Generating ideas
I found an interesting thing on generating story ideas. It
was a video posted at http://writeoncon.com/08/13/idea-factory/
by Natalie Whipple, author of Transparent.
It fits in with Deren Hansen’s post earlier this week.
Many, including Rick Walton, have touted the advantages of
brainstorming to help jump-start a story. The whole idea of brainstorming is to
throw out many, many ideas. That way, once the ordinary ideas have been
exhausted, creative, unique ones come to surface.
Natalie takes it a step further. She says the key to
generating story ideas is to let go of
your preconceptions. Authors need to overcome their negative thinking that the
idea is ridiculous or not new. Natalie admits that there are a lot of silly ideas
are stupid and she notes many are not new. Yet ideas are just the beginnings of
stories, not the end results. What
you put into it, as a writer, is what takes the idea from silly and ordinary to
refreshing and unique. The original idea is the first draft.
Ideas can come from
inspiration, Natalie says. Seek ideas in other stories or through researching
some aspect of your setting story or the setting. Finally, Natalie suggests living
the life worth writing about. The more things you do, the more you have to
write about. You experience things, come into contact with new people, new
activities, all of which can inspire ideas.
Hmm. I’m okay with
dull, but perhaps I should consider skydiving.
