3 Ways I Generate Story Ideas

To be successful as a writer, there are many tasks one must do. These include outlining stories, following fellow writers, and seeing what stories are successful or not. But you also have to do the main part of it.

Write!

It’s pretty self-explanatory. How hard can that be? For some folks, writing can be a daunting task which then creates stress and tension.

Writing is only as difficult as you make it. It’s hard when you don’t know what to write about, so you come up with ideas. That can be a challenge in and of itself, but it doesn’t have to be.

Here are three ways how I generate story ideas:

I Read Other Stories

Much of what writing platforms are also reading articles. So, why not read them?

If I were to ask many of you if you read other articles in your spare time, what would you tell me? You probably click on them but not read them in full.

Instead, you read the first few lines and quit if it doesn’t sound interesting enough to continue reading.

Normally, I click on the stories I know I will read all the way through. As I read, ideas flood my head, and I write them down.

Then, I started to think about what I wanted to write about next. Sometimes it’s a quick process and other times it’s not.

But the more I read, the more I write down ideas of what I could do differently with an article and how I can I incorporate a certain method or aspect into my article.

The more ideas I write down, the better time I have with my writing process.

I Just Start Writing Things Down

I’m sure you’ve heard of a brain dump before, writing down everything in your mind and not stopping until you have completed the task.

It actually works.

When I start generating ideas by writing down everything on my mind, it helps me better understand what topics I want to turn into stories.

I write down what made me happy on a certain day, what angered me, or what I want to learn more about. I ask myself what if all the time and write down those particular ideas.

Once I am in the zone of writing things down, more ideas keep coming to me. I try my best to write all of them down, but I know when ideas are good and bad. The good ideas tend to linger in my mind until they are written down, and action is taken.

The more ideas I have, the more potential stories I can write, publish, or even continue working on. This makes the writing process so much easier, and it will do the same for you, too.

I Observe the World Around Me

If a blue ribbon was handed out each year for people watching, I know I would be in the running to win it. I enjoy people-watching in public spaces like coffee shops, shopping malls, and even state fairs.

I look at various people, see how they present themselves, and think about their backstory.

How did they come to be where they are at this point in time? Is there something about them that would make a great character in a book or a great point in an article?

I like to ponder why people do what they do, why they enjoy it, and what keeps them living life. Not just people, too.

I also enjoy observing why certain streets look better than others, why certain restaurants are busier than others, or why many things in the world are what they are. By observing this, ideas flow to me like a river.

I write down what I see and ask myself if I could use it someday in an article or story. Most of the time, I do, or a variation of the idea. This helps generate ideas and makes the writing process go smoothly.

These methods have helped me so far, and I hope it does the same for you. They make the writing process feel like a breeze, and I never stress out or struggle with what I am writing.

Ideas are everywhere around you. Go find them.

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Thanks for reading! If you like what you read, leave a comment, and I’ll do the same.

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