Where Do Ideas Come From

Where Do Ideas Come From
(Hint: No storks involved)

Ah yes writing is a fun and satisfying pursuit, yet it is also one of the most frustrating and excruciating endeavors one can ever undertake. In a way it's just like Golf. The biggest obstacle and problem writers of all levels have is coming up with new and unique ideas. In fact the most frequent question I get is: “Where do you come up with your ideas?” The answer I give depends upon the questioner's sincerity, level of interest in writing and of course if I like them or not.

But how can one keep coming up with ideas? Is there a secret place where ideas are teeming, waiting to be picked like apples from a tree? Maybe there's a secret website or magazine just for published writer's that allows one to claim one idea a month for a year? Or is one born with them?

Ideas are the bane of all wanna bes, but it doesn't have to stop you, the true believer, that is one who truly believes in your writing ability and dream.

One treasure trove of ideas are Television and Movies. Yes these waste lands of the mind can actually be a goldmine for your idea generator. Let's face most of the junk on these days are just the same ideas regurgitated ad nauseum to the point of ridiculousness. Same with movies, and it is not like this is anything new. Let's face it there are no real new ideas out there, just adaptations of the same themes.

For instance take the story of “Jaws”. How many novels and movies have come out that repeat the theme, yet most are different enough that unless you take it apart critically you would think they are different stories (the movie “Grizzly” comes to mind as one that isn't so transparent as they even have the triangle of the Park Ranger, the Scientist and the grouchy old Helicopter pilot in place of the ship captain).

The trick is of course to take what you see and add your own spin, your own take, your own situation. It is easier than you think, if you give it any thought. There is a phrase for this technique, called:

Creative Plagiarism.

Yes it is legal and even ethical as long as you don't steal the exact names, places and language as the original. Compare say “Perry Mason” with “Matlock”, “Law and Order”, and “Boston Legal”. See any similarities? Of course. Are there differences? You bet! Would one confuse one for the other? Not really. But again they are basically the same as they are all lawyer based TV shows and they always end up with the main characters winning against all odds, based upon some small clue they pull out at the last minute.

Another example (possibly the most famous) is “Romeo and Juliet” compared to “West Side Story”. Again if one parses the two stories one finds that they are basically the same, but there are enough differences to satisfy all.

This works as well for the written word. Take an old TV show and rewrite it as a novel or short story. Modernize the characters, the attitudes and props and you have a new story. Did some movie or show eave you unsatisfied? Rewrite it in your own image.

Well this is just one of the many sources of ideas. Use these to kickstart your creativity, and once you start the creative juices flowing you will discover many resources for ideas you never realized existed.

Ideas are all around and easy to spot if you train yourself to see.

Mahalo.

Come back next time for more tips, tricks and techniques to assist you in your writing,marketing and sales efforts. Remember we're all in this together and I'm pulling for you.



Mahalo.



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