Monday, December 2, 2013

Where Do You Get Ideas?



They say that a picture is worth a thousand words, but in my experience a picture can produce a thousand words. I've drawn inspiration from a number of sources. Here are a few examples:

1.  Often I'll be searching for a graphic and see something that triggers an idea for a blog post or a scene in one of my novels. I like the site, The Stock Exchange.

2.  Pinterest - the ultimate idea place. You can find pictures of clothing from various time periods, food, nature scenes, and just about anything you can imagine.

3.  Special Interest Blogs - I like to visit blogs that talk about hobbies or subjects I find interesting. Characters have hobbies or occupations that can be woven into a plot. Tamara Leigh often gives her characters an obsession with a particular food or activity. One of them, a romance writer, loved decking her nails out in bright red polish.

Whether you're a writer or reader/blogger looking for a quirky character trait, topic for a blog post, or theme for a child's party, a picture can jumpstart your thought processes.

Question for you:  Have you ever been captivated by a picture? What did you do with the idea?

8 comments:

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Susan .. my ideas come from all over - things I read, things I see, and often get linked across to a few things.

Shoes could be a good subject for a character .. red high heels, fall brogues for a man ..

Cheers - my mind wanders around all the time ... Hilary

Susan J. Reinhardt said...

Hi Hilary -

You always seem to have an abundance of material for your blog. :)

Shoes - thanks for the tip.

Blessings,
Susan

Terri Tiffany said...

Usually a news story gets my thoughts going. I do the what if there too.

Karen Lange said...

Like you and Hilary, my ideas come from everywhere. You never know when one will strike, so I keep a small notebook and pen handy!
Blessings,
Karen

Jennifer Shirk said...

I need to get on Pinterest. LOL

I once got an idea from a newspaper article. :)

JD said...

Hi, Susan:

I get ideas from many areas: quotes, interactions between people, pictures, what I overhear on a playground, things my children say, etc. Writing prompts surround us, right?

Enjoy the rest of the week.

Ruth Schiffmann said...

Absolutely, I've gotten lots of short stories from picture prompts. An aspect of my YA novel was also inspired by a picture I saw on a blog.

Marja Verschoor-Meijers said...

Oh my, yes! I am often triggered by a picture, an idea comes up, a story, a blog post, a scripture... I love to browse the internet for images from time to time.