Where do story ideas come from? I break down the sources writers tap into—from daydreams to overheard conversations—and share a powerful framework that’ll help you develop any idea into something fresh and unexpected. Watch to discover how to move beyond that first spark and create stories that surprise your readers.
Where do ideas come from? It’s a central question, right? You can’t write a story until you have a big idea. And Joyce Carol Oates, the great literary writer, says you’ve got to have more than one idea. That one idea is not enough.
So where do ideas come from? Well, each author has his or her own process. And some authors find them ideas in their own daydreams. Others from an overheard conversation. Still others from something they observe. And there are plenty of authors who look to the news. Once you have a nugget, a little germ of an idea, start asking what if and so what questions. And see where that takes you.
Now, in my book, Beat the Bots, a writer’s guide to surviving and thriving in the age of AI, I got through a process for harnessing these good ideas by giving you some specific frameworks, some questions to ask. In other words, you have an idea based on whatever. What would happen if it was set 100 years from now, or 100 years earlier, and so on? Play around with it. Because it is through this extra creativity that you’re going to find fresh ways to deliver beyond your reader’s expectations. I know you can do it.
I’d love to hear how you come up with ideas. I do read all the comments. Please like this, share it, and do subscribe to the channel. That opens up features that lets us make these videos even better for you. And I really, I’m very grateful.
Thank you.
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