Where do authors get story ideas?

Answer 1

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• what I do is I take ideas from things or events around me, and I always ask myself a "What if?" question. For example, if there was a carnival happening, I would ask myself, what if there was a little boy there who couldn't ever leave? and then you would take it from there by asking yourself why he couldn't leave, how he got into that predicament, and how he could get out of it.
• Authors get story ideas from life, family members or social networks. Each author will provide a different answer. Everyone have a different view of the world, or gather story ideas differently.
• Family is an excellent source for story ideas. Have your family talked around a secret, no one knew what really happened? An idea is to do research to find out the facts and then write about it. A second story idea is of a certain family member's favorite word- dang. The word could become that of a fictional character. A third story idea from family is relatives re-telling what happened to a neighbor on a wintry night.
• Networks, like Twitter, offers an author various story ideas. Look at any tweet to get a story idea. Find a tweet that would interest a large segment of the population. Spin-out an attention grabbing title. Work the story idea. Let your creative flow run free.
• Authors get story ideas from a word remembered in child-hood,
• news stories or anywhere/everywhere.
• A word spoken by a friend/relative during child-hood can spark a writing idea. Let's say a grandmother used the word "gum, gum" instead of profanity, for example. One character in a story could use the words when life throws unexpected events. Or, a children's story with a toddler who uses the words to mean he/she wants Chewing Gum. The possibilities are only limited by your creative ability.
• News stories are endless material for story ideas. Simply, change names, dates and actual events. Anywhere/everywhere you go, a story idea awaits for discovery.
• It depends on what kind of book you want to write. If it is a self-help book, write something that you are skilled in that can help people. If you are writing fiction, read tons of fiction books for inspiration. You can also write down all the ideas that pop into your head. If you are writing a true story, then write about a life that intrigues you, or write about your life.
• The best books come the heart. Write something that you, and other people can relate to.
• When I want to make a fiction story, I usually try to get ideas from watching a movie clip or looking at drawings people have done. I have found that you can't just say I want to write a story, sit down and write one. You have to have an idea of what you want to write about and have inspiration. Often times I try to create an image of the characters and find a story that fits them. Once you get an idea and begin to write it down more ideas will flow out of the pen. When you write though make sure you keep all of the ideas until editing.
• Just remember to read other books and look at picture or movies for inspiration maybe look in the people in your life they all have stories you could take ideas from
• I personally make a few characters based off myself and others I know. And make my world the way I wish it was.

Answer 2

Authors get story ideas from their imagination and their experiences. Writers are observant people, and observant people come up with ideas. If you would like to come up with original ideas, try some of the following:

• Read, Read, Read! The more you know, the more you can imagine.
• Watch the world. Observe what is going on around you and pay attention to how things work.
• Wonder. Ask questions like "how does that work?" and "what would happen if ..."
• Daydream. Imagine how things would work out in different kinds of situations. You can start with something you have noticed around you, or just brainstorm and let your mind wander.
• Take Off. Start with a book or movie that you enjoy, and imagine what happens to the characters after it ends. You probably won't be able to sell this sort of story (it's called fan fiction), but there are writing universes (Star Trek is a big one) where authors are encouraged to write more about favorite characters.