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How do you create your stories?

Sparkie

Auror
My best ideas for stories usually come from listening to people speak. Listening is a skill that I do eveything I can to try and improve. Sometimes I'll be talking to someone and they'll say someting interesting. Or I'll overhear a unique snippet of conversation as I work, shop, play, or handle neccesary tasks. Then those ideas become manifest on the page.
I have modeled characters on real people, but that gets tricky. Most of the time I use original characters. I like to ask myself as I write- 'what would this character think or say to this?' I think that it's important to keep that question in mind when writing everything, not just dialouge.
 

Shadoe

Sage
My story ideas come from literally everywhere. I used to have a hard time coming up with ideas because I waited for them to "come to me." LIke there was some magic to it. But I've noticed over the last five years or so that I've got a pretty much endless fountain of stories to write. That's mostly because I've trained myself to look at every bit of my experience to inspire story ideas. It's like I have a filter in my head that everything goes through. Its sole function is to ask, "Is that a good story idea?" Most times, the answer is no. But sometimes I get a yes. That becomes the basis of a story or - more usually - it goes into the idea file. Every now and then, the idea files compile into a plot.
 

JCFarnham

Auror
I don't tend to think where my ideas one from, but when I do consciously look for an idea... well here's an example that would probably illustrate the point better.

Recently I got a couple of brilliant ideas from my girlfriend. She likes to talk about her dreams, which I must say are FANTASTIC for writing fantasy and science fiction. Even getting away from dreams she's helped flesh out some ideas I already had. Basically don't rule out the usefulness of talking to other people, and get their view on things.
 

Stranger

Dreamer
My process for coming up with a story usually goes like this:

Step 1: Do something mind-numbingly boring. The more boring, the better.
Step 2: Inevitably stop paying attention to Boring Task in step 1 and drift away into imagination land.
Step 3: Ahah! A WILD IDEA!
Step 4: Decide that Wild Idea is too silly. Throw it out.
Step 5: Come up with a sudden revelation that Wild Idea from step 3 would work with some modifications.
Step 6: Write!
Step 7 (Optional): Decide the whole thing sucks and start over.
 

Masronyx

Minstrel
For the longest time, my story ideas would come from snippets of dreams. Usually, it was a scene that I would later on build the story around. Most of the time, I was the main character in those dreams. Writing takes discipline, unfortunately. So much has gone on in my life in the past few years, I can't get a story plot during my sleep even if I wanted to. I have had to retrain myself so to speak. A bad habit of mine is day dreaming. Often, I'll get a story idea just by dreaming up a scene, then building the story around it by focusing on the characters in that scene and whatever they happen to be doing. One time, I came up with a scene of a clairvoyant woman and a man on a public bus. She wakes up from a dream and panics, urging her companion to get off the bus because something is wrong.

Once I have an idea in mind, I'll write, scribble down notes wherever I can. I've stopped using just one journal because I need to keep the ideas separated, so I'll write on scrap paper I'll find at work. Usually, I'll take basic notes on the idea, then I may set it aside for later on. Use to, I'd dive right into drafting. But, like I've stated before, I have been retraining myself when it comes to drafting and organizing ideas.

My latest idea came to light after the urge to write again came back after several months hiatus. I remembered a nameless male character I'd been rolling around for ages and came up with a sci-fi story idea that involves him being on another planet and his adventures there. This also involves recycling old characters and names form stories that I had given up on years before. I think this idea has moved into more of the fantasy outlet because of the details I'm drumming up for the culture of one of the settings.

I've spent the past week randomly scribbling thoughts and ideas on my latest story, and I'll probably do so again tomorrow. :)
 
I tend to day dream and come up with a scene to build the story around, then try to write it but end up day dreaming the story rather than writing it down, so I never get anything done just about sums up my experience :p
 
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