By Sharon Bryant
Where do you get your writing ideas? I recently posed this question to some writer friends. Their responses were enthusiastic, creative and varied.
One friend with strong visualisation skills envisages characters and situations. Another finds inspiration in dreams, even nightmares.
The most common response was that writers get their ideas from everyday life. Sometimes a writer may have no idea how a particular thought entered his or her consciousness. The best ideas may pop into a writer's head during the process of writing.
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Where do you start?
So where does an aspiring author begin? Overheard conversations, newspapers, magazines, the internet, books, movies, people you've met, and situations you've encountered may all play a part in the writing ideas you generate.
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The role of writing exercises
Some beginning writers find writing exercises designed to promote creativity most helpful. These can include letting your stream of consciousness run free, the use of creative writing prompts, or writing a story then rewriting it in a different character's viewpoint. Another useful approach is flash fiction where you start with basic knowledge of your plot, characters and conflict. Next you sit down, and immediately write your story in 500 words or less.
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Where do you get your writing ideas?
Have you ever used creative writing exercises like the ones I've described?
Were they helpful?
I love to laugh at life's eccentricities.
I love to learn more about the culture and history of the places I visit.
I love to love precious time with my family and friends.