In this episode of Writing Pursuits, I will discuss twelve ways to find story ideas.

Question of the week: What is your favorite method of brainstorming new story ideas?

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As a fellow author, hope you have a notebook

of ideas in your backpack or desk drawer. This way when you

run dry, you can restart your writing process. In this episode

of writing pursuits. I will discuss 12 ways to find story

ideas. Welcome to the writing pursuits podcast where authors

like you discuss writing craft, author, life and book marketing

strategies. I'm your host Kathrese. McKee. I own writing

pursuits and write and produce the weekly newsletter writing

pursuits tips for authors. In addition, I am a speculative

fiction author writing pursuits is for authors who drink too

much coffee, endure judgemental looks from their furry riding

companions and struggle for words. If you are a writer

seeking encouragement, information and inspiration,

this podcast is for you. Let's get to it. Hey, writing pursuits

authors. Welcome back to the podcast. Those of you who are

new, I want to extend a special welcome my name is threesome key

and I'm glad you're here. Please leave a comment the star rating

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One of the most dreaded parts of writing a new story is facing a

blank screen or piece of paper. You stare at it and nothing

happens except crickets. nurture the writing habit by generating

story ideas. If you haven't started your idea notebook, pick

up a new spiral, or find a digital app on your smartphone

where you can capture ideas no matter where you are. story

ideas are easily derived and in limitless supply. If you are

determined to be an author and I and I know you are because

you're listening to writing pursuits, then do not make the

lack of ideas your excuse for not writing. Here are some quick

methods for filling your story idea notebook. One, read books,

read in your genre and read in your sub genre to learn reader

expectations, and learn the tropes. Yes, you have permission

to use tropes. You know, this describes the vast majority of

romance is on the market boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy

winds girl back, or some variation on that theme. It's

not the idea that's important so much as what the writer does

with the idea. Let's try a more specific plot idea a man travels

back in time to change x event so that y catastrophe will not

happen in the future. This has been done so many times. Again,

it isn't the idea but the execution that counts. Each

author tells a story in their own way. It's okay to reuse

ideas. Mark Twain said this in his autobiography. There is no

such thing as a new idea it is impossible. We simply take a lot

of old ideas and put them into a sort of mental kaleidoscope. We

give them a turn, and they make new and curious combinations. We

keep on turning and making new combinations indefinitely. But

they are the same old pieces of colored glass that had been in

use through all the ages. So that was number one. Read books

and learn the tropes. Number two read the newspaper you can skip

the murders if you're not a who done it author. But there are

plenty of other ideas to tear from the headlines. You can find

your next book idea by asking yourself what if questions about

current events? What if your newspaper runs an article about

computer chips commonly in use that leave personal data up for

grabs due to security weakness? Or that sounds real? Doesn't it?

Sounds actually plausible? story idea. You don't even have to

write a high tech story. What if the so called flaw was in the

human brain? What if there were certain people who could grab

your thoughts? Every thought you ever had just by being near you?

A similar story mind writer by Mike Lynch and Lisa Godfreys was

published in 2016. The main character in their story has the

ability to transfer a person's thoughts, memories and

personality into a clone and in their world. This is how those

in power stay in power. What a nightmare. Number three watch

news programs YouTube videos and documentaries. In other words,

watch a lot of nonfiction educational videos. My My kids

are sick of me doing that. I I watched nonfiction stuff all the

time. I love documentaries. What can I say? Always be learning

new things and looking for inspiration make it a regular

exercise to write an idea and riff on it by improvising

variations for listen to classical music for inspiration.

This is where Disney's famous movies Fantasia and Fantasia

2000 were developed. Artists listened to classical selections

and let their minds wander. That's where the Sorcerer's

Apprentice came from. And who can forget Night on Bald

Mountain images and stories snippets will develop of their

own volition. As you listen, take the time to let the images

form in your mind as you sink into a dream state. Then write

out what you see. Also, watch music videos by your favorite

artists. The emotions you feel as you watch are what you are

trying to capture. Pay attention to your emotions, and take the

time to figure out how to write them down. Number five, ask

yourself questions about what you see in real life. As you

drive or walk somewhere, ask yourself how something came to

be the way it is. But don't research the facts unless you

write historical fiction. Speculate instead, okay, this is

about imagination. Haven't you ever wondered how someone came

to be where they are? In doing what they are doing? Make up a

backstory for a person, a place or an object? How did that come

to be? How did that odd group of people get together? Why are

they friends? Why does a person act that way? Who does she go

home to every night? What famous person does he know? And how?

