Actually, this post has nothing to do with frog spawn, other than the spawn part; but in this case, we're spawning ideas - lots of them.
I'm a fairly lucky writer, I have to say. I know writers that struggle for months, years even to come up with a viable idea for a novel that they can carry through to the end. I, on the other hand seem to have several novel ideas all buzzing around at once as I try to work on my current work-in-progress.
The way I find my ideas is through external stimulation - a lot of media, books, newspaper and things that happen in my life. Even when I'm learning about dull topics I try to find something in them that I could include in a story.
When I first started out, coming up with ideas was hard, but now my idea radar is on pretty much 24/7.
If you're looking to start a novel here's some tips on getting ideas. not everything will work for you, but try some of them out - what have you got to lose?
1. Read.
2. Read the newspaper. Look especially for articles that fall in the genre you like to write, or things that interest or disturb you.
3. Read books in the same genre as yours. Books in your genre (the well written ones) are like how to guides. When you're setting out on your novel writing voyage, take a few of your favourite books with you.
4. For young writers: When you are in your classes, listen for things that could be modified to fit into a story. Such as places that you could include in your stories, animals, and various strange phenomenon that could work their way into your writing.
5. Ask yourself 5-10 (or more) "what if..." questions daily - these questions are the start of great stories. For example: There was a man standing near a convienience store today wearing a formal suit and tie. At first I thought he was talking to himself, but then I noticed his blue tooth. Every few minutes he would raise his hand to his mouth to block out what he was saying.
What if....this man was part of a secret organization trying to defend the world against a form of alien that could tap into thoughts and control your brain.
This was a fairly random example, but doing this will help you find ideas.
Try out some of these tips for yourself.
Happy Writing,
-M
I'm a fairly lucky writer, I have to say. I know writers that struggle for months, years even to come up with a viable idea for a novel that they can carry through to the end. I, on the other hand seem to have several novel ideas all buzzing around at once as I try to work on my current work-in-progress.
The way I find my ideas is through external stimulation - a lot of media, books, newspaper and things that happen in my life. Even when I'm learning about dull topics I try to find something in them that I could include in a story.
When I first started out, coming up with ideas was hard, but now my idea radar is on pretty much 24/7.
If you're looking to start a novel here's some tips on getting ideas. not everything will work for you, but try some of them out - what have you got to lose?
1. Read.
2. Read the newspaper. Look especially for articles that fall in the genre you like to write, or things that interest or disturb you.
3. Read books in the same genre as yours. Books in your genre (the well written ones) are like how to guides. When you're setting out on your novel writing voyage, take a few of your favourite books with you.
4. For young writers: When you are in your classes, listen for things that could be modified to fit into a story. Such as places that you could include in your stories, animals, and various strange phenomenon that could work their way into your writing.
5. Ask yourself 5-10 (or more) "what if..." questions daily - these questions are the start of great stories. For example: There was a man standing near a convienience store today wearing a formal suit and tie. At first I thought he was talking to himself, but then I noticed his blue tooth. Every few minutes he would raise his hand to his mouth to block out what he was saying.
What if....this man was part of a secret organization trying to defend the world against a form of alien that could tap into thoughts and control your brain.
This was a fairly random example, but doing this will help you find ideas.
Try out some of these tips for yourself.
Happy Writing,
-M
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