Ideas...

Tariel

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My ideas come from everything. A gust of wind, the night sky, something random my roommate says, it all comes together to create inspiration.

Characters are the people living in my head, plot is what they do, story is when I write it down, and inspiration is when I bang my head against the wall in frustration.
 
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liesje

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My ideas come from everything. A gust of wind, the night sky, something random my roommate says, it all comes together to create inspiration.

Characters are the people living in my head, plot is what they do, story is when I write it down, and inspiration is when I bang my head against the wall in frustration.

Haha thanks :) I absolutely get the banging the head against the wall! The thing is, I'm the person living in my head....not just like thinking and stuff, but when I'm bored I go off on crazy daydreams with me as the lead:doh:
 
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liesje

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Or you might want to take a walk in a park, get ideas from how people are acting, or what they are doing, or something in nature.
Stuff like that works for me, at least :)

Mm yeah. I work in a supermarket, so I get plenty of absolutely batty people to give me ideas :D
 
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Kokopelli

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Ideas...plots...stories...characters...where do they come from???? My supply has been running very low, as has my inspiration to write at all.

Inspiration/ambition to write - zero, zilch, nada.

Ideas - from all over the place. Music, current events, random events, dreams, political beliefs, and my twisted and discombobulated mental state, tossed in with a side of cynicism and borderline neurosis.

You have pull inspiration and ideas from everywhere around you. I read that inspiration for the novella, and later film, The Mist, came to life while Stephen King was shopping in a grocery store after a large storm blew through his area.

For me, ideas are aplenty. The problem comes to actually getting off my duff and writing.
 
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sunstruckdream

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Ideas can come from anywhere, really. I've gotten them from weird places, and I've gotten them randomly in a way I'm not really sure how to attribute.

Do you have an iPod or iTunes on your computer? Shuffle all your music. Listen to the first song that grabs you - listen all the way through. Close your eyes and see whatever the music makes you see. It's not foolproof or guaranteed or anything, but it can be a good way to see a character, setting, struggle or moment in your mind. Sometimes listening to my music gives me new ideas even when I have too many projects and don't WANT new ideas. :sigh:
 
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meowmix

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I get idea's so I write them down. But then I never Write the story. Idk.. But I have alot of ideas. I got most of my ideas from going to the park and sitting on the swing, Thinking And watching the other people there..

Other times is when Im listening to my I-pod, While lying in bed.

you know.. whatever.
 
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trt

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Hey Liesje,

I like Mystery, Detective, and lately been thinking about writing in the field of Comics.

Maybe you could bring yourself back to that state of mind that you were in (same place too) when you wrote your one short page piece.

Some people like writing with music on in certain scenes in their writings, some like silence, it just depends where you can pull and get the most out of You from.

What is your favourite genre to write on?
 
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NeoScribe

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Ideas and inspirations? I read or watch something else and think after a certain scene, "What if this had happened?" or "Hey wouldn't it be so cool if..."

The story diverts from the original inspiration there and somewhere along the way the past is altered so that eventually the only thing the same between my story and its inspiration is that one part that kicked off the idea. And that part can as silly and insignificant as "Character complaining about job." (And that is what inspired me to start a fantasy story filled with magic armies, unqualified rulers, and immigration problems.)

Proof if proof was needed that nothing I come up with is original.
 
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ewe2

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So far everyone is correct about where to get inspirational ideas for stories, but getting ideas isn't the real issue. The real issue is taking those ideas to completion. This is where most aspiring writers fall short, because once the 'idea' is achieved the real work of fleshing it out begins.

Most are under the wrong impression that writing is an endless flow of inspiration - NOT! Writing is work. Writing is a passion, a drive to complete that won't let you rest. This is comprised of many hours of editing, revising and down right frustrating work to craft the idea into a meaningful story. All this takes discipline.

I personally know quite a few people who have tons of ideas written down, and even a few taken to a certain point where they stop and it sits for years untouched, but only a couple who have completed a story. Either it was too hard or took too long to complete or something else captured their interest and diverted their attention.

Once an idea/inspiration becomes a passion that you can't ignore, don't let others ideas distract you as you set on a path to completion. Discipline your mind and set your heart on reaching the end of the road, for then you will have done what few have, completed a fully fleshed out story that others can enjoy.
 
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SeekTruth4Glory

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Exercise tends to help get those creative juices flowing, plus, nothing wrong with being healthy. Try going for a long walk, or a swim, or jogging.

On the other end of the spectrum, you can try relaxing. Turn off your television, shut down your computer, run a hot bath, put on some relaxing music. . .and just chill.

As for ideas. Most of my ideas are recieved only after a very complicated process wherein I collapse, limp, on my bed, shut my eyes, listen to the hum of my fan, breathe dee(ee)ply. . .and think.

I've found most of my stories are about real world horrors (or rather what I see as real world horrors) and so they stem from my own philisophical views, as well as the news. But then. . .I mainly write horror. . .

My best advice--and listen closely because I'm giving you pearls here--is to think about the best book you've never read, then write it.

Best of luck, and God bless.
 
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