Tools of the Trade
Ever wonder where to find ideas for stories? Here are fifteen places I find ideas for stories.
1. On a run.
“What would happen if I crawled through that drainage culvert?”
2. Reading other books.
“What if I combined Polar Express with The Martian?”
3. Cooking.
“What if there was a story about spices?”
4. Showering.
“Why doesn’t Santa have a pet?”
5. Listening to kids talk.
“Do teeth ever lose their kids?”
6. Listening to adults talk.
“I wish I could just rent a kid, for holidays and stuff.”
7. Listening to music.
“But with the beast inside/There’s nowhere we can hide.”
8. Gardening.
“How do worms keep our garden safe, Mom?”
9. At the museum.
“What if the dinosaurs had dance parties at night when the museum was closed?”
10. At the grocery store.
“Do seeds ever try to grow into a different kind of plant?”
11. At the park.
“Are there zombie bees?”
12. At a sporting event.
“Can kids do triathlons, too?”
13. Lying in bed, trying to sleep.
“Where did my grandfather get that old pocket watch?”
14. As soon as you wake up and remember your dream.
“All I remember is the church became a riverboat, and then the Devil walked in.”
15. Driving somewhere.
“Johnny sped out of town, the white lines on the highway blurred into a streak. He couldn’t understand how, but suddenly he remembered every moment of his life from birth until now. Including the face of the woman leaning over him, injecting him with something. Who was she? And what had she done to him?”
So now where do you find ideas for stories?