Writing Ideas Abound!

Writing ideas do abound. I’m serious. You can find snippets to explore everywhere. This link gives you piles of ideas. I particularly love the one about using your family in your writing. I wrote an amazing creative nonfiction piece a few years ago about Cory having head lice and connected Cory’s experience to my father’s journey with lung/brain cancer.

Obituaries are terrific places to get juicy characterization. I did not know this Chesley woman but after reading her obituary, I wish I had. This is an exceptionally rich obituary. So crack open your local daily or weekly newspaper, or search online for obituaries.

This link will take/link you to loads of other places with tons of ideas and topics. If you find your source of ideas has dried up, you WILL find something to inspire your next writing project via the provided link.

Write to a timer. Click clock to obtain image source.

This idea is more about writing to a timer or word count. Something I do every morning is write for fifteen minutes. Sometimes there is a phrase or sentence that will spring off into something else, something I can delve into more deeply. Others write to a word count: 750 words. Then they stop. Later, they reread and see if anything they wrote might actually lead somewhere.

Pictures can spark writing ideas. 

By reading this quote and examining this image, you might receive inspiration.

I love this link. Michelle mentions Facebook among other places as idea generators. I’ve used Facebook. Sometimes there is a joke that jumps into your newsfeed or some random feel-good story that wants to inject itself into your stream of consciousness. Why not explore it further in your writing?

Another great place for ideas is a CBC Radio 1 one hour weekly show called Out in the Open where the host explores ‘out there’ stories with regular people. I have written crazy stories inspired by this show: one example is a story about a widower who develops a relationship with a blow-up doll, much to the chagrin of his daughter.

Last but not least, here is a link to ‘Unusual Places’ to find story ideas. One of my favourites is Classified Ads. They are in newspapers, magazines, and of course, online. Personal ads can be particularly juicy places to help you develop an idea.

Use the comment form on my website to let me know how you made out. I’d love to update people in a future newsletter.