How many of you have ever used dreams, whether yours or someone else’s, as inspiration for a story idea?
I sometimes have very vivid dreams, and I do use them as the germ of an idea for a story. I’ve been known to use my husband’s dreams too; he tends to dream spooky stuff! In fact, I’m working on a story right now that was inspired by one of his dreams.
Where do you get your writing inspiration?
I’ve been thinking about being creative, and about what makes us creative, or want to be. I’m sure you know people who are extremely creative. I know I do, both in my personal and online life. I’m blown away sometimes by what I see other people doing; it makes me feel positively inadequate, I can tell you.
Of course, creativity comes in all forms. Most people tend to think of it in an “artsy” way, and I do as well sometimes. For me, it’s writing primarily, but it’s also knitting. It’s putting together a good story, weaving characters and plot together to make something that others will enjoy. Or it might be combining color and pattern to make something functional and beautiful that others can use and appreciate.
My day job doesn’t have anything to do with either of those; I’m a programmer. However, finding an elegant solution to a problem is creative too.
So, what makes a person creative, or not? I have a bit of a theory about how creativity works for me.
Being able to approach life creatively, whether it’s work, home or a creative pursuit, is a talent to be fostered and appreciated. Let’s do one thing this week differently, and more creatively, shall we?
…writing, that is.
I’ve been thinking about family stories and writing, and that led me, of course, to thinking about growing up. I was thinking about the first time I can really remember writing a story. I may have written before this, but if I did, I can’t remember. I know that this is the first time I really got into the “zone.” I saw and felt and experienced the story as I wrote it. I’m still a bit awed by the feeling even now. When I’m lucky enough for it to happen to me, it’s almost as if I’m channeling the story. Plots twist, characters misbehave, and the book takes on a life all its own. The result can be chaotic, but it’s also far more creative and surprising than I could create by planning it out.
I wrote my first story when I was in third grade, so I would have been eight years old. We were writing stories for school, and I had just read Call of the Wild. I sat down in my room, using the seat of one of our kitchen chairs for a desk, and started writing. My room was chilly, and I remember wrapping a little blanket around me as I worked.
My story was about a mother and child who are trapped in the wilderness in a blizzard with hungry, ferocious wolves circling outside. I can’t remember how it ended, but I still remember seeing the scene in my mind. Gray figures of the wolves paced against the white expanse of snow while the mother and child huddled inside the cabin, sneaking peeks through a cracked door.
I’m not sure how long it took, but my feet had gone to sleep by the time I’d finished, and I’d filled more pages than I had ever expected to. I remember the feeling of satisfaction when I finished the story, and how proud I was of it. I’m not sure if I realized it then, but I think that moment did more to make me want to write than anything else I can think of.
I suppose that’s why I write today. It can be difficult to feel a relationship with readers when I spend months working on a novel that no one but me has read. I plan, and hope, that others will one day read and enjoy it too, but the writing process can be quite lonely. The act of writing, of creating, of discovering the story is what keeps me at it.
What keeps you writing?
This is an interesting article, particularly if you’re interested in creating alien races. People in the Netherlands are growing taller (six feet one is the average for men). The article points out that it’s probably because they lead healthier lives and have better nutrition.
When I read about alien races, I like to understand why they’re different from humans. Evolution selects the fittest, so if someone is taller, shorter, has four arms or knees that bend backwards, there has to be an evolutionary explanation. In short, their design must fit their environment or be explained by their environment. Otherwise, it’s just a neat anomaly that’s likely to bug the reader. I Know it bugs the heck out of me.
Meet the “Star Nosed Mole.” Imagine taking a mole, ripping off its head and gluing a flower on in its place. Got it?
If you’re interested in writing science fiction or fantasy, this is one oddball critter that might inspire you to create a headless race of your own. Or maybe a creature with four arms and no legs. Or how about four legs (for stability) and two arms. Just as in nature, its all about adaptation to the environment. As odd as this mole seems, it’s suited for where it lives and what it does, so of course, alien species in fiction need to be too.
I enjoy reading about alien races, but creating them really isn’t my forte. I suppose that’s why in my novels I tend to stick with races that are pretty much humanoid. Boring, perhaps, but it’s what I’m comfortable with. Maybe one of these days I’ll create a six-legged, flower-headed alien. We’ll see.
“A giant ice shelf the size of 11,000 football fields has snapped free from Canada’s Arctic, leaving a trail of icy boulders floating in its wake.”
This is an interesting article for anyone interested in climate change (and if you’re not, you really should be). Of course, there are lots of story ideas you can glean from this as well. I’m interested in writing end-of-the-world style novels, so this is right up my alley.
By the way, I’m having a very lazy moment. Does the period go inside or outside the parens above?
This lists some interesting tips, including some about writing and creativity. I especially liked the one about blogging and writer’s block. That’s something I can relate to.
Also, there’s another about being “A Creative” and how that often doesn’t translate to action. Sound familiar to anyone else out there? It does to me, certainly. I have to admit I’ve got lots of great ideas jotted down, but I’ve tackled only a handful of them. I think part of that, for me, is knowing that the ideas never seem quite as good once I get going on them.
Enjoy!
How many times have you heard this question? Even worse, how many times have you felt your own creative well running dry? I’m a firm believer of two things.
So, how do I get ideas? I’ve been known to mine the news for novel and short story ideas, and there’s no shortage of material there. Continue reading
I was just thumbing through my moleskine looking for some blog ideas I’d jotted down and got to thinking about the value of carrying a notebook in general.
I’ve carried a notebook of some sort for a few years, and I’ve found it indispensable. I write down blog, story and novel ideas, of course. I also write down funny scenes I witness and record quotes I overhear. If I think it’s interesting, amusing, odd, or noteworthy for any reason, it probably ends up in my notebook.
You probably also guessed that I use only a small fraction of what I write down. The thing is, I never know what I’ll use until it’s had some time to ferment, and if I didn’t write it down, it wouldn’t get that chance.
Beyond having a way of remembering ideas and events, I think there’s another, more important aspect to keeping a writing notebook. When I make a habit of writing down ideas for my fiction, I tend to get more ideas. It’s like I’m “priming the pump,” so to speak. In my case, creativity tends to breed creativity.
Do you keep a notebook? How does it benefit your writing?
We were talking about past holidays the other evening, and I started thinking about how this can work into a novel or story. We were reminiscing about people we’ve known through the years, and quite a few “characters” came to mind.
Like…
Our neighbor who had an eight foot black velvet paint by numbers picture of Jesus on her living room wall. Did I mention it was encircled with white Christmas lights all year round?
The man we went to Church with who would sometimes invite other members over, offer to show them “something” and emerge much later dressed as a woman. The general consensus was that he made a pretty decent looking woman but wasn’t anything special as a guy.
Or how about one of my first bosses, a really charming guy. He once locked his wife out of the house because he didn’t like her new haircut. Want to imagine what working for him was like?
I’m sure you have a few characters in your background too. Sometimes you really can’t make this stuff up!