Opening Your Eyes (and Ears) to Ideas

What did that guy just say?

I lean in and concentrate on the deep voice sitting at the table behind me. He's regaling his friend with a tale of his weekend exploits. I settle in and enjoy the story.

Growing up, my mother lectured me, "don't stare. It's not polite." Well, duh! But I could never get the "don't eavesdrop" portion of the lecture to stick. And, come on, some people talk very loudly. How can I help but listen?

Sorry if I'm offending you, but I'm bombarded with other's cell phone conversations at the grocery store, with booming voices declaring their irritation at the gas station, and with sweet old ladies gossiping next to me in line. I no longer shut my eyes and ears, pretending not to hear. I listen!


Photo byhamedmasoumi

Dialogue, mannerisms, and character development are key in fiction, so take advantage of all the discussion around you. It's an enlightening experience.

Plus, when you hear other people's stories, you can't help but ask yourself questions about their tales. I wonder why her daughter decided to leave her bum of a husband? His wife spent how much on facials last month? Tsk. Tsk. Poor Madge, it's a crying shame Delroy can't push the lawnmower anymore...

In your Idea Journal, write any interesting quotes or general problems you hear. You never know, that checkout lady might just give you the idea kernel for your next book.

Come back on Friday. We're going to look at a few more ways to attract ideas.

And...

Write Already! It's Wednesday!

Tweet

Share

Idea Journal

March has finally arrived and though Spring won't come knocking until next month in my neck of the woods, I'm breathlessly anticipating it. Who doesn't love apple blossoms, tulips poking up the winter ground, and longer, sunshine-filled days?

Photo by Katmere

Since March is here, and I'm feeling jolly, it's the perfect time to continue our talk about ideas.

One of the best things you can do to trap ideas is to write them down. While writing an idea on a piece of scrap paper can work in a pinch, I'm urging you to write all ideas in an Idea Journal. Any attractive, bound journal will do. When you jot ideas down in a central location, they take on greater importance. You also don't lose time looking for them--they're in the same place all the time.

But what do you write down? That's easy. First, I recommend writing down the date. Then, write whatever you feel will jog your memory. Everyone's journal will look different.

Sometimes I write several pages about one idea. Other times, I'll write a few words. For example, I watched a television program about gambling addictions last night, and I thought maybe I could use the information in a future book. So I wrote a brief description of the show, the name of it, the station it aired on, and possible ways to use the information in an upcoming book. It took about two minutes. Easy!

For those of you not used to paying attention to the ideas running around in your head, the journal might feel a tad strange at first. You might feel like you should write down only the "good ideas." You might be intimidated by the blank page or feel the need to have flawless penmanship. I'm giving you permission to write down ALL ideas. Be sloppy if you must. (Hey, it would take a hieroglyphics expert to decipher my writing!) Just start writing ideas down.

Photo by eleaf

You probably will never use all of the ideas in your journal, but you'll get in the habit of paying attention. What do I mean by that? Well, everyday you're inundated with information and it can be difficult to sift through and realize what could be a story and what couldn't. By taking a few minutes once a day (or once a week) and writing down anything that jumps out at you, your brain will begin tagging new information related to the idea. More information will come!

Join me on Wednesday when we'll look at expand on our idea theme.

And...

Get Motivated! It's Monday!

Tweet

Share