How do you get your ideas?

[Lightdancer]

Hi! I joined the shard recently, and keep drifting towards this corner of fellow creators... So I figured I'd jump in with an obvious question.

I ask because I hear a lot of people and authors talking about this like it's a concrete process. Specifically, many of them rush to debunk the "myth" of the "idea fairy". Hilariously, most of my ideas are the result of the "idea fairy". I get ideas constantly like many of these authors describe, but sometimes I'll all at once get an idea- and I look up and there's a whole first act and a shiny new world sitting in my head.

So how do you get your ideas? Slow, steady percolation, or as sudden and unexpected as an atomic bomb?

[+Invocation]

Sometimes I'll have random ideas show up while I'm getting ready to go to bed or while I'm showering, but other times I'll force it to show up by downing more caffeine pills than any one person should take in a month and starting to spin words.

Edited December 10, 2020 by Invocation

[Frustration]

There is no one way I get ideas, sometime I take an exsisting idea/philosophy and twist it to my needs, other time I slowwly develop one over time, and others I step outside and an idea hits me.

[Experience]

Usually for me I suddenly get one idea that I really like, then I take a (sometimes way) too long time figuring out what I want to do with that one idea.

[Condensation]

Late at night when I'm trying to sleep, an idea will suddenly pop into my head and I have to write it down quickly before I forget it. That's why I keep a notebook in my bed.

Or dreams. If I can puzzle a meaning out of them, they're probably pretty clear.

[Experience]

Just now, Ookla the Grammatical said:

Late at night when I'm trying to sleep, an idea will suddenly pop into my head and I have to write it down quickly before I forget it. That's why I keep a notebook in my bed.

Or dreams. If I can puzzle a meaning out of them, they're probably pretty clear.

*by (not in)

Aha! I did it!

Yes, dreams are really fun to figure out. I have a couple that when I wake up a swear I have had it before, but I can't quite remember what happened in it and it's so annoying.

[Condensation]

Just now, Ookla the Shadowed said:

*by (not in)

Aha! I did it!

Yes, dreams are really fun to figure out. I have a couple that when I wake up a swear I have had it before, but I can't quite remember what happened in it and it's so annoying.

Nope, I actually keep a notebook in my bed.

[Experience]

Just now, Ookla the Grammatical said:

Nope, I actually keep a notebook in my bed.

Wait, actually?! That's...interesting. Like...how does that even work?

[Condensation]

Just now, Ookla the Shadowed said:

Wait, actually?! That's...interesting. Like...how does that even work?

Yes, yes it is interesting. I keep it next to my pillow. I don't move, like, at all in my sleep so there's not chance of it falling down a crack or something.

[Experience]

Just now, Ookla the Grammatical said:

Yes, yes it is interesting. I keep it next to my pillow. I don't move, like, at all in my sleep so there's not chance of it falling down a crack or something.

*not a chance/no chance. 

Well, technically that's on your bed...

Sorry lightdancer for going offtopic. 

[Condensation]

Just now, Ookla the Shadowed said:

*not a chance/no chance. 

Well, technically that's on your bed...

Sorry lightdancer for going offtopic. 

Dang, all right. Yeah, sorry! And sometimes I grab it and take it under the covers to read my ideas. That's in my bed, right?

[Spren of Kindness]

When I'm listening to a song, sometimes a scene will come into my head, and I can build off of that.  My other big thing is drawing, just small doodles that expand into a story.

[+JesterLavorre]

One of the plot line is a book I’m writing right now is loosely based off of a dream, so I think that is definitely sometime sa source of ideas. 
Music also definitely helps me when I’m writing. It helps me get into the flow of things better.

Art also is good inspiration. A few magic systems I’ve been thinking of are based on pieces of art I’ve seen and thought “hey, how can I make this visual justified in a magic system?”

Finally, I like looking at characters or worldbuilding elements I really enjoy and trying to take them in a different direction than the original author. For example, I wanted to try and take a different angle on Faith from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, so I started outlining a book about a similar character who goes in a different direction that he character of Faith in that show, putting someone with similar character traits in a totally different situation and seeing how they react.

