12-03-2011, 11:05 PM

Other stories, images of characters, everywhere really. Since I write Kansas history as well as SF/F, I get story ideas from history as well.

A wit might answer, "I get them from my future self." I think it was Harlan Ellison who used to answer with, "From a Post Office Box in Poughkeepsie."

Coralm · 12-04-2011, 12:45 AM

My ideas come from a lot of different places. Usually what happens is something I read or see sparks an idea. Later, when I'm doing nothing in particular it starts to take shape. I get a lot of ideas while driving. The state my mind is in while I'm doing that must get the neurons firing, I guess because I'm not consciously thinking of anything.

teh603 · 12-04-2011, 01:16 AM

I get my ideas from everywhere. My current project, I got from remembering an old legend about enchanted villages disappearing into a blue haze while looking at the card list for the latest Magic: The Gathering expansion. The last one (to be published as soon as the artist finishes the cover) came from looking at a picture on the internet.

You just have to look.

swhibs123 · 12-04-2011, 12:19 PM

I second the "everywhere" answer. I make up stories about people I see on the streets, or read about. I have messed up dreams from time to time. I might listen to a song and get an idea, or watch a commercial .... Sometimes I wish I could turn it off so I could finish one project at a time, but I usually end up writing two at a time.

Sandra Edwards · 12-04-2011, 02:55 PM

The Idea Store. lol.

Everywhere. Songs, news reports, dreams, situations I see people in. Basically, if I can ask, "what if?", there's potential for a plot.

morriss003 · 12-04-2011, 03:19 PM

I'm not sure where The Colors of Passion and Love came from, but it might have been subconsciously suggested by the Harmony books by Jayne Ann Krentz. Surviving the Fog was due to my irritation with Lord of the Flies. Sarah's Spaceship Adventure is a story that jelled over time in the Mackenzie's Rock world and is due to a longing to read stories which capture the essence of Heinlein's old juveniles.

kennyc · 12-04-2011, 03:27 PM

what ideas?

VydorScope · 12-04-2011, 03:39 PM

No idea but when ever I need to kill time (waiting to fall asleep at night, driving, etc) 1000's of stories just appear in my head. The hard part is picking the good ones...

Spock96 · 12-04-2011, 10:00 PM

I only get pieces and I learned last night that I can't read another book if I'm gunning to finish a story.

dadioflex · 12-05-2011, 09:44 AM

I think King said in "On Writing" that he didn't know where his ideas originated but the one sure place to find them was at his writing desk.

Ideas are basically worthless.

Stross on ideas:

http://www.tor.com/blogs/2009/04/qwh...et-your-ideasq

ScalyFreak · 12-05-2011, 12:25 PM

People-watching. All the time, everywhere.

And from reading lots and lots of free books, that as it turns out were free for good reason. Nothing gets the creative juices going like reading a poorly written story, and finding myself thinking, "wow, even I could do better than this"

Samantha Cain · 12-05-2011, 03:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Todd Young

Mostly, I get my ideas for stories when I'm reading.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Coralm

My ideas come from a lot of different places. Usually what happens is something I read or see sparks an idea. Later, when I'm doing nothing in particular it starts to take shape. I get a lot of ideas while driving. The state my mind is in while I'm doing that must get the neurons firing, I guess because I'm not consciously thinking of anything.

I definitely have to agree with both of these statements!

But a lot of my ideas stem from the lack of the chosen topic currently available to readers. I might read a good werewolf or vampire novel (though good might not accurately describe what exactly is contained in those novels, but that's for a different place and time) and I'm immediately turned off from that topic because it's EVERYWHERE. I like to push the boundaries and choose to write about things that either haven't been visited in fifty years (and give it a modern twist) or something that I can't find decent representations of on the shelves.

Steven Lyle Jordan · 12-05-2011, 04:10 PM

Trying to imagine a better world.

12-03-2011, 08:09 PM	#1
Spock96 Book Geek. Posts: 78 Karma: 639132 Join Date: Nov 2011 Device: Kindle Keyboard 3G	Where do you get your ideas for writing? Hey Guys, Just curious as to where and when some of you get your idea's for writing? I'm currently working on a short story inspired by David Kitson's Turing Evolved. I have realized of the weekend that bits and pieces of it come to me while I'm practicing guitar. What about others here? Spock96

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12-03-2011, 08:16 PM	#2
Todd Young Addict Posts: 243 Karma: 1004164 Join Date: May 2011 Device: Kindle 2	Mostly, I get my ideas for stories when I'm reading. It sparks an idea and I keep a notebook by my bed. I have a document with over a hundred ideas in it, most of which will never be written.

