The Idea Algorithm

Writers, Where Do You Get Your Ideas?

Yesterday I was asked by a reader where I get my ideas for stories. We were standing at a table in an indie bookstore with most of my books for sale, and if you know me at all, you know they are a varied lot. Picture book through YA novel; fiction and nonfiction; fantasy, contemporary, historical…I mumbled something about “wherever”, which felt both untrue and unsatisfactory.

So, where do I get my widely variable story ideas?

The Idea Algorithm

I like to say that ideas are everywhere, and they are. But not all ideas make great stories. When I work with kids, one exercise I lead them through is “what if?” I suggest that they can start by asking a series of “what if” questions that can lead them to a story.

I told my husband about this exercise, and he said, “Yeah. Like, what if it rained?”

Okay, that was not what I expected, and it gave me pause. “No, that’s not an idea for a story.”

He bristled. “Why not?”

“It would be a story if, what if it rained and you were made of sugar?”

Which made me rethink that “what if” starter. (I have to say, kids of a certain age, unconstrained by adult limits, are so imaginative, I’ve never had one stumble over this. They go for broke.)

I had added conflict to his idea, but it still wouldn’t be a starter for a story I would write. So what is the right algorithm for a good story idea, that would make a great story?

Start With the Heart, And Then…

I realized after my reader left me with my mumbles that when I start thinking about writing something new, I start with something that makes my heart beat faster. Something that really moves me deeply, or startles me, or tickles me. Stories take a long, long time to make, and if you don’t love your idea, your story will likely die.

So, start with your heart.

Then, I would say, once you get that nod from your deeply felt emotions, take a pause. Think about that idea.

Think about it for a long time. Think about how it feels every time you open your mind to the idea. Does it still tingle? Is it still meaningful? And…can you find more behind the original “what if”?

Find the character. Boy, girl, other? Age? Condition, meaning socioeconomic? Family? Time and place?

And then add spice. Conflict. Problems. Bigger problems. Antagonistic force problems.

Keep thinking. It took me 5 years of thinking (more, in fact) to know how to tackle CARRY ME HOME, long before I wrote a single word. My what if was “What if a 12-year-old girl lived in a car?” If you’ve read the story, you know there’s a lot more to it than that, which is what I had to mull it over in my head until I felt it was right.

So, the Algorithm

Here’s mine:

What if + heart + time + character + conflict + more conflict = an idea worth writing

What do you think?

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Happy writing!