One of the question asked most often of authors is “Where do you get your ideas?” Unfortunately, the answer is rarely helpful.
Ideas are everywhere. I find them on walks, in the shower, while listening to music, eavesdropping (a habit I have despite being taught it was impolite), driving. You get the idea. They lurk wherever life is found.
Ideas are those things we fill notebooks with and that form our dreams. They are everywhere if you choose to look. But that is the rub, isn’t it? You must track them down. They aren’t going to just show up for no reason.
This, however, is not a helpful answer to those who want a map to that mythical place called “Ideas.” Sorry, but that place does not exist. Unfortunately, there is no one true source of ideas. It is far better to think of ideas as mythic creatures that need to be found. Creatures you must hunt, trap and record.
So instead of talking about where I get my ideas, I thought it would be more helpful if I shared how I lure them.
Hunting ideas is a little like hunting fairies. You have to put out the right bait (cake in the garden on the spring equinox, if my sources are right).
The best way to trap ideas is to feed your imagination.
Learn. Observe. Be curious. Read. Watch. Listen. Meditate. Be mindful and present. Drink in life. Have adventures. Stretch yourself.
Your mind needs ingredients to create ideas. It needs life, because they come from life. Because life is story. I believe that at the end of our days, we are all anthologies. Stories are how we share ourselves and remember what has happened to and around us.
The best way to drown in ideas is to get out in the world and embrace life. Let those sights, sounds, facts and people come together in new and exciting ways. Let your imagination play with what you’ve seen, learned and embraced.
Ideas happen when you have enough material marinating in your subconscious to generate them. They will come in the most random ways possible. Sometimes complete. Sometimes in fragments that need nurturing to reach their potential.
Here are my best tips for fostering an active imagination that generates ideas on a regular basis:
1. Pay attention to the world around you and be present in the moment.
2. Read as much as you can in as many genres and subjects as you can.
3. Read fairy tales, classics and Shakespeare.
4. Study everything from space to snakes and everything in between.
5. Be adventurous. Go out and explore your world, both near and far.
6. Talk to people. All kinds of people. Listen to their experiences. Tap into their perspectives.
7. Be bold. The more you put into life, the more your imagination will grow.
8. Learn about human nature—why we do what we do.
9. Ask questions.
10. Be curious. Track down random thoughts, especially those that begin “I wonder why…”
And then write. Capture the ideas as they fly by and then shape them into stories.
Above all, know that if you feed your imagination, the ideas will come.