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10 Tips For Generating Story Ideas

Today's blog is a few tips for generating ideas for horror stories or novels.

As a writer you will probably have days when the ideas just drop into your mind like a gift from the gods of horror. However, there will probably be those other times when you are bashing your head against the wall, hoping to dislodge some semblance of an idea.

Those are the tough days, the ones that make you wonder if you have made the right decision, whether writing really is the right career path. Don't panic, it's something we all go through. Here's the big secret, ideas are around you all the time, you just have to train your mind to spot them, and let your imagination run away with them.

 1. Newspapers.

Have you ever been flicking through a newspaper and caught sight of headline out of the corner of your eye that has made you go huh? It tends to happen in the sidebar stories. The headline is so dramatic, or just plain insane that you have to read the story. For example something like.

'Man eaten by wolves in city centre'

When you read the story it is much more mundane, the man wasn't eaten just bitten, and the wolf was in an enclosure in a city centre zoo.

The headline though could be used as a starting point for a story. Look for headlines that spur little what if questions in you mind, like what if a pack of hungry wolves were hunting the city streets. 

2. Dreams /Nightmares

As a horror author it is your duty to scare your reader, the best way of doing this is to scare yourself. Our nightmares are our brains way of processing our fears. Use the dreams that scare you to scare others. 

3. Eavesdropping.

This one is a great and entertaining thing to try. Pick a place where you will be able to sit quietly and listen to other people talk, cafés are good. Often you will here snatches of conversation that out of context make no sense, but if you try and fill in the blanks from your imagination, you will be surprised at the results. Listening to people talking on the phone is also great for this as you can only hear one side of the conversation.

4 mythology and folklore.

Horror and fantasy writers having been reading ancients myths and folklore for centuries. Look into the myths, try and find something that hasn't had an airing for a while and rework it and bring it up to date. Fairy tales are also good for this. 

5. Bad movies/Books

Have you ever watched a film, or read a book, that had a great premise, but was let down by every aspect of its production. When you've finished have you thought what a waste of a good idea, I could have told that story better? Well go on, change the setting, the characters, the plot just use the same premise.

6. Titles

This one can be really useful. Sit and write a list of possible titles for a book or story. Nothing you have ideas for, just titles that sound intriguing. When you're done put the list away for a couple of days, then come back to it and you will be amazed at the ideas that come to you just from reading a good title.

7. Your life.

Think of the scariest, weirdest or just plain most bizarre thing that has ever happened to you. Now picture if it had played out differently, what if the cat knocking something over downstairs had been a ghost? Imagine how you would have reacted. There's the start of a story.

8. Other Peoples Lives.

Pretty much as above, except ask friends and family to tell you their experiences. Of course it is only right to tell them what you are doing, and let them decide if they want to or not. 

9. Song Titles

This one is really easy, put your iTunes on random, or switch on the radio, whatever song comes on, it's title is the title of your story. Imagine how that songs name could fit to a horror story.

10. Stop Looking.

This is the most important tip, if none of the above are working, take a break. Go away from it for a while. Stop trying to think of stories. Go on holiday, spend time with friends and family. Before you know it the story gods will drop another idea in your lap.

I hope this helps anyone who is struggling. Though I have aimed these tips specifically at horror writing, there is no reason you can't use them for any other genre.

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