Tera Lynn Childs

Where to Find Ideas


For Writers

In my last blog post, I talked about how to find ideas for your next story. I basically said that ideas are everywhere, and I meant it. But if you’re really struggling with where to find ideas, there are some places that are almost always fertile fields for your imagination.

1. Your Ideas List

If you’ve been keeping a list of idea sparks (see my previous post for what that means) for a while, then this list should be a bounty of ideas to choose from.

And remember, you don’t have to choose just one idea. Some of the most magical ideas come from merging two different sparks. Cyborg Cinderella anyone?

Take two or more items from your list and think about how you could work them into one story to create a totally unique premise or world.

2. Your Dreams/Fantasies

One of the best things about fiction (reading it or writing it) is that you get to live out some of your favorite dreams or fantasies. Forgive My Fins, for example, was born out of my life-long dream of becoming a mermaid.

Think about those things you’ve always wanted. What you wanted to be when you were little. What your deepest, most secret ambition in life has always been. That one magical power you wish you hand.

If those things are realistic (as is possible, not probable) then turn it into a contemporary story.

If those things aren’t possible, then turn it into a fantasy or science fiction story.

Write about a character who gets or has that dream life or fantasy world that you’ve always wished for. Chances are, if you have those dreams and fantasies, there are readers out there who have them, too.

3. Other Books/Retellings

I adore a good retelling. Both reading them and writing them. The very first YA book I started to write (it was for a class project, so I didn’t finish it, but never say never) was a teen retelling of Pride and Prejudice.

Now, of course, there are dozens of teen retellings of Jane Austen’s most famous book. But yours will be different because you’re the one writing it!

If you’re really stuck for ideas, turn to your favorite stories.

Popular sources for retellings include:

(All of those links are to Project Gutenberg, where you can download the books for free.)

Don’t copy directly, but definitely include nods to the original in your own version.

If you want to see great retellings in action, check out these movies:

If you’re really inspired by a more recent work (meaning something that’s not yet in the public domain) then be extra careful about how you process. There are copyright infringements to worry about. Make sure your story stands on its own and as unrecognizable from the original as possible.

4. Other Story Media

Besides finding inspiration in books, I also love to find inspiration in other storytelling media. I can’t sit through a movie or binge a TV show without a dozen ideas popping into my mind.

The next time you’re watching your favorite film or playing your favorite video game, keep an eye out for story ideas.

Some of the other story media that I’ve found inspiration include:

  • Movies — just think about how many Star Wars-inspired books and series there are!
  • TV Shows — whether it’s an epic high fantasy series or a compelling reality show
  • Games — the board game Clue is my favorite example, sparking everything from a movie (with a remake coming soon!!!) to a comic book series (although those are technically adaptations not inspiration, but it shows that even a simple board game can inspire elaborate stories) plus a novel, a children’s book series, and a new YA trilogy
  • Theatre — anything from Hamilton to Shakespeare to Cirque du Soleil
  • Songs — literally every Taylor Swift song is a book begging to be written, right?

The idea for Oh. My. Gods. came from a fake reality show title I made-up for my second chick lit book, Straight Stalk, which was 100% inspired by the original Queer Eye for the Straight Guy show. You never know!

Just like with a book retelling, you can’t just copy the story beat-for-beat. You have to take that spark and make the story entirely your own. But you can definitely draw inspiration from other storytellers, even if they aren’t writing books.

5. Other Arts

Sometimes, inspiration comes without words. You can be inspired by a painting or a sculpture or even a building. Seek out other arts and you are sure to find something that resonates with you.

Browse the pages of DeviantArt or take a virtual tour through an online museum collections.

Search the Great Buildings archive to see some of the greatest and most unique feats of architecture.

View tons of great graphic design on Dribbble.

Flip through the pages of a fashion or home design magazine. That’s exactly what I was doing when I came across a spread of snake-themed accessories which was the spark of inspiration for the Sweet Venom series.

All art is about conveying emotion. So even if it isn’t a storytelling art, you might still find the inspiration for your story within it.

6. The World Around You

Some stories are inspired by an idea for a story world, and often those worlds are inspired by something in the real world.

Read through history books to get story ideas from events of the past. Shakespeare did this ALL the time. So did George R.R. Martin.

Look at the manmade places around you. Your house, your neighborhood, your school, your shopping mall, your town’s tallest building, the local farmers market. Don’t view these places are ordinary parts of your everyday life, but as potential settings for exciting stories.

How fun would it be to set a story on a family-run orchard? Or at the winter ice rink? Or the most luxurious hotel you’ve ever seen?

And don’t stop with the manmand word, either. Nature is full of idea inspiration. Everything from breathtaking wilderness to natural disasters to (side-eye glare) global pandemics.

There literally would not be a Forgive My Fins series if I hadn’t spent time on a beautiful beach in Florida for part of a summer.

7. The People Around You

For many writers, an idea for a character sparks a story. And sometimes those characters are inspired by someone the author knows or sees in the real world.

Whenever I’m out in public, I like to play a game called “What’s their story?”

Basically, I will choose someone I see and try to come up with what I think their life is like. Why are they here? What do they do for a living? What kind of person are they? Do they have friends? Family? Pets? Do they have flaws or vices?

The game is totally imaginary. I’m sure I’m mostly wrong about what I think and I never, ever go up and ask them. (Although sometimes I really want to!)

The point is that I’m basically turning that person into a character in my mind. And, if the story I make up is interesting enough, maybe one day they’ll wind up in a book.

Try playing the “What’s their story?” with the people around you.

  • Friends
  • Family Members
  • Acquaintances
  • Teachers or Colleagues
  • Total Strangers

Anyone and everyone is fair game for this game. Just think twice before telling them what you’re imagining about their life!

Not to sound like a broken record, but don’t just use someone you know as a character. Partly because your character needs to be uniquely designed to fit your story world and the journey they’re about to go on. Partly because even if you think you’re writing something nice, that person might not see the character that way.

Better to just take bits and pieces, like personality traits and quirks or snippets of an interesting life experience, and build your own character around that.

Hopefully this list has given you a great idea for where to find plenty of ideas!

Now that you’ve learned how and where to find ideas, in my next post I’ll be talking about the process I use to develop an idea from spark to story. Be sure to subscribe to this blog below or to my newsletter so you never miss a post.

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