Writing Ideas Are Here-There

Have a question? Agree, disagree,

with me? Leave me your opinion.

"I'd like to write, but I'm not

sure where to get writing ideas."

You sighed.

Ideas arrive from living life.

There is always something going on.

You, as a writer, should jot down

moments from living. Practice. It

will, eventually, happen for you.

Meanwhile, you must observe.

Recall an earlier time. Did

something strange happen

in your house, school, or a

relative's home?

A family moved into a new

dwelling, had a house-warming,

and felt comfortable in it. As a

matter of fact, they threw a

party for any reason.

One night, a guest saw a man

standing in the hallway.

"Hello." Her eyes roamed up

and down his attire. "The...

the party's in there."

She pointed toward the

dining room.

She went downstairs to tell

the host, hostess, and others.

The hostess, with the lady on

her heels, searched all the

rooms. They found no one that

matched the lady's description.

Some of the guests waited at

the foot of the stairs. He

didn't leave that way.

The lady explained how his

clothes looked like something

from the 1920's.

Did the lady see a man? If so,

where did he go? Perhaps, the

host and hostess played a joke.

What was the man looking for?

Why be seen by that

lady, at that time?

I can turn it into a book length

work.

Another view, an essay on old

houses, the paranormal, or the

effects of alcoholic beverages.

There are many ways to write

about the idea. What

did you come up with?

In school, during the year,

1999, a chill filled the air. It

happened in only one class-

room, at the same time of

day. It was rumored that an

eight-year-old was murdered,

in that room. The killer was

never caught.

The teacher mentioned it to

other teachers, parents found

out. Of course, the curious

wanted to feel the chill moment.

So, people visited.

A janitor, who would have been the

age of the child, began to avoid the

room. His eyes became as big as

saucers as he passed it.

He was questioned as to why he

wouldn't clean it.

"It happened there." He told the

principal.

"What?" The principal questioned.

The janitor ran away.

What's going on with the janitor?

Does he know anything about the

unsolved murder? Is he guilty of

it? Someone in his family did it?

See how ideas for writing emerge?

Take the smallest idea and turn it

inside out, looking for writing

material. One idea should bring

several leads, or possible writing

pieces.

Store ideas away. Keep them for

later writing projects. There is no

such thing as useless ideas. What

you can't use, save for another

writing session.

Here is another possible article.

One evening, a family gathered for

dinner. During the meal, a dog

walked in. Shock, fear, crossed their

faces. He sat down. The family

glanced at each other, not sure

what to do. Fear filled the room.

Why? They didn't own a dog.

The dog disappeared. It made no

barking noises.

What an interesting idea for a book

length work. What do you think?

How would you use it in writing?

Ideas for writing fiction and non-

fiction are all around us. Be a

sponge, and absorb them. Rinse

them in your creations.