Coming Up With Story Ideas

🌟 Do you have an itch that you're itching to scratch?

🌟 Is there something bubbling under the surface that just won't explode?

🌟 You want to come up with and write a story so badly, but you just aren't sure how to start?

Whether you call yourself a writer or not, this feeling is not uncommon. I can argue that the hardest part of writing is coming up with the idea. Without an idea, you have no story. And with so many ideas floating around out there, how do you pick just one to dedicate your time to? That's where I can help you.

In this post, I'm going to help you make it easier to choose an idea or where to even find them in the first place.

Finding an Idea

First, I'd like to start off by saying there are no original ideas. It's very very likely your idea was already written, performed, filmed, etc. BUT, don't let this discourage you! Let it fuel you to make the idea your own.

Inspiration Notebook

This can be a notebook of any shape, size, color, etc. It doesn't matter what kind of notebook, the only thing that matters is what goes inside. If you so decide to use an inspiration notebook, carry it around everywhere you go. Inspiration can strike us at the strangest times and you'll thank yourself later for having something to write your ideas in. Even if your go-to is the notes app on your phone, it will work! Just have something at your side to jot down any ideas or partial ideas you can come back to later. No bad ideas!

Personal Inspiration

Whether writers like to admit it or not, a piece of themselves or their personal lives always find their way into our stories. So use this to your advantage if you're at a loss. Use a conversation, setting, situation, group of people, or anything from your life and dramatize it. Unless you're comfortable basing a story on something from your life in exact detail, I suggest spicing it up a bit. This can be a good starting point for a plot, and could possibly branch off into something different.

Writing Prompts

Every writer has looked at writing prompts before whether they were generated as text on a website or if they were images that sparked inspiration. If your brain is fried and you just can't find yourself going anywhere with your brainstorming, use writing prompts. They are very useful in a time of need and easily accessible via Google. Even if you take a small section of one prompt and combine it with another section from another prompt, you'll likely give yourself a nice starting point without even having to think about it. If you're lucky, one prompt will strike your eye and it'll be your next story plot!

What If

This is the most fun of them all. By using the "what if" scenario, you're already coming up with a question that you will spend a whole story finding an answer to or creating a situation. What if this happened? What if she said this? What if something got lost? What if we never met? Combining the "what if" with inspiration from your life and you may just come up with a story that you're completely invested in.

Choosing Which Story Idea to Focus On

If you're someone who has what seems like millions of ideas floating around your head, you might be overwhelmed with choosing which idea to flesh out first - And that's okay!!

Remember, whatever idea you choose, you will be spending a hefty amount of time on. So choose the idea you are most excited about. The idea that won't feel like a chore when you're writing/brainstorming it. Choose the idea that is pulling you towards it and makes you want to reach out and grab it. The story that sets a fire in your stomach. Believe it or not, you do have a favorite and you are gravitating towards it.

ALSO, this action isn't set in stone. If you're torn between story A and story B and you choose story A, your story B isn't going anywhere and it won't disappear. You can even switch back and forth between working on said stories. One might grab your attention for a certain period of time, and then when the flame burns out, focus your creativeness on story B.

Do not feel guilty for not choosing one story idea over another. Don't choose a story you feel obligated to write, because it won't be genuine or fun, and you'll be dragging your feet until you're finished with it. Then when it's finished, you'll probably hate it and scrap it anyway. So pick the idea that's calling to you. Just listen, and it'll choose you.

Ending Thoughts

There are no original story ideas out there. But the story you're about to write, hasn't been written by you. And THAT itself is what makes the story original. So write the story that's asking to be written, and don't shy away from it even if you think you're copying someone else's idea. You make it your own just by writing it.

Inspiration can be found anywhere. Write down a word, phrase, sentence, paragraph. Anything can lead to your next work in progress.