When Arlo Guthrie was asked where he gets his song ideas, he said he pulls them out of a creek that runs through his property. He added, “I’m just glad I don’t live downstream from Bob Dylan!”
Where do you find your story ideas?
If you’re having problems coming up with fresh ideas, one of the best things you can consider is giving yourself a change of scenery. Whether it’s visiting an exotic section of your city, a drive in the country, a weekend in the mountains or a holiday at the seashore, any change is likely to tickle your brain in creative ways.
One of my favorite activities – one that I don’t indulge nearly often enough – is playing the Destination-Nowhere game. Open a map (real, not virtual), close your eyes, and put your finger down somewhere on the map. That place is your destination, and is to be treated with the same seriousness (or lack thereof) that you’d treat a planned trip to a vacation destination: it’s a field trip! Take off and notice everything that you can along the way – the countryside, the way people talk and dress, the architecture of the buildings. Eat at a local dive rather than a fast-food joint. Imagine the stories that can grow out of this place you’d probably never have thought to go otherwise!
Wherever you go, collect stuff. Take pictures of everything. Fill an envelope with brochures. Bring a notebook, jot down your impressions, and don’t worry about how you’re expressing them: just write.
When you do go to write about the place, you’ll have instant access to the impressions you formed during your trip. Take a lot of Destination-Nowhere trips, and you’ll never want for story ideas and backgrounds… and then you’ll truly be beyond the elements of style!
