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Coming Up With Ideas

Janga

Minstrel
Hi All,

I am trying to generate ideas for the beginnings of a fantasy story but so far I haven't come up with much. Does anyone have any helpful methods for generating good story/plot ideas?

(Sorry if there are already other threads like this)
 

Janga

Minstrel
Not yet... I'm kind of wide open at this point. I've had a few very general ideas that I've scrapped along the way.
 

Janga

Minstrel
"The story is about a charismatic marine who hates an exorcist. It starts in a magical part of our universe. The story begins with an accident while traveling, climaxes with an accident, and ends with a conversion. "

hehehe thanks. I hate exorcists too!
 

Reaver

Staff
Moderator
I'm not sure how much help it'll be, but check out "The Hero with a Thousand Faces" by Joseph Campbell... www.youblisher.com/files/publications/33/193953/pdf.pdf

It's an excellent book that explores the entire "Hero" mythos throughout the world. There are excellent footnotes and a bibliography that I've personally found very helpful and hey...some guy named George Lucas said it helped him develop something called Star Wars.
 

JamesTFHS

Scribe
hahaha seventh sanctum is fun. collect random stuff throw what you like together throw out what you hate and go from there. also look at real world history it can be pretty inspirational sometimes.
 
Seventh Sanctum is good fun!

"An arrogant slave is wasting time in an unhealthy cathedral. His brother is bitten by a bloodthirsty tiger. With the help of a lovesick thief, he must become a vampire in order to save his religion." - Personally, I can't wait for the M. Night Shyamalan movie adaption! :D

About every fifth generation of 10, though, tends to have one that makes you stop and think for a bit. Given enough time, you'll find one decent enough to get the ball rolling.
 

Reaver

Staff
Moderator
"Not at all," the troll replies with a sly grin,:cool: "but did you ever hear the one about the kobold and the mermaid?"
 
Go read the "Dealing with Dumbledore" thread and see how the different comments take a premise, then expand and change it. You can try that on your own. Take a premise, even if it's a blatant rip-off of your favorite book, pick something you don't like and change it, then take another and another. Then take the stuff you like and make it different, bigger, better. Before you know it, you'll have at least one good idea to work from.
 
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