Okay, this question has been on my mind ever since I woke up in the middle of the night to write down an outline for a wonderful story idea I dreamt about!!!

Yeah, you heard it right. And that was the second time this has happened.

So, where and when does your muse hit you with new story plots?

In the back of the head

I don't know if there's any one particular time when I get the *ideas* for stories, but they always seem to flush themselves out while I'm trying to get to sleep at night - I always end up having to get out of bed and spend an hour or four writing before I can actually sleep.

- dfp

cheeky, quite cheeky, Tristan. I'm sure I didn't expect that answer when I asked that question...

I've never had ideas come to me while trying to sleep, but I notice when I feel kind of mopey or down, or not in the mood to do schoolwork- reading/papers/etc- that then an idea or story strikes me. It's like, if I'm not focusing my energy and thoughts on one thing, then it gets diverted in another area. Weird. That's happened to me in the last few days. Had an exam last night to prepare for, but ended up mostly working on something new. I can't prioritize! If I don't write, I'm afraid I'll lose it!

talk about it!! I am going through exams and churning out chapters!!!

Never underestimate procrastination as a motivator. It's amazing how much you can get done when you're supposed to be doing something else entirely...

true, very true... I always do things better when I'm supposed to be doing something else...

Most of my story ideas strike me like lightning. It's like a brilliant moment of inspiration.

I hate exam times. It gets so stressful and as a way to alleviate that stress, I end up ditching it completely and becoming immersed in something else. A very vicious cycle. Good luck with your exams btw! I hope I did well last night; I could use a pretty miracle right about now.



Procrastination is an amazing thing- the pressure somehow gives you a good kick in the butt to somehow manage to do everything in time, or create something really great.

I can get ideas from just chatting with friends or walking around town. Depends on if I'm not looking for ideas or not.

I totally know what you mean... Whenever I set aside a day for myself to write, I actually end up being very unproductive. My brain runs dry. For example, I was planning to finish Mike and Winston this last winter break, but I ended up moping around, doing other things. Then classes started, psets came piling on, and I finished the damn thing in a week.






You two are gods...

I get a lot of really good ideas when I'm in the shower. There's something about doing nothing, feeling relaxed, and being alone that's really conducive to inspiration. Then I try to knead the ideas for a while, hopefully getting it under my skin.

So I actually get most inspired when I'm very relaxed, or very stressed. Hmm...

Thanks...

Yes, showers do a wonder to me as well.

Thank you dear. That's a nice confidence boost. I find myself getting ideas from listening to music for my very first original chapter story. Like Shinedowns "45" and Serj Tankian "The Sky is Over" or what ever it's called.

Usually the characters make themselves known to me, and then eventually I start to imagine the scenes. The characters mostly appear gradually, but one of them came to me very suddenly and vividly in a dream.

The scenes usually play out for me while I'm doing cardio. It's almost a trancelike state, and I often lose blocks of time.

Daydreaming is the easy part. Actually sitting down and typing it out is another thing entirely. It's hard for me to get back in that 'zone' sometimes.

I read somewhere once about a specific author who would spend days just people watching. And as he saw interesting people walk past, he would create entire lives for them. I've always had a supremely over-active imagination so as soon as I read that I immediately started doing it just for fun. That's where the majority of my characters come from. Right before I go to sleep, I'll think about the characters and dialogue will just happen. And in much the same way that I can make up an entire life for a person just by watching then get a coffee at Starbucks, I'll figure out an entire plot line from just one conversation.

In general, the stories idea that I get comes from fears that I have, events that I lived or simply events in the news. I'll just take them as i'd like them to happens or had some romance them.

I think that would be the height of flattery.

As for me? Well I'm full of ideas, but I haven't really the discipline or work ethic to get them down on paper. So instead they all remain delightful adventures in my head. Someday I'll get them all down though...or not.

Yes, I do it a lot. Sitting in a tapas bar or coffee shop and just watching people, overhearing snippets of conversation in a queue or on the train, they are all great catalysts for creating vibrant characters.

Not to mention becoming a first class busybody!



J/k!!

First time I meet you you're gonna get such a slap

I'll have you know I'm renowned for being told people's secrets and never ever passing them on, even if tortured! That doesn't mean to say I don't get some entertainment value out of them though

That's interesting. I've always used personal stories, my own history, or that of friends, or even interactions with people I know to create characters and scenes, but I've never made up something about a random person I saw. I'd like to give that a try; see if I have the creativity to look at someone in a coffee shop, bookstore, or movie theater, and create a whole new person judging by the way they act, look, or talk.

I've never liked to people watch really, because I'd be staring blankly at them, but now if I can use some mental energy behind that people-watching, perhaps it will be more entertaining.