IDEAS: WHERE TO BEGIN

Since I am not only an author but also a teacher of creative writing, I am always looking for ideas to give my students as prompts to work from. Since I have been doing this for more years than I can believe, those ideas are becoming harder to come up with. Recently, I've taken a hint from many other writers and have begun to look in all the places we seem to overlook.

Eavesdrop:  I've always been pretty good at that--just ask my husband who doesn't hear low sounds as easily as I do and has learned to ask me, "What did they say?"  Just bits of conversation can offer all sorts of ideas to write about. The same goes for observing what happens in airports, restaurants, malls, even in your church on Sunday morning.

Read Obituaries: I have a habit of reading the obits for notices of elderly friends or students. But I find much more there. I find unique lives, patriotic heroes, wonderful names.

Use a Photograph:  Tell the story of what you see in that photograph--it can be one of your own memories, or a story you've created about what you see there. Or maybe you can find the same memories or stories from magazine pictures.

Stories Heard:  Do you remember the stories your relatives told you about their life, or your past relatives? Listen to the stories of strangers when they want to share them.

Setting:  Many of my stories started with a place I had seen, or read about, or dreamed of. It was from there that the characters appeared right in the middle of the setting--and I began.

Maps or Street Guides:  I have a writer friend who creates fantasy characters, kingdoms, and courageous characters. She makes up her own maps for these kingdoms. I've used street guides for creating my own make-believe towns--need street names? Want to set your story in a real place and don't want to make mistakes about the direction the streets run? Or pick out an unusual town name and write about what it would be like to live there.

Colors, Quotes, Poetry Lines:  I've had students write about a color--and they (and I) are amazed at what tales or poetry can come out of that simply thing. Using quotes or lines from poetry offers a beginning or accents a passage you want emphasized.

I keep notebook with special lines I've read--they make good beginnings or triggers for a story or article. I also have collected quotes by the hundreds in notebooks and journals--Aunt Lutie's Blue Moon Cafe has a quote for each chapter beginning from my large collection. And I enjoy reading and writing poetry which offer me ideas and beginnings.

Ideas are all around us. We just have to find the right places to look or listen for them.