Many writers, both professionals and beginners, often struggle to come up with good ideas for writing a story. Some of them even struggle to the point of quitting.
Contrary to what most people believe in, writing inspirations don’t just appear out of the blue. In most cases, we have to work hard to gain and find them.
Look into your past
On several occasions, Salinger stated that Catcher in the Rye was heavily influenced by his own rebellious past. This means that he did not need any external source of inspiration to make his great book. Instead, he simply wrote down what his inner voice told him.
In writing a story, it’s helpful if you can sit down for awhile to listen to your thoughts. Salinger showed how practicing introspection can help in writing great stories, and that’s exactly what every writer aiming to be successful needs to try.
Write down every thought
Freud once stated that daydreaming is innate in every human being. However, because humans are typically shy, they often feel ashamed to share their daydreams.
In his informal talk called “Creative Writers and Day-Dreaming”, Freud claimed that people who are able to overcome the shame of sharing their imaginations are writers. They are able to wrap their imaginations with meaningful and colorful words.
Because of this idea, it’s important that you become aware of your every thought. Make sure that you have a notebook or your phone with you so that you can easily jot down all ideas that come into your mind.
See Also: How to Organize Your Writing Workplace for Better Productivity
Meet new people
Getting outside of your comfort zone and talking to strangers can be a bit difficult, especially if it’s not your personality. However, meeting new people and hearing their stories can give you fresh ideas for writing a story.
Each person has a unique life story, and if you meet and hear a lot of them, you will be able to tell their tales in an amazing way. You can even use their personalities as characters in your project. You can travel to other countries and continents to meet a lot of amazing and inspirational people.
Explore the world
It’s a common knowledge that nature can enhance a person’s creativity.
Because of this, it’s important to get a change of scenery once in awhile. If you’ve been living in a heavily populated city for quite a long time, you can take a short trip and reconnect with nature. In case you’ve been residing in the countryside for years, you can explore some ideas by traveling to the city.
A change of perspective is often necessary if you want to create magnificent stories.
Open yourself up to the other creative things
It is scientifically proven that music enhances creativity. Aside from it, you can also find inspiration in painting, movies, theater, comics and other forms of art. Some of these creations can affect you while others may not even spark any ideas.
However, this shouldn’t deter you from exploring. By searching for and looking at a wide range of inspirations, you’ll be able to find something that can generate ideas for writing your story.
See Also: Here’s How to Get Creativity Bursting Out of Your Eyeballs
Conclusion
If you’re struggling to find great ideas for writing a story, it’s best if you can take a step back and think of ways on how you can generate them. Ideas don’t always appear whenever you need them. In some cases, you have to go out and look for them.
However, this doesn’t mean that the external world is your only source. You can also find great ideas within you and your past experiences if you can only just have the patience and time to listen to your thoughts really well.