[Ixthos]

I think the question is where DON'T you get ideas from.

I have gotten ideas from watching a TV show or movie, or reading a book, or watching a play, or playing a game - computer and board games both - and thinking either "there is a really interesting idea in the way that was presented", or "I wonder if this went a different way ..." so that I get an idea based on what both has happened and what hasn't. I have gotten ideas while walking outside and seeing a building or a tree or a bird and thinking about how that shape could be used, or a feeling - how the land looks at midnight, or how strange it is to be on the road and no-one is there despite the number of buildings. I have had conversations and heard conversations and part of it or a phrase suddenly stands out as a great basis for an opening line or general idea. I have seen one thing and then another and wondered how they could combine. And I have used grids, placing existing ideas in categories and then seeing what hasn't been done yet but what is suggested and seeing that.

I've recorded short audio snippets of ideas when they suddenly came to me, and now have over a days worth of audio - a bit of a surprise. I've had to use short Google searches of random phrases to keep track until I can get to my computer, making Google no doubt wonder what on earth I meant by "pjantom web soul bud", or "power armour fairy weapon", etc.

And ultimately it is about taking those small snipped ideas, or larger ones, and combining them together. Examine existing stories and seeing an interesting idea, such as looking at Star Trek and - to pick something at random - their use of shuttles which have in built transporters, then at StarGate and the idea of the Stargate itself, and wondering how those could be combined if they feel like they fit, and you get the idea of small personal craft that have portals within them to access other worlds. Then, examining it further, that makes one wonder why you would need a shuttle if you already have those sorts of transporters, so it becomes a case of maybe those portals only work if you are close enough, so you have a small network of shuttles travelling between star systems with people able to walk from one planet to a standing portal and then to the shuttle, fly a distance and then step back out. So what sort of culture would this be like, and how are the shuttles maintained, and who started this, and ideas spinning off from that.

 

And of all of this, the main thing to remember is that ideas are not enough - you must use them, and use them well. Two interesting but old and commonly used ideas, boring old tropes, can be given a new purpose if they have never been used together before, and even if they have been used together before if they are used in a way that is interesting and written well. Or three ideas combined together. Take an idea and see where it goes logically and use extrapolation - what does that sort of setting imply.

• Ideas can come from any possible source, and can be complex or simple, common or new, a bare bones base or a fleshed out fully formed frame. From a book or game or anything else, to a walk outside and seeing something strange, or common, and wondering about it. From rigid examination of existing patterns or from something you'd been wondering about.
• Then take those ideas and see which ones fit together.
• Then write.

[Aspiring Writer]

Lots of ideas come randomly in my head, but this is only one of three ways I get ideas (From what I can think of right now)

Another one is taking one of your ideas and then building on it. Something simple like a relationship, when you start really thinking on how you want to execute it, can give you plenty of new ideas, both for what you are working on and for other works. It like having ideas randomly pop in your head, except you're trying to make it happen for something specific.

And last one is my being pissed at an idea I saw that was executed horribly but I liked, so I decided, "I'm going to do that idea, and do it properly." An example is the Infinity Stones. In infinity war, despite the fact I loved the movie, it irked me that the stones seemed so limited despite having supposed control over all the forces of creation like space and time. they could do so much more with the stones than they show. So I made a magic system based on the stones for a series I'm working on. While doing it, you can see why maybe the writers didn't want to make the stones that powerful as you encounter obstacles in writing, but seeing as I have full control over my narrative, I had the freedom to make it work. (This also goes to any idea that you liked. Being inspired by other stories is a common inspiration. Even crap stories can do this, as you will see a story you don't like but thought had potential and proceed to try and make it yourself. Other things are just elements in all wroting that you have to think 'how am i going to handle this in my story' and develop something the cneters on it, and you may even just want to take a trope into a new and better direction that you like better, like fantasy and trying to make it more scientific because that's something you like to see.)

