Reading books often generates ideas for writing fiction stories.
Strangely, when I watch a film, I rarely have ideas for writing but when I read a fiction short story or novel, ideas seem to flow fast and furious, even as I read.
Perhaps it is because, when we read fiction stories and novels, our minds are working very hard to imagine the places, characters and events about which we are reading. The way our minds work seems to be very fuzzy. It is almost as if the characters and stories in the fiction book set off ripples in our imaginations which expand uncontrollably. Tap these ripples and you have your new idea for writing.
But, as you read the story, pause every now and then and make a note. If you were writing the book, what line would you follow with the plot? Who would be the goody? Who had be the baddy? What other characters would you like to see in the book? How do you feel about the characters? Are they the sort of characters you would like to write about?
What types of books do you like to read? Do you like romances? Do you like thrillers? Do you like historical novels? Do like reading short stories or flash fictions? How about science fiction (sci-fi) or fantasy? If you like to read stories like these, you may also like to write them.
Of course, I am not suggesting that you should plagiarise stories you read in other people’s books but merely that you should use them as a starting point for generating ideas of your own.
It is often said that, when we read somebody else’s story, we are complicit in the writing of the story because so many things relating to the story are filled in by our own experiences. It is, of course, one of the strongest qualities of a good writer that they are able to allude to many people’s personal experiences in a way that avoids describing them in detail yet which still builds a picture.
A golden rule has been suggested to me that two hours reading time a day is necessary for a writer to keep the creative juices flowing. Certainly, it seems to me that in two hours reading, a lot of lateral ideas for writing could be generated.
If you are interested in ideas for writing you might also be interested in reading my article ‘Ideas for writing while listening to music‘.
Bye for now
Rob
