Writing Ideas

[japangherl]

I am in a Writing Class and have to do some stories that can be about anything. It seems like fun, but the only problem is that I have absolutely no idea as to what I want to write about. I have been sitting here for the past 45 minutes and can't come up with 1 decent plot. Does anybody have any suggestions as to what I can write about? It can be from any time period, fiction or nonfiction, as long as it is an idea good enough to write about. It would help me a ton!

[ourmaninBusan]

Depending how long it is (1-2 pages?), why not describe, in fair detail,
some crisis that happened in your life? A car accident, a broken toe,
or the time you smashed some antique of mom and dad's at a party?

[japangherl]

hmm, sounds like a good start. But I think I'm looking more for longer story (couple chapters, sorry I forgot to specify in post) and one that doesn't relate to me.

[moomies]

I agree with OMB about writing something you can relate to but if you don't want to write about yourself, how about deciding on a genre? Like mystery, romance, rites of passage etc? Maybe you can start from there.

[pacific breeze]

Speaking as a writing teacher, the #1 rule about writing is: write what you know. You can't write a couple of chapters without a game plan. I'd forget about writing long about this point, and concentrate on brainstorming ideas and writing on a topic you know something about. A lot of people find writing about their childhood a good way to jumpstart the process.

[ourmaninBusan]

Here's another idea from the telegraph's "A novel in a year"
column (which I wrote about in the Books column):

.... Take up a notebook and pen, and write one sentence, beginning with
the words, "The day after my eighth birthday, my father told me..." Write
more than a sentence if you like but just one sentence is fine.

...While you are doing this exercise, you may well find a small, mocking
voice whispering in your ear. It will be saying things like "Don't be stupid,
you can't write a novel", or, maybe, "this is stupid, I'm too clever for this".

Both thoughts are equally destructive and both must be ignored.
Everyone has to start somewhere. Lawrence Sterne, Emily Bronte, Nadine Gordimer
all started somewhere. Turn off the computer and go and get a notepad
and pen. Go on.

[japangherl]

Thank you to all who replied to this post. It has really helped me!

[misskris]

also the worst part is getting started. i write plays and finding an idea that you enjoy can be really difficult but you can do this! oh and in any of the writing i've done, the best results are always something that you know something about. one essay i had to write for a children's theatre class was to write about a particular experience you had as a child that shaped you and so i wrote about my life in relation to the story of the tortoise and the hare and that slow and steady will win the race and how that is still applicable to life as a student. and i got a great mark on it and i actually quite enjoyed writing it. good luck!

[tofucheesecake]

I ran into the same problem when I was writing college essays, which, granted, are not so long. But I just sat down and wrote whatever came to my head, even if my brain was telling me it was stupid or wouldn't work. I ended up with about six different essays, two of which were fab. Also, if you ever kept a diary/journal, or took photographs, they are a great way to start. Just describe what happened the day(s) you took the photograph(s), and pretty soon you have an autobiography! Journals take time, but if, every time you think a deep thought, you write it down, it adds up. A page a day is all it takes. And never throw anything away, even if it seems stupid a year later. Baaaaad idea. Good luck!

[Wonderwoman]

Write what you know. Always.