How I might Write

There are three ways I think of for starting a story. You can focus on the plot; what is the world in which the characters reside? Creating a new world is what thrills me, personally. Using the parallels of myths and heroic stories we see today and exaggerating even the most extraordinary parts of our reality.

There is character driven stories. Having a set of morals or desires within a character that you form the world of events around. What does the character want? How are they going to achieve that goal? What stands in their way? And what are they willing to do to achieve the goal?

I think the third way is to think of an emotion to drive your story. Do you want or align with a romantic, or epic, or mystery, etc? Taking that emotion and having your story weave and/or end at the height of the emotion. Pulling the reading deep into that passion, causing their heart to ache with fear, sorrow, bravery or camaraderie.

I love bringing the heart into the mix of the deep emotions. I base my writing from the deep emotions, seeking to make the heart fly or ache with connection in serious moments and events. Some of these blossom from a unique idea found from creative imagery within songs, poems or other exaggerated stories. Using metaphors and similes, connecting concepts and objects that don’t usually have association. So how might I start? Where does my beginning image, inspiration, or concept come from?

Authors will tell you it comes from anywhere, and it does. As you write and read and view the world in a writer’s way, things will come to you often. One example as we are in the Christmas season is the song Hallelujah. With how much we know of song writing and music composing the song still brings the potential mystery of “a secret cord that David played that pleased the Lord.” You could base a story from that simple idea, a character striving to find that secret cord. Perhaps it was written in Hebrew and lost in the land of Jerusalem where King David ruled. Even further than that you could even have a character that “doesn’t really care for music…” This could be an idea for a unique story and comes from a simple song that has been around for 40+ years and a song I have heard throughout my life. But inspiration strikes along with perspective, and so they both change with each other.

More ways to find story ideas is to listen, watch, and experience life while reading others. You may see how other authors see the world if you are attuned to see what is beyond what you read, but also if the author is open and transparent enough. Listen to what people say, how they say it and look beyond the words and find the hidden meaning. Let the experiences you are privileged to be a part of enriching your perspectives of the world and life.
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Then exaggerate what you see. Like Polar Express having a train on the ice; turning an entire train around by drifting. Or Inception, planting an idea through a dream within a dream. This is why poetry can be extremely influential; with their colourful language, picturesque images, and creative allegories. These, if you get used to the language and style can inspire winsome and majestic new worlds.