Ideas in Writing – a How to Guide

Ideas – A How to Guide

There are many ways to get ideas and to use them, but mostly, it depends on the author. Some people like to travel around, observing real-life experiences while others prefer to sit around and sift through their imagination. Either way can be successful and fall into the 2 main categories of how to get ideas: through real life, and through your imagination.

If you prefer to get inspired through real life, here are some ideas for your ideas. (ha ha) Try sitting at a mall, looking at passer-bys or maybe travel around the city, and look for some inspiration. The possibilities are endless. If those ideas don’t suit you, perhaps you could also do some research and browse around, ask some adults about past experiences, or look through some photos. Many authors use these techniques to get ideas for their works, such as Lois Lowry, especially for settings, and sometimes for the plot.

However, if you like to sift through your imagination, there are some techniques to make the task of finding ideas easier. Of course, you can just let your mind wander, but that is not too productive. If you want ideas fast, (And perhaps more interesting ones) try asking yourself questions. Ones like, “What if” or “Are there some different ways this could be done?” or also, “Why?” are good ones to start with. For example, E.T.  could have been imagined by this question, “What if an alien spaceship came but left behind an alien when it left?”

After you have chosen your ideas, and are planning on writing your work, make sure you elaborate on each and every one of your ideas, or don’t use them. Kids especially get ideas faster than they can write, and oftentimes, put in new ideas that don’t connect with the story. You have to work with all your ideas and make them interesting and related to the plot. This also brings me to another point. You have to make sure your ideas are connected, (In fact, this goes for all writing) and that they are not loose. You cannot have ideas flying around randomly; there must be some order and connection between them.

 If you follow these rules, you should be able to successfully use and get your ideas. Good luck writing!