10 Ways Fiction Writers Generate Ideas
And How Celebrated Authors Use Them
It’s a question that’s easy to ask, but hard to answer: where do fiction writers get their ideas? Creativity is difficult to quantify or categorize. Few authors can find the right words to explain how their story came into being — what sparked the initial idea, what was its evolution?
The most revered source of ideas is the Muse. This is where ideas pop like corn kernels in the author's mind. No overthinking or forcing the ideas in any particular direction — just glorious, effortless birth of award-winning ideas.
I call this idea-popcorn and it’s often attributed to the feminine muse. She’s as old as Ancient Greece. Wrapped in mysticism and superstition, the Muse is highly independent, and to the chagrin of every creative, we cannot summon her at will.
When the Muse eludes you, stay calm, there are places to find inspiration. Here are some author favorites:
- Conversation
Find inspiration in conversations with friends, reading magazines or websites, and watching movies. Veteran novelist, Warren Adler said,
“I’m always writing a story in my head and never pass up the chance to listen in on a good conversation (even bad ones). The idea for The War of the Roses came to me…