Ideas are wonderful things to have when you're a writer. But it's the worse thing in the world when you're halfway through a book and your fictional world grinds to a halt all because the storyline thins out; and you don't want to bore your readers.
So, where do you get ideas?
I get asked that question all the time when I tell people I'm a writer. And they also squeal: 'Oh! How exciting!' as well... um, no not really. Most of the time, when I'm on a roll, I don't sleep very well because my brain is dug that deeply into the plot of the book it refuses to slow down enough to sleep. So, I'm stuck there in the middle of the night unable to sleep with my brain running a huge race at what exactly my characters are doing inside my head... meanwhile my body is complaining that it doesn't want to get out of my nice, comfy bed and informing my brain that it's time to close down the factory for night to refuel. A lot of the times, I have notebook by my bed for this exact reason. I end up sitting up in bed, with a pen and paper writing down what is on my mind so I can get some sleep.
...and more often than not, I get to sleep at around 1am.
There's other times I'll get great ideas for books. Sometimes, I'll be hanging out the laundry... boring right? ... yeah, and the best idea comes to me while I'm listening to a neighbour fighting with their husband or I hear a siren of the fire station next door... the ideas come from pretty well anywhere when I'm outside.
And then, there's the more personal ones: like when I'm in the shower or on the toilet... damn those times when I can't get near a notebook fast enough.
But the ideas are great when they come thick and fast and I often find I can use them.
Sometimes, though, I have weird ideas. And these come in the form of a dream; and this is why I keep dream journals. I get the best ideas from my dream journals. The more vivid and off-beat the dream, the more likely it'll be a part of a storyline of one of my stories or books.
So, if you're a writer, what ways do you use to get ideas? You've read about some of mine - not all of them. Until my next post, happy reading.
So, where do you get ideas?
I get asked that question all the time when I tell people I'm a writer. And they also squeal: 'Oh! How exciting!' as well... um, no not really. Most of the time, when I'm on a roll, I don't sleep very well because my brain is dug that deeply into the plot of the book it refuses to slow down enough to sleep. So, I'm stuck there in the middle of the night unable to sleep with my brain running a huge race at what exactly my characters are doing inside my head... meanwhile my body is complaining that it doesn't want to get out of my nice, comfy bed and informing my brain that it's time to close down the factory for night to refuel. A lot of the times, I have notebook by my bed for this exact reason. I end up sitting up in bed, with a pen and paper writing down what is on my mind so I can get some sleep.
...and more often than not, I get to sleep at around 1am.
There's other times I'll get great ideas for books. Sometimes, I'll be hanging out the laundry... boring right? ... yeah, and the best idea comes to me while I'm listening to a neighbour fighting with their husband or I hear a siren of the fire station next door... the ideas come from pretty well anywhere when I'm outside.
And then, there's the more personal ones: like when I'm in the shower or on the toilet... damn those times when I can't get near a notebook fast enough.
But the ideas are great when they come thick and fast and I often find I can use them.
Sometimes, though, I have weird ideas. And these come in the form of a dream; and this is why I keep dream journals. I get the best ideas from my dream journals. The more vivid and off-beat the dream, the more likely it'll be a part of a storyline of one of my stories or books.
So, if you're a writer, what ways do you use to get ideas? You've read about some of mine - not all of them. Until my next post, happy reading.
Some of my ideas I just steal. I'll come across an interesting turn of phrase from another author or hear while I'm about. I do text and voice memos on my cellphone te darn thing is always with me (even in the bathroom) so when an idea strikes me, I get it'd own right away.
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