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Question: Authors: Where did you get your ideas for your stories/books!?

Mine came from two dreams I had and I wrote them down (when I was thirteen) and wrote a story about each of the seperately!. I came across the two doctuments about two years later and started to read them!. I merged them together and hey presto! =]Www@QuestionHome@Com

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:

A lot from my past, and everything I took in from films, books, television, newspapers!.!.!. when you add all you liked and (or), excited you, you get yourself an idea!. And then you just have to work on the details!.

Congrats on finding an idea you like!. :)

I find dreams are very helpful, as far as placing a setting, and discovering new things to include!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

To copy previous comment on the matter:

Either in factual articles or in places that I have visited, generally speaking!. A few concrete examples:

* The first novel I wrote (it was bad, but it WAS 80K words, at least) at age 12 was a medieval story, based on one of those look-inside-buildings books; I was fascinated by Chartres cathedral and based the story on the building of Chartres!.

* One of the pieces I am working on is about the American invasion of Siberia at the tail end of World War One!. I was inspired to write it by an article a few years back mentioning the death of the last WW1 soldier in Illinois (he was only still alive because he was in the Siberian invasion, a year or two later than WW1 proper, and had enlisted at a really young age)!. I had never heard of the invasion before--and promptly started to research it for a story!. That's a newspaper article example!.

* Another story I am working on is based on a few particular desaparecido ("disappeared"--political prisoners who were imprisoned and generally killed) incidents in Argentina, in 1979!. I lived for a while recently in Buenos Aires, and the city is obviously still haunted by its recent past!. It was fertile ground for a story, I thought!.

That's where I get the bulk of my inspiration from!. Writers who inspire run the gamut from Ursula K!. LeGuin to Donald Westlake, from Chinua Achebe to Philip Larkin, from Jerzy Kosinski to Edna O'Brien, so it's hard to pin down specific literary influences!. I'm 27 and have developed my own style--it comes with practice!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

The originating ideas often come from something I've experienced, but that is more of a seed of an idea than an actual idea!. The idea comes from asking questions about that experience!. How did the event happen!? Why did the event happed!? How else might it have happened!? and so on and so forth!.

Good ideas for stories and books come from asking questions (and not taking the first answer you come up with)!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

I always get my ideas from dreams too!. I'll usually have a dream that is from another persons perspective, and I wake up and write them down!. I just write quick notes down that cover the plot, characters, and setting!. I then have a flow of ideas that pop up in my head and then my brain and hands take over to do the rest!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

I get my ideas from many things, places and people I meet!. I also get ideas from dreams, pictures, and music (classical live music is a great muse for me!)!. I carry around a little notebook to jot my ideas in (I wrote an entire short story at a girl scout meeting once!) and I keep a notebook by my bed!. If you like to write check out NaNoWriMo!.org and come enjoy the contest in November!! Happy writing!Www@QuestionHome@Com

Most of the time, I get random thoughts and try to put them on paper!. Thinking that would be a good story, I would write a small outline!.

I write about the things I love!. And try to start with short stories, then go from there!.

Like I love Autumn and the beaches!. When I was at the beach on vacation, I tried to capture my stories by what people were doing!.

Good luck

PS

I also write atleast 5 pages a week to see how far I could get on stories :)Www@QuestionHome@Com

I go by the characters!. They guide my stories a lot more than I do!. Because, when I have learned enough about them, what they do next just seems natural!. Another fun way to get started is I take an event from history, mix it up a little (or a lot), and write about the event I create!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

I write what I read!. Well, not literally, but whatever I happen to be reading at the time, I am inspired by that!. I've never had a story just play out in my head like a movie - I have a "What if!.!.!.!?" that I explore!. My ideas grow off questions!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

When i was at school in my teens and doing CSE English all of my creative writing came from my head i just used to make things up and write them down as stories!.!.!.!.i used to get top marks for my creative writing but that was yonks agoWww@QuestionHome@Com

i usually get my ideas from something i've seen happening in history or present life!. then i build off of that and personalize the stories =DWww@QuestionHome@Com

personal experiences, photos, newspaper & magazine articles, adsWww@QuestionHome@Com