Get Ideas for a Story

Do you want to write a story to impress your family and friends? What about a writing contest? Do you really want to be a famous author but don't know what to write about? Or are you just having trouble getting inspired? If so, you've come to the right place. Follow these steps and you'll be writing a story in no time!

Steps

Reading

  1. Read a lot. This will inspire you with possible characters, scenarios and themes.
  2. Read other authors or your friends writing. It could inspire you to write a great story
  3. Find things that the writers do well and try to do those things well yourself.
  4. Think about the lessons and information that the reading has suggested to you. Think about what kind of subjects interest you. Think about mad, fun and silly situations that could happen.

Finding sources of inspiration

Performing research

  1. Research a lot. If you read lots of books that inspire you to write your own stories, then you will have a lot to fire your imagination with.
  2. Select three of your favorite, most interesting books.
  3. Write down a few of your favorite scenarios from those books. Think about how you can combine the ideas.
  4. Write an outline. Include everything from the beginning to the end. Keep in mind it's okay to change the ending when you get to it.
  5. Write your story. Be sure to use your own words. Ensure that your writing isn't like any of the books you've been inspired by.
  6. Reread and edit. Then present to a friend, family member, etc. and see what they have to say.

Getting ideas from pictures

  1. Find a really interesting picture. Try finding a picture that has an interesting subject, or is abstract.
  2. Study the picture. Look at every aspect of the photo.
  3. Write about the photo. Write a list about subjects of the photo, or objects. For example, is the setting in a hot or cold climate? Is the photo still-life, computerized or even a drawing?
  4. Devise a storyline from the ideas list. There's no real art to it, just let your hand write and the words flow! Who knows, you may come up with a bestseller!

Using the familiar experiences around you

  1. Look around. You may not see anything worth writing about at first but soon you'll realize that there is inspiration all around you.
  2. If you're a child, some places to look include:
    • Your family. Maybe something exciting has happened in your family that would make a great story with a bit of tweaking.
    • At school. Do you have a nasty teacher you could describe? Or is there a really mean bully that is story-worthy?
    • At a friend's house. Do you have any odd friends with strange families or any spooky houses?
    • At the park. See a strange looking person, goth teenager or an angry business man that you could write about? Or even some interesting wildlife.
    • In the forest. Plenty of amazing nature.
  3. If you're an adult, some places to look include:
    • At your workplace.
    • At a mate's house.
    • At a sporting event of some sort.
    • In your family
  4. If you really can't find anything then move onto the next method.

Being inspired by people

  1. Get chatting with people. You'll find out all sorts of interesting things for use in writing stories. Find people, any people, and strike up conversation. Ask them about: And more
    • What they did in the weekend
    • Their family
    • Their pets
    • Who their idol is
    • What they watch on television
    • Where they shop
    • What they love to eat
  2. Follow up on any amazing ideas presented by the talks you've had with others. Or even the perfect end to your developing novel!

Writing through time travel

  1. Grab some of your old writing notebooks or exercise books. One by one, go through your old notebooks, checking to see if there are any unfinished stories that could have potential or any scribbled ideas that you assumed were rubbish but are actually golden nuggets.
  2. If you find any ideas that are good but not really your style, don't fret! Just tweak them to suit you.

Using the internet for inspiration

  1. If you can't come up with any ideas yourself, use the internet for prompts, story starters or images that trigger ideas. There are plenty of good websites out there for writers block such as:
  2. Use the ideas and images from the websites to trigger your own ideas to create a wonderful idea of your own.

Developing characters

  1. Think about the variety of people's personalities, think about how two people may react to abnormal circumstances. Many writers go for a theme of particularly gritty characters and situations.
  2. Create Lifelike Characters. Think of characters for your story. Stories typically contain protagonists, antagonists. Some stories have a lot of perspectives, some only a few or one. Decide on what you want your characters to be. Don't cram too many personality traits into one person but don't invent a new character every couple of pages either. Remember to keep your characters "in-character". Would they really do that? Would anyone? What are the motivations behind what they say and their choices.
  3. Describe. When is the story set, where, why. How does it look, smell, feel. Does it feel different to different characters and why. Describe all the senses but be sparing. Too much detail can be more exhausting.
  4. Try writing a scene from the viewpoint of several characters to get a feel for their personalities and for whether their perspective would be better for the story. See if you need to strengthen or eliminate the character or work them in somewhere else.
  5. Recheck. Read back through your story and see what you still like, keep doing this. Don't be afraid to abandon an old concept which seemed good at the time but is weakening your story.

Getting the stories down

  1. Ensure proper time and consistency. It would be nice if our ideas came in the best chronological order but typically they don't. Shift events around and experiment with different time frames.
  2. Nail the ending. Writing the beginning and middle of a book is somewhat easier to approach sometimes and you are unbound in potential. By the end of your book though you will need something really good to seal the deal. It really does make the difference. Be sure to read your story like you've never read it before. Read the details, think like the reader. What does the reader think is interesting?
  3. Write a lot. Splash out on a new pad and pen and take it everywhere with you. Survey, interrogate and observe the people that are around you and write as much as possible every day, write about everything then go back and sift out interesting bits that can be used as starting points for ideas.

Writing Help

Doc:Writing Exercises,Science Fiction Brainstorm,Science Fiction Excerpt

Tips

  • Try to pursue uncommon themes.
  • Write something unique and style it your way.
  • As you go around in everyday life, look around you and imagine something happening. If you're in a shopping center, imagine a bomb exploding. Imagine a zombie invasion. This is just to get you mind thinking creatively.
  • Your characters don't need to be human. They could be animals, or even inanimate objects! Be original.
  • Exaggerate personalities to make characters more interesting.
  • Check out different hobbies and do things you've never done before. Develop new understanding of art, history or any aspect of culture-- present, future or past.
  • Read a variety of magazines, web blogs, articles, old books, new books, random books and newspapers in volume, then bring those concepts inside you.
  • Go for a walk, talk to a stranger. Imagine an alternate universe and what situations could occur.
  • Listen to music from different genres to get ideas for more varied characters
  • Think outside of the box. Everyone loves something unique!
  • Make mind maps, bullet point plans and others to plan your story so you know exactly what you're writing about.

Things You'll Need

  • Computer (optional)
  • Paper
  • Pencil
  • Eraser
  • Books

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