Wednesday, April 11, 2007

Writing Tips - Finding Ideas

This is a common question that many people ask successful writers. They read their books and wonder why didn’t I come up with that idea. I love it and it seems so easy. The answer is simple, you have two different people in the same setting and one will come up with a book idea and the other will just enjoy the setting. People are different and they come up with different ideas through different methods and at different times. But the easiest way to come up with writing ideas is basic and I will explain it here.

Carry a notebook with you at all times. It can be small and fit into your purse or jacket pocket. You might have it be in the car or even in your back pocket, but it is an essential piece of equipment to have as a writer. This is because you will receive ideas all day long while you are outside and going about your daily life. You could be in the grocery in line and overhear two people talking and from their conversation you could come up with an idea for a book.

We were driving out to Michigan from Nevada and going through the Rocky Mountains I had an idea hit me. Unfortunately because I was driving I couldn’t write it down, but my daughter knows how I get my ideas and as I was talking to her, she started writing the thought process down so that I had it when we stopped. My husband was amazed. He asked how is the world did I come up with that idea while driving through the mountains, but once I explained it to him he understand how it worked. This is a perfect example of how two people can go through the same area and come up with different ideas. He was thinking about how much farther we had to go and I was thinking of a story line.

Another way to come up with different ideas is through books you read and television shows. I was reading a book with my daughter the other day and she was telling me about something she had seen and it brought a book idea into my head. Because my daughter is starting to write also, she understood what I was doing immediately and talked through the idea with me. But even though she is a writer she didn’t think of the same idea I did. It just shows you that two people can view the same thing or in this case read the same thing and come up with radically different ideas.

Coming up with ideas isn’t the hard part of writing. It is taking through ideas that run rapidly through your head and getting them down on paper in a manner that will entice readers to want to continue reading your stories. You will find ideas throughout your daily life, just remember to write them down before they turn into something bizarre and out of control.

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2 comments:

Deirdre said...

Hey Patti, Thanks for the tips. Deirdre.

Patti Winters said...

Hope they help Deirdre...