[Tacitus]

Basically, It's like a little thought in my head, that came from whatever, until it explodes into a full thing. Idea fairy is definitely real.

(I'm so descriptive. Thing, Whatever, Basically, Little thought)

[Lightdancer]

15 hours ago, Ookla the Shadowed said:

Sorry lightdancer for going offtopic. 

No problem!

[Condensation]

Ooh, I got one the other day that was so weird. I was staring at a plain white wall and it reminded me of something which reminded me of something which reminded me of something... this went on for a bit and then I decided to combine two things together to make an entirely different thing. It was so weird.

[Use the Falchion]

Songs provide a lot of inspiration for me, but sometimes I'll just imagine a scene and come up with a story to justify it. For other stories, I come up with a concept first and work from there. Those ideas are usually me having "conversations" with other stories I like and working off of similar concepts in order to achieve a different answer. 

[Lightdancer]

Wow, this is so fascinating! And relatable! Thanks for sharing, guys!

[Condensation]

You're welcome!

[Tesh]

This is a very good question.

Sometimes I'll be reading a book, see a thing, and then come up with another thing. I'll see an idea in a story, and then twist it. For example, I was reading The Dark is Rising Sequence by Susan Cooper (super fun books, I highly recommend them if you like some older fantasy), and in the ending there was one of those situations where one character could embark on this awesome quest, but leave his family behind. But if he stayed, he'd forget about everything he had experienced that was magical and stuff like that. A very common scenario. And I decided it would be really interesting to see what would happen if they did leave everything behind. (I have read one story like this (The Conch Bearer), but it's been years.) From there, I also wondered what would happen if a character forgot everything, but then somehow became involved in it later down the line. Then there's also that situation like what happened at the end of tWoA where the hero has to chose between saving someone they love or letting them die (or something similar) and saving the world. (Except tWoA is a bad example, because Sanderson then proceeds to twist that trope upside down and stab it.) I was reading something, and I wondered what would happen if the character saved the person. So really just random stuff.

I can't tell you how many ideas I have lost because I was reading when I had them but didn't want to put my book down long enough to write them down.

But then I might also take some cool fact I learned in school or from a YouTube video, and adapt it to fit into some world or story. I also really like drawing maps, and so I can come up with a lot of ideas when placing trading cities or designing a landscape or deciding what the climate is like.

I also have some random lines from songs in my notes. Just some stuff that I might be able to adapt into a story. 

Then I also have some really stupid stuff from a few years ago like, "You murder someone and they murder you back, and you're all dead together." "Person living in a garbage can." "Royal seat warmer." 

Oh, and, of course, I first installed this note-taking app when I first started listening to Writing Excuses, so I could write down ideas and notes while listening to them. And, of course, there are some random writing prompts as well. (I won't ever forget the neon sniper gnomes.)

This was all over the place. I apologize. But thanks for making me go back through my notes!

[Condensation]

13 hours ago, Ookla the Rōnin said:

The Dark is Rising Sequence by Susan Cooper (super fun books, I highly recommend them if you like some older fantasy),

(Except tWoA is a bad example, because Sanderson then proceeds to twist that trope upside down and stab it.) 

Yes, those are really good! Love those.

I'm using that. That's funny.

[Tesh]

3 hours ago, Ookla the Grammatical said:

Yes, those are really good! Love those.

I just reread that sentence. It sounds a little like I'm trying to sell something illegal. "It's super fun, I highly recommend them if you like some extra crispy drugs."

Please note: I don't know how drugs work. Or, apparently, grammar.

3 hours ago, Ookla the Grammatical said:

I'm using that. That's funny.

Um... Okay! 

[Condensation]

7 hours ago, Ookla the Rōnin said:

I just reread that sentence. It sounds a little like I'm trying to sell something illegal. "It's super fun, I highly recommend them if you like some extra crispy drugs."

Please note: I don't know how drugs work. Or, apparently, grammar.

Um... Okay! 

No, honestly it doesn't. And it's all right, I'm here to correct people.

 It is funny.