How to Find Ideas for a Story

I wish I could tell you that there was an easy way or share some secret to discovering ideas.  However that isn’t the case.

Ideas are a dime a dozen. It is the execution that matters.
Frank Herbert

I remember reading something similar by Anne Rice. I don’t know that I believe that ideas are a dime a dozen though.

Right now I have 4 “good” ideas for stories, and then I have a graveyard of stories.  The things in my graveyard aren’t bad, however I don’t have inspiration to do anything with theme.

From my own experience, the way I get ideas and inspiration is by playing with a concept of thought.

The idea for my novel C.I.S. (Chance in Space) came from the Mars Needs Women Trope. I think I’ve read all the books that have this trope as it is one of my favorites.  However there came a point where I read all the books.

If there’s a book you really want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.
Toni Morrison

This quote is inspirational. If you are someone that falls in the category you should try it.

This is how C.I.S. was born. I started with the trope and I started playing in my new sandbox.  I asked myself basic questions like who where the main characters, and what did I want to show in the story.

Everything after that was very organic, and flowed naturally.

My original idea for the story was very different to what I have planned now. I planned to have 1 book that followed 3 sisters who found themselves on a galactic mail-order bride spaceship.

However the part of the spark that inspired me was the story behind a mail-order bride service. I wrote this backstory for that, and before I knew it I have created a universe and world to play in. I like it and thought that I could write more stories that took place in the same universe.

I knew for myself I wanted to show the struggle of cultural differences and show the assimilation some goes through when the move to a new place.  So I decided to create cultures based around mythical creatures.

My book doesn’t have a Fantasy element, but there is a theme.  For example the story I finished was based around Mermaids. I wanted the culture to be the origins of the mermaid myths.

My time abroad has shown me that stereotype seem to derive from cultural misunderstandings, which is something I wanted to express in my story. If want to see how I do it, then you will have to buy my book when it is finished.

There is no right or wrong way to find and idea or write a story. This way works for me. Maybe it can work for you, but if it doesn’t then you’ve found 1 way not to come up with ideas. You will just need experiment to see what works best.

I hope you find this useful.
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~KD

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