Friday, January 24, 2014

Where do you get your story ideas from?

Some writers are lucky, they get their story ideas in dreams, when their sub-conscious mind is hard at work. The next morning the idea remains in their mind and they start developing it. Stephenie Meyers got the idea for twilight in a dream. One of my crit partners Kim Koning too gets quite a few ideas in her dreams. For J.K.Rowling, the idea for the Potter series fell into her head fully formed during a train journey.

Jorge Amado, the famous South American writer regarded himself as a ‘professional dreamer.’ He often said that the greater part of his work was conceived in dreams and he wrote down the images and visions he remembered on waking up. These images were incorporated in his books. “All I am,” Amado said, “is a hard working recorder of dreams. If I didn’t have dreams, I wouldn’t know what to write about.”

One of the most famous writers to draw inspiration from his dreams was Gustave Flaubert. He normally slept five hours a night, but he said, “the sixth hour of my sleep is given over to dreaming.” He would reach for his notebook on waking up and record his dreams, referring to his notes when he wrote his novels and stories.

Though I see a lot of dreams, so far I have never been inspired by a dream. My dreams are just that; dreams. No writing happens due to the dreams. My story ideas come to me from random sources. Sometimes, it’s a title that has been playing around in my mind. The title then inspires a story. At other times it could be a picture I have seen somewhere. Yes, pictures in magazines, newspapers and even blogs inspire me by planting story ideas in my mind.

More often than not, a character jumps into my mind and he or she urges me to write their story. A couple of my books have come out of short stories.

Where do you all get inspiration for your stories? Who or what inspires you? Do dreams spark the seed for an idea? We all would love to know all about it.

25 comments:

  1. Good to be first again! Most ideas come from stray thoughts and sometimes due dreams though am not a serious writer as yet, Rachna:)

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  2. Day-dreaming. The sort of dreaming that doesn't require us to sleep! When I was younger this habit stole me of a lot of marks, they better give me something back, now. :)

    DestinationInfinity.org

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  3. My dream are either confusing or boring. Not good fodder for a story. Most of my story ideas come from movies or music.

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  4. My ideas can come from anywhere. An overheard snippet of conversation, a newspaper article, a song. Somehow there's a creative spark and a kernel of an idea.

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  5. No way do I get anything from my dreams. I'm like you. They come from random things though I'm waiting for an amazing story like J.K. Rowling's to just come to me.

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  6. I've had one or two ideas for scenes in my dreams…but that might be more because I was working on my WIPs before bed and the stories just continued, dunno lol

    I'm more character oriented as well ;)

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  7. I've taken inspiration from dreams, songs, poems, something that I may see in the everyday life, a true story, a short story, a certain character that allured me but I considered it didn't play the role it deserved where I met it. My muse is pretty hyperactive. I'm the lazy one. Dragon Hugs!

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  8. It would be exciting to get a fully formed idea from a dream. I've had little snippets of dialogue or description pop into my head just as I'm about to fall asleep. Trouble is its sometimes hard to remember them the following day! I find places quite inspiring.

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  9. Almost all of my fiction stories came from dreams, including my five book series. I just have really vivid dreams I guess.

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  10. My most powerful stories - or the ones that at least stick with me and won't let me go - come from a combination of conversations, dreams, and visuals - like paintings, photos, etc. There's a novel I haven't finished that all started with the picture of a child soldier in the newspaper back . . .well, way back. That young woman's haunted eyes as she brandished her ak47 for the photographer just got me. Someday, I'll get that novel done . . . for the look in her eyes.

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  11. Once I have an idea I like to daydream about it to flesh it out. The actual spark just sort of materialises, not really sure where from.

    mood
    Moody Writing

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  12. I think most of my stories come to me when I'm on "idle", doing some physical task like gardening, cleaning, etc., or when I'm taking a walk, or in the shower. I've only had one book idea come from a dream, and while it is an idea that still grips me, I have never finished that book yet.

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  13. Hi Rachna.
    Dreams help me to complete my stories or poems, or they can provide an opening scene. I am now writing a short story, and the opening scene came to me in a dream. I had developed part of the story in my head and then I had the dream...

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  14. I actually get a lot of ideas from my dreams. Sometimes I even work on plot points while I sleep, it's kind of weird:)

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  15. I don't think I've ever gotten an idea from a dream. I never know when the ideas will pop up when I'm awake though. Some days they are everywhere, other days not as much. :)

    Have a great weekend!

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  16. Great question, Rachna! I get ideas from movies, talking to my sister (her life is very interesting!), although I've met many cool people, sometimes it's just to "real" to put into a story...if only I could somehow use last night's dream about flying to Maine in a rocket ship...

    Bless you!

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  17. Like you I spend most of my dream time doing silly things and it is not very inspiring. I find more inspiration from just reading and observing people in action. Usually my thoughts will begin creating when supported by those two actions.

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  18. My story ideas are random too. Oddly, my best ideas come while washing dishes. Perhaps I shouldn't long so obsessively for a dishwasher . . .

    ..........dhole

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  19. My ideas pop randomly in my head. I usually combine ideas with each other to get better ideas. Sometimes I simply start throwing random words down on the Word document and hardcore discovery write from there. I don't recall ever writing a story based upon a dream.

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  20. My ideas come from anywhere and everywhere. Dreams, daydreams, a snippet of overheard conversation, the way someone walks, a billboard. I never know where the next idea will come from.

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  21. Hi Rachna, just stopping by to say how delightful your blog is. Thanks so much for sharing. I have recently found your blog and am now following you, and will visit often. Please stop by my blog and perhaps you would like to follow me also. Have a wonderful day. Hugs, Chris
    http://chelencarter-retiredandlovingit.blogspot.ca/

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  22. Not sure if anyone's mentioned this (I try never to look at other comments before I write) but for me it's the places where I don't have to think that bring out the subconscious in me.

    Taking a shower, brushing my teeth and getting dressed are my Muse's favorite times :)

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  23. I get most of my ideas while daydreaming. I'm also inspired my real life. Sometimes I'm inspired by actual dreams.

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  24. Hi, Rachna,

    It happened to me only once. As I was writing my second fantasy novel, I had a dream. It was odd, so vivid.

    The next morning I had dropped my current WIP and began writing an edgy, contemporary Y/A. Six weeks later, I had finished the first draft.

    Two plus years later, I am now working with an editor, fine tuning it for possible publication.

    I have never had such a dream again. I find inspirations in so many things.The world around us supplies countless ideas for me.

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  25. Dreams don't often spark a story idea for me, except that one dream. *shudders* It'll make a great horror story one day. LOL!

    I normally find my inspiration everywhere. A turn of phrase. A what-if wondering. And the like.

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