I can use this! – that spark of excitement you get when you connect a new idea to one or more of the story subplots you’ve been mulling over. Everywhere we look there is inspiration of one sort or another. Sometimes it’s so much that we actively have to tell our minds to hold off on generating new ideas until we’ve had a chance to complete the dozens already waiting in line.  Today’s episode dives into some of our discussion over the years at the Blood-Red Pencil about ideas and inspiration. Links mentioned in this episode: Ideas for Writing   Shonell Bacon shares a list of inspiration sources for when you need to generate a new idea or two. Where Do You Get Ideas?   Terry Odell says that sometimes the ideas for books come when you’re looking for something else. Where Story Ideas Come From   Pat Stoltey says one of the questions most frequently asked of writers is: “Where do you get your ideas?” It’s not a popular question among published authors. Maybe th...

There are plenty of writers out there in the wilderness, many of them beginners, who will wail, “What do you mean too many ideas? I can even nail down one!” pexels.com  Others will know exactly what I mean. All the while one author is working on a novel, ideas for a sequel are percolating in the back of her mind. Thoughts pop up just before she goes to sleep, then are forgotten by morning. She’s writing contemporary crime fiction, but a historical novel picks at her brain, set in the state where she grew up and full of fictional content against events that really happened and people who really lived during the times. On the other hand, there’s that nagging feeling she’d really like to try writing romance. William Kent Krueger, author of the Cork O’Connor mystery series, tells of that story he’d wanted to write for a long time but didn’t get a lot of encouragement from his agent or publisher. The idea wouldn’t go away, and Krueger finally wrote it as a standalone. That nove...

Story Sparks Denise Jaden New World Library ISBN: 1608685098 Paperback - $12.16 Ebook: $9.99 If you are searching for a new idea for a new book in this New Year, this resource will be of great benefit. In the introduction of Story Sparks , the author states that “idea gathering is a highly learnable skill.” Then she goes on to help writers hone that skill with her advice and exercises. The book is divided into several parts in which specific suggestions are given to help writers find their ideas for story, for character and for setting. Part one is where Jaden explains what S.P.A.R.K. stands for: Seek, Passion, Allies, Resonance, Kinetic energy. Seek: Not just new story ideas but things that will help make those stories stronger. Jaden gives many suggestions for strengthening our skills of observation, noting details of places and people that we can use to make our characters and settings “visible” to our readers. Passion:   We should always be writing about ...

INT. Late afternoon. The WRITER is sitting at her desk, typing on a laptop. The typing is slow but steady. SMALL VOICE:  ( in a sing-song manner) HelllOOOOoo. THE WRITER ignores the SMALL VOICE. SMALL VOICE: Look at me. I’m shiny. The WRITER continues to type, now bending over the keyboard and typing with, perhaps, a touch more force than necessary. SMALL VOICE: Hey. Pay attention to me. I’m so shiny. WRITER: Go away. SMALL VOICE: And glittery. Look at me, I can spit sparkles. I’m a living firework display over here. WRITER: Go away. SMALL VOICE: Are you sure? WRITER: Yes. SMALL: But I’m soooooo shiny. The WRITER stops typing . WRITER: Okay. You win. What are you? SMALL VOICE: An idea. WRITER: Ah. SMALL VOICE: A new idea. An idea for a plot far, far better than that tired old thing you’re working on. This idea is fresh. It’s bold. It’ll set the world on fire. WRITER: I can’t think about you right now. SMALL ...

At the start of every new year, most of us make resolutions. For us writers, we think about what projects we want to complete, want to submit to agents/editors, want to self-publish, and the list goes on and on. For 2014, I decided to do one thing that would be playful and might actually create some great stories: start an Idea Jar. On January 1, I started a Joy Jar. I keep a small pack of sticky notes with me throughout the day, and when anything arises that makes me smile or makes me happy (you know, those moments we typically experience at  the moment, but then promptly discard), I write that moment onto a sticky note and place the note in the jar. When I have a rainy "mind" day, I can dip into the jar and remember happy moments I've experienced thus far. Doing so may hopefully put me in a better frame of mind. My Joy Jar I received these years ago, and now have a perfect use for them! The Idea Jar works pretty much the same way. All throughout...

A friend once emailed me with a question about writing. She felt overwhelmed because suddenly she had too many story ideas and didn’t know which ones to write first.   Does this happen to me, she asked, explaining that she asked me because I was a “real writer.” She’s not sure she warrants that title yet, because if she did, maybe she’d know which story should be next. My answer to “does this happen to me?” was a resounding “yes.” Currently I have nine books in the idea stage that I want to get to – someday. Some of them are more fleshed out than others. Some I know will never actually get written, because I have a limited time to walk the earth, and more stories and book ideas keep popping in and shoving older ideas out of line. The thing about creativity is that once you open the gate to your creative self, ideas will pour through like surf-boarders riding rushing waves.  This is a good thing, and many of those ideas are transformational and wonderf...

So you've decided you want to try this writing thing, huh? Great! Now that you've decided to write, you have to find out what you want to write. Below are several suggestions to kick start story ideas: WRITE WHAT YOU KNOW I suppose you've heard this adage. GREAT idea. We know more than what we think we do. Take a pad and pen or park yourself in front of your computer and do some prewriting. Ask yourself, "What do I know?" Write down the skills you have, write down the characteristics that would describe you, write down the jobs you have had, the experiences you have had, the failures and successes you have had. It's a long list, isn't it? Maybe you realized that you don't have the best of luck in relationships. Why not write a story about a person with the same trait and try to figure out why? Maybe you realized that you're an extremely giving person and often times, you don't give enough to yourself. Write a story about that character. Th...