My seven-year-old son’s teacher asked me if I could talk to his class about writing and the publishing industry. Hey, why not? I thought. Now this is something I definitely know about.
But then she asked if I would discuss where my story ideas come from. Whoa, I can’t do that. My current book deals with rape, not something that I want to discuss with second graders. So as you can imagine, I won’t be discussing with the class exactly where I found some of my ideas for Lost in a Heartbeat, but I can share some of those moments that triggered an idea.
Basically, anything that gets me thinking can lead to a story idea. For Lost in a Heartbeat, an element of the plot comes from a horrific event that occurred in a city not far from my own. The news story spurred an idea for something that happens in my novel (sorry, no plot spoilers here).
Another idea came from reading Saving Zoë by Alyson Noël. In it, the protagonist learns about the events leading up to her sister’s murder by reading her diary. This, to me, was a brilliant way to reveal something about the sister of one of my characters (again, no plot spoilers). Because of the diary, I was able to built suspense into the revelation.
Ideas also come to me while I’m running. My mind is free to wander (and wonder), allowing all kinds of ideas to flow. Unfortunately, I don’t usually carry pen and paper with me, so I have to repeat the idea in my mind the entire way home or else it will vanish.
So as you can see, anything can encourage ideas to visit you—a news story, book, song, movie, TV show. The main thing is to turn it around and make the idea your own. Use it as a stepping stone to something new.
My suggestion to you is to have a notebook with you at all times so you can jot down those moments of inspiration. You’ll be thankful you did.