Things to Think About

First of all I would like to plug Writers Digest. They always have helpful stories, both in their magazine and online. Today, I found this article on word choice in poetry. http://writersdigest.com/article/poetry-wordchoice/

Where do writers get their ideas?

For myself, my I hear voices in my head, whenever a new idea takes hold. I need to write it down or it will keep bugging me. Not to mention all the other ideas keep vying for their place in my head. So, I may only write the idea down or I may start a story, whichever is necessary to clear my head. Sometimes, it is an entire short story or just the beginning of a larger one. Still, I write them down.

Where do these ideas come from?

I, sometimes, wake up with them in my head. Maybe, I dreamed them. Sometimes, the ideas come from things I see or hear. The world is full of possibilities. There a photos, artwork, nature, people, animals that can inspire. So pay attention to your surroundings. Sometimes, you may need to choose to write a story using something particular for your inspiration. Not everyone has the voices in there head, but all writers have the stories in there somewhere waiting to come out.

1. Join groups that give prompts. Not all of the prompts will inspire you, but some may. Still, try to write as many stories as you can using those prompts.

2. Use your photos to write stories. Perhaps, you have that photo that was a mistake. Like mine taken of a child's neck that inspired a poem. Or use the photos from your vacation and write a story. Sometimes, now that I have gone digital, I take unusual pictures to use. Here is one of them. Maybe you can write a story using it.

3. There is so much artwork on the web now. Pay attention. There is something out there that will inspire you. Whether it is a drawing of a dragon, or a painting of a girl with flower or maybe it's that abstract painting. Whatever, inspires you, look for these things.

4. People- The world is full of interesting people. Get out and observe. Write down quirky characteristics. At the writers conference on Saturday, there was this lady in a red straw cowboy hat. She said she had 'hattitude.' Write these things down. Maybe, they will be your next character.

The point I am making is there is inspiration everywhere. Use my prompts if you can't think of anything on your own. I have some listed on the side of this blog. Get inspired and write!