Matt Attack's picture
Matt Attack from Richmond, Va. is reading As I Lay Dying, William Faulkner March 10, 2012 - 3:37am

We really don't, I just wanted to say that. 

Question(s):

Where do you guys get your story ideas from? I am itching to start a new book, and I have a few ideas, I am just not sure about them....I think I am getting weighed down with the feeling that it has be groundbreaking, or amazing which then of course I argue myself out of. Maybe I am too hard on myself? When guys and gals get an idea do you just go with it? 

Dave's picture
Dave from a city near you is reading constantly March 10, 2012 - 4:00am

Go with it.  Explore your characters and their situations, and their interactions.  Go with it.

Arkadia's picture
Arkadia from Australia is reading Selected Poems by W.H. Auden March 10, 2012 - 4:10am

Always go with it. I've never written a novel, but I'm waiting for something that I know will keep my attention for a few months. Instead, I write copious amounts of short stories. Sometimes characters from one story will pop up in a new one. I feel like I'm slowly discovering a world. I'm sure these recurring characters will end up being the cast of my first novel.

I think, as long as you're writing, you're doing just fine.

And I think groundbreaking/amazing comes from the way you tell a story, not neccessarily the idea of the story itself. So, get writing!

Matt Attack's picture
Matt Attack from Richmond, Va. is reading As I Lay Dying, William Faulkner March 10, 2012 - 4:50am

@Both of you. Good advice, I think I'll just keep writing then and see what happens. 

avery of the dead's picture
avery of the dead from Kentucky is reading Cipher Sisters March 10, 2012 - 8:16am

I get ideas from all over.  I sort of have a crazy imagination.  I see things the way they could be and write about it. 

Utah's picture
Moderator
Utah from Fort Worth, TX is reading Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry March 10, 2012 - 8:23am

I'll be the voice of dissent.  Do not just go with it.  Write and keep writing, yes.  As far as a novel goes, wait just a bit.  Because there is a lot of stuff you should know, or have an idea of, before you begin.  Specifically your characters.  You should have a good idea who they are, individually and down to some pretty personal details.  And setting.  Etc.  Basically, before you begin a novel it's a good idea to have the details of your setting and characters down, because those are going to direct your flow of action and conflict. 

Don't get me wrong and think that I mean you should know the sequence of all the tiniest things that happen.  But you should have a definite idea of who, what, and how everything is at the beginning.  And maybe (if you work this way) a rough outline of what happens to whom, when.  Otherwise you'll bounce all over the place like a kid on Mountain Dew and your rough is going to be such a mess you'll either get lost in it or just never get down to revising it.

Matt Attack's picture
Matt Attack from Richmond, Va. is reading As I Lay Dying, William Faulkner March 10, 2012 - 8:27am

@AD, I could see that

@Utah, I tend to jump into things easily, even novels, so I normally have a broad outline or idea and then go with it. But a little preparation might do the trick. I often start something, get 50-100 pages in and then put it down out of frustration, maybe that is why. 

avery of the dead's picture
avery of the dead from Kentucky is reading Cipher Sisters March 10, 2012 - 8:27am

"You should have a good idea who they are, individually and down to some pretty personal details."

I think that is the most important.  If you know them well enough, then you will know what they would do.  Then you aren't forcing them to do things.  I don't know if that makes sense or not. 

Matt Attack's picture
Matt Attack from Richmond, Va. is reading As I Lay Dying, William Faulkner March 10, 2012 - 8:28am

If you know them well enough, then you will know what they would do."

 

Makes total sense. 

avery of the dead's picture
avery of the dead from Kentucky is reading Cipher Sisters March 10, 2012 - 8:33am

Your characters should be schizophrenic voices in your head.  Distinct and recognizable.

Matt Attack's picture
Matt Attack from Richmond, Va. is reading As I Lay Dying, William Faulkner March 10, 2012 - 9:15am

I think that is something I should really consider. I do still (even as an adult) just jump, but I normally have a plan on the way down. I get all jazzed about it, and then stop later. Maybe I'll get a general feel for it and then dive in. Thanks AD. 

Renfield's picture
Renfield from Hell is reading 20th Century Ghosts March 10, 2012 - 9:20am

Ideas: I started putting together a very much more organized and conceptualized Prompt Library for myself. It is full of lots of different things and is more just a consolidation of lists I used to jot down for myself, a lot of various excercises discussed from this board. It makes it really easy for when I'm creatively stumped to take a handful of influences and juxtapoze them against eachother and see what plops out. It also really helps me to look at where my writing has been going lately and try to write to my own genres and themes, that clears my head up a lot when I'm frustrated with current stories.

aliensoul77's picture
aliensoul77 from a cold distant star is reading the writing on the wall. March 10, 2012 - 1:09pm

There is this troll who lives under a bridge and he sells me ideas in a little baggie.  I snort the magic dust and ideas pop into my brain.

Matt Attack's picture
Matt Attack from Richmond, Va. is reading As I Lay Dying, William Faulkner March 10, 2012 - 1:12pm

Is he thrice divorced, living in a van down by the river and named Matt Foley?

 

PandaMask's picture
PandaMask from Los Angeles is reading More Than Human March 10, 2012 - 1:15pm

I usually get loaded up on caffeine, sleep deprivation, and music. This usually helps.

.'s picture
. March 10, 2012 - 2:14pm

Perhaps this will help. Also, it may be mentioned in Richard's article but I like to flip through a dictionary and find words I'm unfamiliar with. This gets the motor going for all sorts of things: character descriptions, settings, etc.

http://litreactor.com/columns/storyville-where-do-you-get-your-ideas

Matt Attack's picture
Matt Attack from Richmond, Va. is reading As I Lay Dying, William Faulkner March 10, 2012 - 2:42pm

Oh yeah! I was looking all over for that but I couldn't find it. Thanks Jacks. 

Dave's picture
Dave from a city near you is reading constantly March 10, 2012 - 2:45pm

I drink, then text my exes.  Then I make that happen to a character.

 

Among other things.

Matt Attack's picture
Matt Attack from Richmond, Va. is reading As I Lay Dying, William Faulkner March 10, 2012 - 2:48pm

I write my exes into some of my stories. Its the best way to get over a woman or so I have heard.

Dave's picture
Dave from a city near you is reading constantly March 10, 2012 - 2:55pm

It's what I do to get some emotive juices flowing into othwerwise robotic and clinical prose.

Exercises in writing.

Nikki Guerlain's picture
Nikki Guerlain from Portlandia March 10, 2012 - 5:21pm

I usually just take turns petting my pet unicorns until something comes.

Dave's picture
Dave from a city near you is reading constantly March 10, 2012 - 5:31pm

Petting my unicorn is generally a severe distraction from writing, and is labor intensive.

Nikki Guerlain's picture
Nikki Guerlain from Portlandia March 10, 2012 - 5:41pm

If you point the tip onto paper before they go it turns distraction into production.

Matt Attack's picture
Matt Attack from Richmond, Va. is reading As I Lay Dying, William Faulkner March 10, 2012 - 6:12pm

<---backing away slowly from his own thread.