Where do you get your ideas?

[Kim]

Where do your ideas come from? A book? A movie? Out of the blue? Share your experiences here.

[Sam]

nature

[Elliott]

I get my ideas by watching my friends. Picking up interesting pieces of conversations. Thinking really hard about how crazy life really is.

[Luna]

Recently Ive been getting my ideas for origami( The Autumn Heart and Twintle Academy are my stories inspired by origami)

[tesni]

other literature and films, mostly. Most of my short stories are inspired or loosely based on songs in some way or another, whether I realise it or not.

[Teresa]

T e s n i wrote: "other literature and films, mostly. Most of my short stories are inspired or loosely based on songs in some way or another, whether I realise it or not."

Hey, me too. I get some of my ideas from songs, which I sometimes base short stories on.
But I think I get my ideas mainly from my dreams, because they can be pretty whacky, and only if I can remember them when I wake up. I keep a dream journal, so I can look back on the stuff and see what I can use.

Also, personal life experiences have a huge input on my stories.

Or random images. I just sit and look at the picture and wonder what the story behind it is.

:)

[[deleted user]]

I get my ideas in bed at one in the morning when I'm trying to fall asleep. My characters are extremely loud then--I think they must be in different time zone.

Actually, in this case, I'm still getting ideas at three.

I get a lot of inspiration from listening to my family's conversations and movies as well.

[Acacia]

I get my ideas from talking to myself. I carry out conversations in-character, and sometimes I'll say one line that makes me stop and go, "Wait, why did I say that? What context is that in?"

...Yes, I realize that makes me sound crazy.

[[deleted user]]

You're not the only one. I don't do that exactly, but I do talk to myself.

[Acacia]

It's a good way to carry out a conversation with someone who understands you. :D

[[deleted user]]

xD

I used to talk to my characters out loud, though. I'd hear their response in my head and would carry on my part of the conversation out loud when I was bored. But now my characters are created differently and they don't like talking to me as much. Haha.

[Acacia]

I have conversations between characters out loud. It's annoying because often it's just four or so lines that go around in loops, with me tweaking them just a little each time I say them to really get across the message I want.

[Brigid ✩, No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader.]

In the shower, when I'm trying to sleep, when I'm walking between classes, when I'm sitting in the car, when I'm shelving books at the library, when I randomly overhear other people's conversations ... whenever characters decide to pop into my head and wander around until I pay attention to them. Usually it takes a while for me to figure out exactly what they're trying to tell me, though. Sometimes another character has to pop up and help them out ... etc. It's a strange process.

[[deleted user]]

It really is. What helps me get ideas, when I'm blocked, is writing out what the story needs. Then all these daydreams about possible ways to fill those needs arise.

My imagination has been buzzing almost non-stop lately, though. I seriously can't sleep because my brain won't stop working.

[Shreya=Drastically Random. Find the emoticon.]

Ehh......car rides, school, friends, movies, other books, the way I wish my life to be, a friend I wish to have....lots of things. :P

[[deleted user]]

I get a lot of my ideas from my moments of desperation. I become so eager and starved for ideas that I look at everything with a more imaginative eye, so I end up twisting everyday things like closing doors into a plot point.

[Laura]

I get my inspiration from things I've seen in movies (Studio Ghibli inspires lots of my fantasy settings), but my characters are based on people I know in real life.

[Smog1997]

my life/others, other books

[Brigid ✩, No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader.]

I get my ideas from your MOM. Just kidding.

I get them from the Idea Fairy. Duh.

[Brigid ✩, No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader.]

Laura wrote: "I get my inspiration from things I've seen in movies (Studio Ghibli inspires lots of my fantasy settings), but my characters are based on people I know in real life."

WOOT! STUDIO GHIBLI!

[RedPath]

I can't really use any of my dreams as ideas (not much story potential in shooting zombies with confetti cannons. Then again, I might have some use for a big, red snake with aligator skin... I'll stop rambling now))

I guess a lot of my ideas come from how things react to each other. And from making weird (and particularly obscure) connections to things and places and stuff. And giving little personalities to numbers and letters XD

In short, anything that sparks my curiosity provokes the storyteller in me ^///^

[GSGS]

RedPath! Fancy meeting you here.

This is gonna sound weird... but ideas for me start to roll in when I smell this lime soap or something. It might just be semi-toxic chemicals in there, but it does force my creative hat onto my head.