Where is that family traveling? What momentous event will happen

when they get there? Will they return? Why? Or why not? Let

your imagination take over. Write down every idea and create

variations six binge television series. When you reach the end

of each episode, ask yourself what will happen next? Write

some fanfiction about how you hope the story will go. There.

You have a story idea. Go and make it your own seventh, start

with unlikely opposites. Try the exercise of thinking about a

certain kind of person and pair that person with an unlikely

opposite outcome. So a billionaire puts his money in a

trust and chooses to live on the streets fighting for the

underdog. If only Batman was Cisco, a former prisoner saves a

world that enslaved him. A freedom fighter falls in love

with an enemy soldier. You get the idea. Start with unlikely

opposites. Number eight use writing prompts. I love this

idea. This is such a good discipline to get into. There

are 1000s of writing prompts online and in print. a writing

prompt can be as simple as one word like yellow, or it can be a

sentence like the rats were in the cheese again. Sometimes

prompts or lines of dialogue. You shouldn't have come back.

The calling happens tonight. We are out of ammunition. I used to

love him. But listen for snatches of conversation in real

life and write them down. Then use those as writing prompts a

writing prompt might be a complete scenario, like a group

of strangers makes a dangerous trip together. hostile forces

tried to kill them, and their only shot at survival is to

learn to work together. This is the kernel for John Ford's movie

stagecoach. But the same kernel could as easily be about a sea

voyage, a journey to the center of the earth or a mission to

Mars. It's not the idea. It's the execution scheduled time to

practice responding to writing prompts because writing leads to

more ideas. Nine, pay attention to your dreams. Dreams are

uncensored fragments from the creative side of your brain.

Most of mine are too silly dimension. But occasionally, I

have an idea that so crazy, it just might work. Dreams can be a

source of ideas.

I rarely wait long enough to write mine down honestly. But I

know of authors who have turned their ideas into full blown

novels 10 Participate in role playing games, Tracy Hickman and

Margaret Weis and a group of associates used to play Dungeons

and Dragons together, and their games inspired a series of

novels in the dragon Lance universe. In role playing,

participants practice the skill of taking on a character's

persona and facing challenges with a group of players. world

building skills are critically important in these games, and

playing these games can spark story ideas. Hickman and Weiss

developed a long timeline, and mapped geography for their

novels, and several other authors have created side

stories in the same universe. Don't overlook role playing

games they're a rich resource 11 Use the process of writing to

generate ideas. The act of writing itself can trigger

ideas. Writing is a process after also start with a nugget

or kernel of an idea and ask questions. Write about anything

that pops into your head. Brainstorm, hypothesize,

visualize, follow the rabbit trails. beginning writers often

have the mistaken idea that a story arrives fully formed. But

in reality of story idea usually develops with work. writers

write keep writing about one idea and other ideas will form,

you will not run out of ideas. Writing for the sake of writing

is a discipline worth pursuing. I recommend keeping a notebook

and writing your ideas by hand. That's my preferred method. And

then when I know I have a really great idea, I make sure I

captured on my computer and it gets backed up and all that. Be

messy doodle make diagrams. writing on paper with pen uses

both sides of your brain. But if you have trouble with

handwriting, as does my dysgraphic daughter, then do the

same exercises on your device of choice. 12. Right. You knew I

was going to say that practice generating new story ideas on a

regular basis perhaps once a week. To gain confidence, you

will build a huge backlog of usable plot ideas. Whenever you

feel that you are running on empty. Use the methods we have

discussed. prime the pump and get your writing to flow again,

go back to your idea notebook and choose something to write

about. story ideas are everywhere, but they are easily

forgotten. Capture them in your notebook or digital app at the

earliest opportunity. Take a picture if possible to remind

you that oh so fleeting thought because most often that that

precious Golden Nugget will not return once it is forgotten. The

question of the week is what is your favorite method of

brainstorming new story ideas? Leave your answer at writing

pursuits.com forward slash podcast forward slash 46. And

that's all I have for today. Until next time, keep writing.

Thank you for joining us today. If you enjoyed this episode,

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