Ideas for Fiction

Ideas For Fiction. Key Points:

Stories come from:

• 1. Our experiences
• autobiographical writing can be vivid, direct, and introspective. Your observations provide you with the details you need to start a story and make it real.
• 2. Our imagination
• Working from one's imagination allows for the most freedom. Imaginative writing can be vivid, direct, and introspective, but it is also the most creative.
• 3. Our passions
• Use your emotions to move your stories. Live through your characters.

Most stories begin with a seed idea. You may need to model your work on writers you admire to get started. You may need to research your topic and idea more fully before you can start. Most writers build a scaffold around their idea and construct a story.

If you have nowhere to begin, start with a theme. Since there are only 4 of these: nature, life, death, love: pick one. Next, apply a message. What do you want to say about: life, love, death, nature? This will usually get you started or unstuck. If you feel like your story is the same as thousands of other stories, change elements of your fiction until you have a variation on the theme. Your writer's voice will make sure your treatment of the theme and message is completely your own.

Use your imagination to move your story forward. If you are stuck, give your character something to do or think about. An intriguing image, a line of dialogue, or a complication or problem will usually force you to continue.

Write the parts of the story that you can during your first draft. You can always fill the story in later with more details, research, and events.

Today in the lab please work on lesson 02.00 and 02.01 if you have not yet done these assignments. They likely will only take you a few minutes. When you have completed these lessons, please continue by completing lesson 02.02: Getting Ideas for Fiction.

Choose one prompt and write a story. Length, genre, style and structure is up to you.

A. Select a photograph or picture and use the photo or picture as either the beginning, middle, or ending scene of your story. Once you write this scene, work backwards or forwards to add the rest of the story.

B. Choose any of the following prompts:

Write a story about a lie

Write a story about something that really happened to you or a family member

Write a story about an animal

Write a story about and object that has been lost

Write a story about leaving

Write a story about a wish

Write a story about a broken promise

Write a story about something that was stolen

Write a story about a party

Write a story about something that hasn't happened yet

Write a story about a child

Write a story about a secret

Write a story about finding something unexpected

Write a story about someone you don't know very well (make up the details)

Write a story about a traumatic event

Write a story about a coincidence

Write a story about the weather

Write a story about a family

Write a story using your own ideas/creativity

 

C. Choose one of the groupings and use the items, settings, characters in various combinations. Try to use all three somewhere in your story. You may, of course, change one if you come up with a better idea:

1. A stolen ring, fear of spiders, and a sinister stranger.
2. A taxi, an old enemy, and Valentine's Day.
3. Identical twins, a party invitation, and a locked closet.
4. A broken wristwatch, peppermints, and a hug that goes too far.
5. Aerobics, a secret diary, and something unpleasant under the bed.
6. An ex-boyfriend, a pair of binoculars, and a good-luck charm.
7. An annoying boss, a bikini, and a fake illness.
8. The first day of school, a love note, and a recipe with a significant mistake.
9. A horoscope, makeup, and a missing tooth.
10. A campfire, a scream, and a small lie that gets bigger and bigger.

When you have completed your story draft, please print it out and turn it in for class/assignment credit.