12-03-2011, 11:05 PM	#3
RobertLCollins Groupie Posts: 155 Karma: 1735704 Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Kansas Device: iPhone	Other stories, images of characters, everywhere really. Since I write Kansas history as well as SF/F, I get story ideas from history as well. A wit might answer, "I get them from my future self." I think it was Harlan Ellison who used to answer with, "From a Post Office Box in Poughkeepsie."

12-04-2011, 12:45 AM	#4
Coralm Enthusiast Posts: 35 Karma: 87810 Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: CT Device: Kindle	My ideas come from a lot of different places. Usually what happens is something I read or see sparks an idea. Later, when I'm doing nothing in particular it starts to take shape. I get a lot of ideas while driving. The state my mind is in while I'm doing that must get the neurons firing, I guess because I'm not consciously thinking of anything.

12-04-2011, 01:16 AM	#5
teh603 Autism Spectrum Disorder Posts: 1,212 Karma: 6244877 Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Coastal Texas Device: Android Phone	I get my ideas from everywhere. My current project, I got from remembering an old legend about enchanted villages disappearing into a blue haze while looking at the card list for the latest Magic: The Gathering expansion. The last one (to be published as soon as the artist finishes the cover) came from looking at a picture on the internet. You just have to look.

12-04-2011, 12:19 PM	#6
swhibs123 Pigmy Hippo Trainer Posts: 16 Karma: 618600 Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: The Great White North Device: none	I second the "everywhere" answer. I make up stories about people I see on the streets, or read about. I have messed up dreams from time to time. I might listen to a song and get an idea, or watch a commercial .... Sometimes I wish I could turn it off so I could finish one project at a time, but I usually end up writing two at a time.

12-04-2011, 02:55 PM	#7
Sandra Edwards Queen of Procrastination Posts: 1,884 Karma: 1802 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Nevada Device: K2, K3, Fire	The Idea Store. lol. Everywhere. Songs, news reports, dreams, situations I see people in. Basically, if I can ask, "what if?", there's potential for a plot.

12-04-2011, 03:19 PM	#8
morriss003 Evangelist Posts: 438 Karma: 3409790 Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Maui Device: kindle	I'm not sure where The Colors of Passion and Love came from, but it might have been subconsciously suggested by the Harmony books by Jayne Ann Krentz. Surviving the Fog was due to my irritation with Lord of the Flies. Sarah's Spaceship Adventure is a story that jelled over time in the Mackenzie's Rock world and is due to a longing to read stories which capture the essence of Heinlein's old juveniles.

12-04-2011, 03:27 PM	#9
kennyc The Dank Side of the Moon Posts: 35,897 Karma: 119230421 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Denver, CO Device: Kindle2; Kindle Fire	what ideas?

12-04-2011, 03:39 PM	#10
VydorScope Wizard Posts: 3,418 Karma: 35207650 Join Date: Jun 2011 Device: iPad	No idea but when ever I need to kill time (waiting to fall asleep at night, driving, etc) 1000's of stories just appear in my head. The hard part is picking the good ones...

12-04-2011, 10:00 PM	#11
Spock96 Book Geek. Posts: 78 Karma: 639132 Join Date: Nov 2011 Device: Kindle Keyboard 3G	I only get pieces and I learned last night that I can't read another book if I'm gunning to finish a story.

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12-05-2011, 09:44 AM	#12
dadioflex Dyslexic Count Posts: 526 Karma: 5041991 Join Date: Aug 2008 Device: Palm TX, Advent Vega, iPad, iPod Touch, Kindle	I think King said in "On Writing" that he didn't know where his ideas originated but the one sure place to find them was at his writing desk. Ideas are basically worthless. Stross on ideas: http://www.tor.com/blogs/2009/04/qwh...et-your-ideasq

12-05-2011, 12:25 PM	#13
ScalyFreak Sith Wannabe Posts: 2,034 Karma: 8017430 Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: I'm not sure... it's kind of dark. Device: Galaxy Note 4, Kobo Aura H2O, Kindle Fire HD, Aluratek Libre	People-watching. All the time, everywhere. And from reading lots and lots of free books, that as it turns out were free for good reason. Nothing gets the creative juices going like reading a poorly written story, and finding myself thinking, "wow, even I could do better than this"

12-05-2011, 04:10 PM	#15
Steven Lyle Jordan Grand Sorcerer Posts: 8,478 Karma: 5171130 Join Date: Jan 2006 Device: none	Trying to imagine a better world.