How to come up with a great idea for your next story

It’s easy to love creative writing. Being able to write poems and stories is one of the best ways to express yourself to the world. One of the hardest things in creative writing, though, is coming up with the initial idea. Here are five ways to come up with a great idea for your next story:

1. Look to history for inspiration: History is full of unexplained stories that are a lot of fun to write about. Look for historical mysteries or conspiracy theories, and then come up with an explanation for them. You already have a setting and a general plot to work with, so all you need to come up with is the details!

2. People watch: In my creative writing class, my teacher had us do an exercise where we sat somewhere on campus and found a random person to watch. After watching them for about thirty minutes, he asked us to come up with a back-story for them just based on their appearance. Try finding someone who is wearing interesting clothing or who is sitting in an interesting place. People watching can help you form great characters.

3. Use your dreams: Keep a dream journal near your bed, and record anything strange or interesting that you remember when you wake up. Use terms that are as vivid as possible. Look back at the journal later and you’ll be surprise with how many story ideas you’ve dreamed up.

4. Come up with a setting: Often, when we write stories, we come up with characters or a plot first. Some of the best stories, however, come from authors who started with the setting (the most well-known example being The Lord of the Rings books). Try creating a detailed world first, and then design characters and a story to fit in it.

5. Use pictures: Use pictures or paintings to base your characters or setting on. Try going to a local art museum for inspiration, or just Google Image random words, like “beach” or “drawing” to come up with ideas.

Good luck on your next story!