Finding
Your Story Ideas
By Catherine
Hershberger
When I first
started writing, my biggest problem wasn't grammar, or
punctuation, or even the fact that I was a terrible typist
(thank goodness for computers!). My biggest problem was
finding something to write about. I'd read a story, in
the newspaper or in a book, smack myself on the forehead,
and think, "Why didn't I think of that?" Then
I went to a writer's conference and heard Dennis Hensley
speak. He talked about finding ideas, and said he had
so many ideas that even if he wrote 24-hours a day, for
the rest of his life, he'd never exhaust his supply. Since
then I've been collecting idea tips. Here's a few things
that help me keep my idea pump primed.
Keep An Idea File
I actually have several of these files. One is in a notebook
I keep next to the bed. It has first drafts of poems,
outlines of dreams that I've turned into story ideas,
one-liners for greeting cards, dialogue for the interactive
Back To Bethlehem drama that my husband and I wrote for
our church, and snatches of song lyrics. All these things
came to me in the middle of the night and I jumped up,
ran into the bathroom and jotted them down.
I also have a similar notebook file in my purse. I take
this little notebook and a pencil with me wherever I go.
It's been handy to jot down ideas from the preacher's
sermon, bits of conversation I overhear, a striking piece
of scenery, or a person's posture or looks that might
come in handy. Anything that strikes me as interesting,
unusual, or malleable goes into my little notebooks.
The other idea files I have are file folders crammed with
bits of information. I've filed articles I've ripped from
newspapers and magazines, and copies of bibliography pages
from the backs of books that have interested me. Tidbits
of interesting information are scribbled on scraps of
paper - info like the fact that Quakers didn't trust either
side in the Revolutionary War (believe it or not, but
I've got a story idea from that one little nugget). I've
got Arabian fairy tales and an 89-cent book about Haunted
Places (good for spinning ghost stories). I even have
a side of a Cheerios cereal box with a list of Great Discoveries
like the first roller coaster, the first skateboard, and
the first yo-yo.
Look for the Interest Factor
Chances are if you find it interesting or have never heard
it, then an editor, or your targeted reader, may find
it interesting too. Here's a few tidbits, from newspaper
articles, I found particularly interesting: Blacks owning
Blacks - Census records in Charleston show that there
were 122 free blacks who owned slaves. WWI enemies called
a Christmas truce the first Christmas of the war, the
soldiers sang carols to each other, exchanged gifts of
food from home, played soccer between the shell holes
and barbed wire and paid mutual foxhole visits. There's
a nudist colony in Colerain Township. Cincinnati's Race
Street was the place to drag race your horse and carriage
in the 1880s, illegal because it endangered pedestrians,
but done nonetheless. Did you know these tidbits? Got
any ideas yet? I know I do!
Go To Children's Programs
Children's programs are great places to get ideas, especially
for children's articles or stories. Like children's books
the information is pared down so you can easily digest
it, and best of all, it's always interesting! Even if
you write for adults you can often find a great nugget
of an idea that, with a little digging, can net you an
adult-oriented story.
Don't Throw Away The Junk Mail
I know this is contrary to anything you've ever heard
the organizer kings and queens say, but junk mail has
interesting information sometimes. Some of the junk mail
I've dropped in my idea file are letters from Private
Islands Unlimited (where you can buy your own island);
the Association of American Indians Affairs and other
Indian junk mail (I'm interested in Indian culture and
needs); and history book club circulars (they have unusual
history book titles that pique my curiosity).
Read Widely
I subscribe to a lot of magazines and I buy and read a
lot of books. (Too many in fact, according to my husband
and the credit card bill). Some reading is for personal
enjoyment, some is writing related, and some is just meant
as a place from which to glean ideas. Because I write
for children, I choose a different kid magazine every
year. I look for articles (or nuggets from articles) that
I can translate into stories, or do my own interview and
write a new story about the same subject. Stretch your
boundaries and get reading material that's outside your
normal interest. You might find some really interesting
things to write about where you least expect it.
Look For Trivia and Anniversaries
The annual Children's Writer Guide, published by Children's
Writer, is a great source for anniversary and trivia information.
Each issue has a full section of 200 idea starters dealing
with facts, statistics, and little known information.
For example, the richest pet in Hollywood was Ava Gardner's
corgi Morgan. Ava left him a monthly salary, his own limousine,
and a maid. (Does that give you any ideas for a cute After
School TV Special? - Dog against maid?) Do you know when
the 100th anniversary of the first St. Patrick's Day Parade
is? If you do, you've got the beginning of an article
you can sell. The comic book was invented in the 20th
century. Do you know when its 100th anniversary is? NASA
was created in 1958 and is coming up on its 50th anniversary
in 2006. In 1952, the world's first nuclear accident took
place in Canada -- 50 years ago this year. Got any ideas
yet?
Steal a Plot and Make It Your Own
I've heard it said that there are only seven basic story
lines (or plots) in the world: man (or woman) against
man, man against nature, man against himself, man against
evil, man against time ... Don't ask me to name the rest
of them because I can't. The point here, however, is not
to name them, but to tell you that the twists and turns
that you create in your story, make a plot new and fresh.
Learn to ask, "What if?" Change the characters
around. Change their challenges, the goals, internal and
external conflicts. Change the setting.
Take the classic story of "Cinderella" -- a
story of true love where Prince Charming meets his true
love, the "enslaved" and mistreated Cinderella.
The plot was twisted when a male (Jerry Lewis) played
the cinder-sweeping lead in "Cinderfella" and
Princess Charming meets her true love. Make the fairy
godmother a ditz whose spells go comically awry and you
could have a Cinderella comedy -- an entirely different
story. Put in a bunch of mice who help Cinderelly sew
her dress and slip the key under the locked door to Cinderella
at the last minute, and you have a Disney movie. Turn
Prince Charming into a scam artist pretending to be a
prince from another country and you have another story
still. Set your story in Transylvania, make Prince Charming
a Prince Alarming and have Cinderella's love for him (not
his love for her) free him from his vampire bondage. One
different element, or a combination of elements, can change
a well-known story line into something uniquely yours.
Use Your Idea File Creatively
Everything you put in your idea file may not end up as
a story or article. Sometimes just reading through what
you've saved serves as a mental pump primer. You might
not want to write another non-fiction article about the
high-jumping forest firefighter, but he'd make a great
hero. A story about the South might not focus on the black
owning blacks idea, but it would make a great sub plot
and possibly increase the story tension. You might not
want to visit the little town in Paris that's described
in your idea file, but it might be a great place to set
a story. Think "What if?" when you review your
clips. Learn how to turn those ideas upside down and create
something new.
Ideas are all around you. The hard part is learning to
tune into them. However, once you've figured it out, you'll
never stare at a blank screen wondering, "What can
I write about?" Just open your idea file and prime
the mental pump.
This article appeared in the September '02 issue of UnderCover,
Ohio Valley RWA.
Click
here for more information on upcoming events
