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How do I come up with story ideas/how do I develop ones I already have?
I think we've all at one point struggled with writer's block or an inability to come up with ideas for a story. Here are some techniques I use to get myself out of a rut and find something to write.
1. Develop a character whose voice speaks to you. That's where most of my story ideas come from. In fantasy, if you have a really interesting character whose voice you can nail, the plot and world and other details can come later. When you connect to a character, they'll speak to you whether you want them to or not. You might find yourself thinking about how they'd react to something, or how they'd phrase a certain thought, or how they'd describe what you're seeing. A small moment, one detail or word, might unlock the story for you.
2. Borrow an idea from another story. I'm NOT talking plagiarism. I'm talking about the age old idea that everyone is inspired by something, often other stories. That's part of the reason fairytale and classic retellings are so popular. For example, I had a story about twin sisters. It really wasn't working and I kept rewriting the whole thing because something was off. Then, I saw Avengers: Age of Ultron in theaters, and it just clicked: they shouldn't be sisters at all. Now they're brother and sister, each with the same power, and I was able to finish the first draft of their story in two weeks. Maybe you've just finished rewatching Pretty Little Liars, so you decide to write a contemporary thriller or mystery about old friends drawn back together by a murder.
Or, take something you thought was executed terribly, something that you wished a book or movie or television show had included or done better. Phillip Pullman's His Dark Materials began as Pullman's rebuttal to C.S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia, which Pullman fundamentally disagreed with. Think of a fictional body of work you spent hours theorizing about, then use those ideas, if applicable, in your work of fiction.
Again, DO NOT STEAL ANYTHING, but inspiration (a concept, the barest outlines of a character, a theme, etc.) can really help you decide what to write or how to get out of a slump in your current project. Make it different. The less recognizable, the better.
3. Decide on the type of story. Not just genre, but the tone and theme, too. Basically, figure out the rudimentary bones of a story or idea that interests you. Amazing books can spring from the smallest scrap of an idea. Cinder, basically, was, "What if Cinderella was science fiction? What if she was a cyborg who left her foot at the ball instead of a shoe?" Two relatively short sentences launched Marissa Meyer's career. Think of something that caught your attention, something you've thought about or imagined. One of my longest works in progress is basically Veronica Mars meets the X-men and Batman comics. Essentially, it's a P.I. who uses her shapeshifting power to investigate cases, and whenever I'm struggling with a story I return to this one because it's so intriguing for me. It's a book I would love to read. Consider what story you've been looking for and then write that story.