[RedPath]

GSGS! Yes, fancy indeed. Watsacoinkidink.

And chemicals bring out the best in us :)

[GSGS]

I hasn't spoken with you for a while. Well, I have through ma faery friends, but beside that... =D

ROFL!

[RedPath]

Ahahaha. Flame is a good messenger :)

And it's true! All of my best friends sniff sharpies!

[GSGS]

Heehee. I would ruffle her hair affectionately if she wouldn't bite me.

Eeew I hate the smell of sharpies. They make me light-headed.
And what about Smiggle pens?

[RedPath]

Smiggle pens?

[GSGS]

Hmm. Maybe you don't have smiggle where you are.
It's a physchedelic stationary brand http://www.google.com.au/imgres?imgur...
as demonstrated here <<<

The pens have a scent; apparently smelling them kills brain cells.

[RedPath]

Wow. That's pretty nifty O.o

[GSGS]

LOL yeah. Y'know, in a maths test *SNIIIIIIIIIFFFFFFs pen* Oh god. I just killed the brain cell that knows how to do this damn question. Craaaaaaaap!!

[Nellee]

They just come to me :)

[Maddie]

I get ideas from: Dreams, my life expierences, People in the store, and sometimes I just sit and I start typing.

[Autumn]

♥ Brigid ♥ wrote: "I get my ideas from your MOM. Just kidding.

I get them from the Idea Fairy. Duh."

I think my Idea Fairy died.

[Colby]

I just pick mine up...like the other day we had an assembly on texting and driving...BAM! Idea.

[Brigid ✩, No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader.]

Autumn [feeling smiley] :D wrote: "♥ Brigid ♥ wrote: "I get my ideas from your MOM. Just kidding.

I get them from the Idea Fairy. Duh."

I think my Idea Fairy died."

OH NOOO!!
CLAP IF YOU BELIEVE IN IDEA FAIRIES! CLAP!

[Mandy]

*claps*

[[deleted user]]

Autumn [feeling smiley] :D wrote: "♥ Brigid ♥ wrote: "I get my ideas from your MOM. Just kidding.

I get them from the Idea Fairy. Duh."

I think my Idea Fairy died."

I think mine turned into a serial killer or something.

[Jordan, The Picture Magician (aka Probie)]

Mine joined the Marines(anyone who gets the reference is awesome).

[[deleted user]]

METHINKS I GEDDIT.

[Jordan, The Picture Magician (aka Probie)]

Do you?

[[deleted user]]

Methinks so.

[Jordan, The Picture Magician (aka Probie)]

What is it then?

[[deleted user]]

Would it be an NCIS reference? Mayhaps?

[tesni]

Autumn [feeling smiley] :D wrote: "♥ Brigid ♥ wrote: "I get my ideas from your MOM. Just kidding.

I get them from the Idea Fairy. Duh."

I think my Idea Fairy died."

After finding out she was in fact nonexistent, mine probably couldn't take the pain of being a mere item of my subconscious and crumbled into dust.

[Monica]

I get ideas in dreams. I don't usually use the ideas, but then I have a dream that is on the same subject. Last night I had a faery dream and then woke up and then went back to sleep and dreamed about faeries again, but it was not the same type of faery. I'm strange.

And I don't think I have Idea Faery. Or Fairy. My brilliant ideas look stupid when I write them down.

[Elliott]

SKitts/Cassie [swimming through sick lullabies] wrote: "Autumn [feeling smiley] :D wrote: "♥ Brigid ♥ wrote: "I get my ideas from your MOM. Just kidding.

I get them from the Idea Fairy. Duh."

I think my Idea Fairy died."

I think mine turned int..."

I love you, Cassie.

[Jordan, The Picture Magician (aka Probie)]

SKitts/Cassie [swimming through sick lullabies] wrote: "Would it be an NCIS reference? Mayhaps?"

No. It's much nerdier than that.

In the Marines, the Idea Fairy is a term for when you have a great plan, but then you think of another plan that totally fails.

I know, NERDY.

[Elliott]

*confusion*

[Katie]

i get my ideas from dreams sometimes or random thoughts. Also every now and then i will do one based off of classic fairy tales. Right now i am working with an idea of a twist on The Juniper Tree. That's a freaky but good story!

[Annemarie, hi]

OMIGOSHOMIGOSH