Where do you get your ideas?

When I talk creative writing with my students, I use my own writings as examples and jumping-off points for lessons. While many students are excited by the chance to be able to write what they want, a lot are scared. They have no idea where to start. No idea where to get those ideas.


This is something that baffles a lot of people, not just my students. But ideas are everywhere, you just have to be open to the potential and the possibilities. 

From Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon

Generally, when they're at a loss as to where to start, I tell my students to think of something they already like: movies, TV shows, books, or video games, for example. That at least gives them a genre they enjoy exploring. If they're still at a loss, they can always write fan fiction. With the characters and world already in place, that's a less intimidating place to start.


For me, ideas can come from anywhere. Sometimes, they're just teensy little sparks, nothing more than the glimmer of an idea. Sometimes, they're big embers that need a bit of teasing and room to breathe if they're to turn into a conflagration, one with full-on story potential. They're all worthy of writing down. 


Idea Sparks:

• TV shows (yes, including reality TV--people are weird and they're weirder when pixelated)
• Movies
• Books
• Video Games
• Conversations
• Pictures (see, this is why Pinterest is good! Okay, I'll quit...)
• Music
• Nature
• History
• Experiences
• Friends
• Family
• The eccentric gentleman who walks everywhere
• Those clouds that formed overhead, looking exactly like a baby dragon unfurling its wings
• The commercial of the guy in the flower-print sarong

Well, pretty much everywhere--you never know when an idea will pop into your head (thus the pens and note pads stuffed everywhere).


Where do you get your ideas?