Writing Ideas From Letters

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Letters hold, countless, sources of ideas
for writing. A written letter, for example,
explains inner thoughts, feelings, and
desires.

You sent an e-mail, text message, or
snail-mail to a friend, and your feelings
were reflected? Your have concerns
about the rising, no end in sight, gas
prices.

"If the gas prices go up, one penny,
higher, I'll have to dig-out my bike."
You wrote several paragraphs about
it.

Now, think in terns of writing ideas.
How to stir-up your dissatisfaction into
a writing idea.

Here's a suggestion. You haven't
been in the attic for years, since
the bike was crammed in there.

In order to get your bike, a trip
to the attic is necessary.

You approach the door. It refuses
to open. You kicked it, several times.

The moment you turned to walk away,
it creaked open.

"This is weird." You complained loud
enough for a neighbor to hear.

A shadow splashed on the wall. Fear
or something riveted you to the floor.
A hand from...

There isn't a specific method to
peeling ideas from letters. It's
taking situations, places visited,
and developing writing ideas.

Use your creative talent to form
a new situation. Whirl out a work of
fiction or non-fiction unique to you,
your writing ability.

The situation can come from real life,
television, a movie, or book. Change
names, places, what happened, and
appearances.

If, for instance, a jewelry store was
robbed, your idea would surround a
farm. Certain animals disappeared,
nothing was left behind. How would
you finish it?

"Why can't I write how it happened?"
Several people questioned.

Aside from causing hurt feelings
before people have healed, you
avoid the L-word, litigation.
Imagine reading about an emotional
incident that filled your space. You
had no idea it was in the world's domain.
It touched you emotionally, deeply.
Some of the turmoil spread to friends
and family.

It's not hard to see why you, anyone,
would file a law-suit, and that's the,
main, reason facts are changed.

The point is to see a word, phrase,
problem, that flames your creative
energy.

It's bad form, violates moral standards,
to re-write someone else's work, and
call it your own.

Do you have a friend living in a
different culture? The two of you
share letters about each other's
lives.

It's interesting to put characters in
a setting new to you. Try writing an
essay on a specific place, food, in
your friend's country. A poem about
it?

There are many ways to weave writing
ideas from a different culture.

Pull-out letters you've had for years.
Read through them. Jot down the
writing ideas as they pop-out at you.
Did you discover something you
missed before? A new understanding?
See the person in a different light? Would
it make a good writing idea?

Look at an idea upside down, inside out,
side-ways, and backwards. Get as much
use as possible out of it.

Writing ideas from letters is another way
to channel creativity. Change actual facts
to avoid a, possible, law-suit, and/or painful
memories for those involved.

Before writing from letters, ask yourself
questions. How would I feel in the same
situation? Have I changed any identifying
references? Will writing this bring a law-suit?