where do you get your ideas for your stories

[Karen]

I get mine from my warped dreams--That's where the idea for my soon to be published novel comes from.

The Dead comics novel comes from my experience in doing and writing comedy.

I thought how neat it would be if comics were getting knocked off.

[Catamorandi]

I get a lot of my ideas from my life. Unfortunately, that makes them either sad or violent most of the time. I am trying to find something else I can get my ideas from.

[Veronica]

I don't really know where my ideas come from. Usually I think or see or hear one thing, and it leads to something else that is a good idea for a story or first line...

[Karen]

Thanks Andi and Veronica. I take some from my life too . I love doing stand up comedy so the book I am currently writing revolves around that theme.

[[deleted user]]

I get mine from experiences or what I want to happen.

[Karen]

do u write an outline or just go with the flow?

[Catamorandi]

I tend to go with the flow. I think of it as I am typing it. I have done it that way for a long time.

[Veronica]

I definitely go with the flow. I hardly ever outline anything.

[[deleted user]]

Go with the flow. Yeah I kinda think as I go.

[Veronica]

Something I'm writing came from someone saying something about roses being able to be used for significance in a story. It is turning out better than I could have imagined.

[Gina]

I sort of go with both. I make a note of what I want for sure to happen and approx. where in the book, but I go with the flow for the inbetween parts.

[Rebecca]

I normally have some thought of what will happen but I go with the flow for most of the book

[Brenda]

My ideas for stories usually just pop in my head from out of nowhere...lol...I've always had an active imagination...now it it has somewhere to go :)
Brenda

[[deleted user]]

Yeah mine kinda pop into my head randomly too! I forgot about that!

[Karen]

somewhere in reading what I have written so far someone says hey what about this? If I feel it fits I run with it if not it goes on the back burner til I need it.

[Mark]

In terms of my fiction, the ideas come looking for me. I knew nothing about my fantasy novel, The MoonQuest, when I wrote the first scene of the first draft. In fact, i didn't even know I was writing the first scene of a first draft of anything!

I had been leading a creative writing class and chose (unusually) to do the exercise myself. What came out, to my surprise, is the tale of an odd-looking man in an even odder-looking coach that is pulled by two odd-colored horses. Somehow, for some unknown reason, I stuck with it, and a year later (almost to the day), I had completed my first draft of a novel I never knew I had in me.

- Mark David Gerson
http://themoonquest.com

[Karen]

WTG Mark---I started writing Dead On Arrival based on a dream I had I handed it to a friend to look at---Loved her reaction--STRAP YOUR ASS TO THE CHAIR AND KEEP WRITING. I took her advice.

[Catamorandi]

Mark - I took a creative writing class three semesters ago and am taking advanced fiction writing in the fall. I have written in class, but I haven't branched out yet. I am very afraid that it will be a total dud. How did you get past the fear, anybody?

[Fiona]

Hi all,
I mainly get my ideas for the kiddys stories from things that i see then put each event; person; item & colour down on scraps of paper then pick at random. It seems to work so far.

[Mark]

Dear Andi,

The only way to get past the fear is to keep writing through it. Keep at it, Andi. I know you can do it!

Mark David

P.S. Check out my new blog of writing tips and inspiration @ http://thevoiceofyourmuse.com