Something to Write About...

I am often asked where do I come up with ideas for my stories. I know I have covered this topic before, but the question still comes up. So, here I sit with my fingers on the keyboard...

Many of my ideas for my stories, whether they are flash fiction or longer pieces come from prompts given me by the flashxrs yahoo group, Kim Stickrath (Y-City Writers Forum), Pen & Quill and the Write Away Writers. Yes, I do belong to all these groups.

How do I find time to write while attending all these groups? Simple, I tend to write in the mornings and these groups are held at night. I am lucky in that I only have to answer to myself and my husband. So, I have time to write in the daytime.

Back to the topic at hand... I find inspiration in snatches of conversations, songs, the weather, my pets, in the news and everywhere I look if I just open myself to the possibilities. Yes, I manage to make most of these ordinary things into supernatural situations.

Pictures, book titles, first lines are all good sources of inspiration. Sometimes the story that develops may have nothing to do with the original idea. They are just starting points, something to get the juices flowing. Remember in the end it's your story, so you can do with it what you will. Now if it was meant for a contest or an imprint, you will need to abide by their rules. In all else you can have free reign.

Sometimes, I dream story ideas. These are not always viable or take awhile to come to fruition, but they get me writing. Oh, and there are those niggling voices in my head, all clamoring to get out.

Yes, there I said it, I hear voices. Albeit my characters voices. I guess that's why I love writing stories under 1000 words... It enables me to let out some of the characters quickly.

Now do you have an understanding of how to find inspiration for your own stories? The next step is to put butt in chair, fingers on keyboard and begin typing. Even if you are busy you should be able to find time to write, 5 minutes here, 15 minutes there... 1 paragraph here, 1 page there... As long as you are writing!