Don't write like me... because the world needs a writer like you.
I love role models. I have a few of my own. But I wasn't meant to write like them. I was meant to find my own voice as a writer. So were you. Let's find our voices together.
This bo...
Q: I would like to know how you made the whole idea? I'm trying to write a story but it's so hard. I never have time and if I do I strikeout in the idea box. The only thing I thought of was using a little story as an intro. It's so hard to write and I haven't even published anything yet! (suckertoofandoms)
Welcome to writing! A never ending sea of thrills and nightmares.
I could write a whole series based on this one question. So let's start.
PART ONE: HOW TO GET AN IDEA
First, don't try to write an entire book in your head before you put it on paper. Start with one idea. Something small:
A shy girl decides she wants to become a superstar model.
How did I come up with this idea? There are a lot of places to find ideas. Here's where I get most of mine:
- Dreams
- Shows, books, and TV programs I like
- Video games
- Daydreams and fantasies
- Travel
There are plenty of other places to find ideas too:
- News articles
- People-watching
- Pinterest
- Day-to-day life
- Other stories
- Writing prompt books
Writers are constantly on the lookout for ideas. We don't expect great ideas to just come at us. We have to pay attention.
First, I'm going to teach you how to pay attention.
Here are five exercises to get you in the habit of looking for ideas. Pick one today. Do another one tomorrow. Keep going until you do all five.
But I want to start writing now...! You say.
Easy, Young Grasshopper. We must first learn (and relearn) the basics.
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Exercise #1: Go on Pinterest. Create a board. Type in Writing Prompts and save 10 ideas that you like. (You can also type in the genre of writing prompts that you want: romantic writing prompts, fantasy writing prompts, etc)
Exercise #2: Go to a news website or Wikipedia and find a random article. Find some interesting articles involving people. Save that to your board.
Exercise #3: Search for Writing Prompt Generators. Scholastic's Story Starter and Writingexercises.co.uk are my favorites. Save the websites.
Exercise #4: Go to a cafe. People watch for 20 minutes. I'll go over the proper way writers people watch in another post, but for now, go to a cafe and write down three interesting people you observe while you're there.
Exercise #5: Write down your top 5 favorite stories (Books, movies, shows, etc.) Who are the main characters? What is the main plot?
This may seem like a lot, but right now, I want you to collect ideas. Save them on your Pinterest board, in a Google Doc file, on your phone, or in a nice little journal.
In my next post, I'll tell you how to start a story from one of your ideas.
How do you collect ideas for writing? Where do you keep them? Comment below!
