Friday, June 25, 2010

Keep 'Em Coming - The Ideas, That Is

People often ask, where do you get your ideas? I usually answer that they come from everyday life—things the kids do or talk about, things I notice, tidbits that make me stop and think when I’m reading the newspaper. But in reality, they're always around me, popping out of thin air when I'm doing anything. A few places where I’ve gotten ideas this week:

1. Watching my daughter's swimming lessons at the community pool

2. Out looking for snails (for my classroom) in the garden

3. In the middle of the night during a thunderstorm, when I'm trying to stop the dog from digging a hole in the hardwood floor under my bed

4. While I’m rushing around trying to do 101 things and I can’t find a scrap of paper or a pencil that isn’t broken

5. Writing in my book journal in the perspective of the character in my novel

Where's the weirdest place you've gotten a writing-related idea?

7 comments:

  1. These are great! I'm having trouble thinking of an idea that I'm really excited about. I have some but they aren't coming together as I'd like them to. I'm hoping when things slow down for me some that they will come!

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  2. Recently, I was stuck in the middle of a scene and I sat down to watch some TV and try to clear the cobwebs. Suddenly, I got the perfect idea to fix things while watching the credits for The Price is Right roll! That was pretty weird. It was an odd name that kick start things.

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  3. I'm invariably in the car when ideas hit. Don't know why driving opens everything up for me. Of course I do pull over to the side to write down my ideas. Uh, huh. Every time. (I also don't know why I think I'm going to remember an idea until I get home. It. Never. Happens.)

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  4. I love how ideas can literally pop up anywhere and anytime. Not sure what the weirdest idea spot is for NEW book ideas, but for ideas on a current project, nothing beats the shower.

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  5. Andrea V, I never remember the idea when I get home either! Once I had my 10-yr-old get out my writing notebook and jot down my ideas. Marcia, I'm always thinking of ideas in the shower too - another place where I don't have my notebook!

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  6. The shower is a treasure trove for me. Once I got an idea for a scene in the car and ended up writing the scene down on the back of a long grocery receipt. :)

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  7. I get lots of ideas in the shower, while doing dishes, or folding laundry. Conversations with my kids feed me lots of ideas and one-liners.

    I like your blog. :)

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