By Matt Wildig
You want to write a story because you’re a writer – it’s what you do. But you’re sitting at the computer, and the text cursor is just flashing away, and you don’t have a single idea to start the process.
It’s a crappy situation to be in, but so many of us have been there. I’m almost always there, and that’s why I’m writing this post.
What do you do when you lack an idea? Here are some ways to generate story ideas when you have nothing solid to work with yet.
1. Put words on the page.
Instead of sitting down and pouting about having no ideas, just write anything. I’ll give you an example of the first thing that popped into my brain. When I started this blog, I’d just eaten a cinnamon donut, and it was good, and I spun it into a cool little piece of fiction. Here’s the first few lines:
I sat on the chair, scratched my chin and wondered why the hell I didn’t buy a donut when I had the chance. I knew I wanted one, but I just couldn’t do it. There was something about the guy selling them – something in the way he watched the customers. The occasional quiver of his lips, the rolling of his eyes. Unnatural.
There you go; that’s my ramble. You’re probably wondering, where’s the story idea? My response: there could be something there about body-snatching donut sellers. You’ll never know what an idea can become until you put the words on the page.
2. Don’t overthink.
I’ve dealt with many insecurities about my writing; whether the idea is fresh enough, the prose is strong enough, or if anybody’s ever going to want to read it, but the longer I’ve worked on my craft, the more I’ve realised that these insecurities exist because I’ve been so worried about what I should write and not what I want to write. I think this falls on the weighty shoulders of the dreaded imposter syndrome. You might write to please, or for publication, but never always just for yourself. It seems so many of us are worried about what we have to do to be successful that we forget to write about the things that matter the most to us. Once you start focusing on the ideas that you like – the ones that you’d want to read in a book – the overwhelming nature of imposter syndrome will feel less daunting.
3. Write what you know.
Most writers have heard or read about this one, and as cliché as it is, I think it’s a good way to start the process. Let’s say you’re a student, so you think… ok. I’m a student, and I’m going to write a story about a student character who’s doing student things. Right away, you have the foundations of an idea. Next, you’ve got to put your student character into a situation you may not be so familiar with (depending on your genre): they’ve just discovered a body in the bathroom and, oh no, it has a note with some scribbles about crossing the chosen ones. There’s your idea, and yes, it doesn’t have to be great because there’s always another time for other ideas. What’s important is that you complete what you’re writing so that you can move onto the next story.
4. Read what you would like to write.
Believe it or not, books can have an influence on the ideas you have. I enjoy reading science fiction detective stories, and when I’m short of ideas on my stories I jump into a book I’m reading for inspiration. Reading is like having a conversation with the author about writing, and I know it sounds weird, there’s something about reading that sparks the kindling of an idea in my writing brain. I remember reading Philip K. Deep’s novel, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, when I was between stories, and found myself caught up on the idea of synthetic animals. I pondered why people would want synthetic animals; I came up with a story about a world where dogs have been killed and replaced by synthetic dogs to prevent the spread of a contagious disease. Of course, to give the story stakes and the character motivation, the protagonist ends up finding a real dog, which becomes the driving force of the story. Reading what you like helps; I don’t really know why. Maybe it’s because I want to write something as good as what I’m reading, and my brain figures out the rest. Not sure, but if you’re stuck, give it a try.
So, there you have it. Four workable ways to find an idea if you’re totally stumped with what to write. Consider trying one idea for a week, and if it doesn’t work, move onto the next one. Maybe one of them will be a great source of inspiration, but you won’t know until you try.
Good luck, and happy writing.