And keep new and fresh ideas bubbling to the surface.

So many times, more than I like to admit, my well of ideas dries up like a desert. But, then when I least expect it, BLAM, a new one hits me upside the head.

For instance, at dinner the other night a friend shared how much her grandson loved my book, A Reluctant Little Prince. She explained which character he loved the most and why. As I lay in bed that night, savoring her wonderful compliments, BAM, a new children’s book clobbered me.

But we can’t always wait for divine inspiration. There are way too many dry spells in between.

So, how do we keep the ideas flowing?

Thanks goes to Now Novel for a few terrific suggestions on how to keep the well of ideas overflowing…

Book ideas: 12 inspiring sources

Here’s the cliff note of what I learned…

• Look to the Gods. Not praying and waiting, but check out various myths and superstitions are good fodder for a story. Have a favorite myth? Try rewriting it in the current day.
• Historical events. Use for backstory. Rewrite events into your story.
• Documentaries. Use a documentary to broaden your knowledge. Turn it into fiction by asking the “What if” question.
• Journaling. Now I’m not good at keeping a daily journal, but I do keep an idea journal.
• Central Idea section of Now Novel. Can’t wait to try this.
• Search Archives. Historical and ancestry archives can be a treasure trove. Now Novel gives a couple of links to get us started. I can get lost in Ancestry stuff.
• Inspiration from your favorite author. Again, ask “What if” and see how an idea can grow.
• Find a new experience. Hmm, this one I’m going to think about a bit.
• Short stories. Write or read a short story and try to develop it into a novel.
• What if. We all know about this question. But try asking it about movies, as well as stories and see if a new idea comes.
• Music. Not for me. I find music distracting instead of inspiring.
• Creative constraints. This is used in short stories and flash fiction with word counts. But try writing about a character with constraints of some sort. Again, this one will take a bit of thinking for me.

As always, the article above gives us a lot more information about finding story ideas. I hope you’ll click on the link and read all about her 12 idea suggestions. Plus there are a few great links to check out.

 

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