Getting Some Ideas

So yesterday I wrote about the editing process. Today I'm going to talk about the other end of writing-- the idea phase. Some of you get lots of ideas, some struggle to get any at all. I'll talk about both of those. 

I have too many ideas. This is a common problem for me. I used to start every idea that popped into my head and abandon it as soon as another came along. I never really got started on my first manuscript until I realized that I couldn't use every idea that came into my head, just like a company can't hire everyone who applies. But each should be considered. When you get an idea, write it down, and save it where it won't get lost. When you decide you want to write a story (I use the term story loosely, as this applies to any form of writing,) pick your favorite idea and start rolling with it. 
You can also try combining ideas. For example, I've had two characters that I've been writing short stories about for years now. Then I had another character I used to practice dialogue. I thought, why not combine these two? and BOOM, my current novel was born. (Well, the idea anyway. The actual prose is a whole different can of worms.)


I rarely get ideas. This is a toughie, but there are a few solutions. The first is to read anything you can get your hands on. Pretty soon you'll start to think, hey, I could have written that. Maybe I could have done it better. Maybe I could take this character, or this plot point... and you'll begin piecing together ideas for a story.
The second solution to this problem is to sit down with your notebook or at your computer and write down everything that comes into your head. You can write about anything you want. You can write about how useless this exercise seems, if you want. I don't care. Just write, and pretty soon your brain will start waking up, turning out all kinds of things for you to write, and eventually you'll find some hint of something that could be the first something of a story.
The third solution is a bit like the second-- you're still going to be making yourself write. But this time, you're only going to write story ideas. Anything that pops into your head. Don't stop until you reach at least ten ideas. At first they'll sound incredibly lame. But once your brain sees that you're nice to the lame stuff it turns out, it will start to work harder, giving you better and better ideas.


My ideas all sound really stupid. Most of the time, this is just you being mean to yourself. Once you have a list of ideas, show them to someone you trust. Ask them if any of your ideas sound good, and how they would change them. Oftentimes a good beta reader will see things you won't.


Now, remember, this is all just what works for me. Tell me if this works for you, or if you have a different strategy.