Where do YOU get your ideas for a story?

[Guest]

One of the most enjoyable aspects of reading so many interesting, entertaining stories is the fact that many of them are written with great imagination.

I'm always curious how other writers "thought-up" something. What is/was the stimulus behind the story as it were. I know for self, sometimes I remember things in my past that I <fantasize> about...and then imagine taking them to their conclusion, or off in some unexpected, unanticipated direction once I actually begin writing.

I think MOST writers tend to write somewhat "true" stories based on some previous sexual experience, and then elaborate of course. But I think those stories (for me anyway) that blend humor, mixed with a bit of "wilder" imagination tend to be my favorites.

We all daydream...fantasize...wonder. Key incredients for a good story.

What is it you do?

I remain,

 

[kristydoll]

I always think the best fiction is based in reality.

But saying that, writers tend to have wonderful imaginations and writing allows us to explore, develop, and dream situations and events that are far from our reality. A good writer can make this a wonderful trip for the reader.

kristy

 

[wildsweetone]

one of the stories i've been most recently working on begins with

'The 1290 year old wooden penholder sat on the desk. A middle-aged woman held the black and gold ink pen firmly in her hand. She sat quite still, the pen poised above the paper, the ink drying on the nib.'

it's at about 1500 words at the moment. it began with a birthday present my husband received from his mother-in-law... yet another (she has no imagination) penholder. the piece of swamp Kauri the pen is sitting on is indeed 1290 years old according to radio carbon dating at the University of Waikato in 1996 - i guess that means it's actually 1296 years old now... give or take a year.

***

another of my stories (THE one i don't want to write that i am a third of the way through) begins with the simple image of steam rising from a coffee mug.

i had a cup of coffee sitting on my desk next to the pc. the picture that came instantly into my mind was of a man sitting at a dining table, hunched over. his hands curved around the hot mug, oblivious to the pain of the heat as he was in great dispair.

***

i don't tend to write from snippets of overheard conversation. my writing seems to stem more from an object or single non-moving image in my mind's eye... the air around the image is heavy with emotion.

now and again a question comes along that gives me great food for thought. thanks for asking your question Sandman. i appreciate the thinking.

 

[KillerMuffin]

There is a little gremlin in my head that takes snippets of words and parts of lives and weaves them into a piece of temptation. He whispers in my ear, "Hey, Muffie, wouldn't this be a great story?" And then I find myself with an idea, formed and ready to mold into a story that someone will probably want to kick my ass for.

 

[English Lady]

my stories come from fantasies,at least so far anyway. Either my own personal fantasies that play through my mind or fantasies told to me by another person,that I embellish and put down "on paper"

 

[Weird Harold]

I'm always curious how other writers "thought-up" something. What is/was the stimulus behind the story as it were.

For me, it's usually the title that comes first -- some phrase or situation that sticks in my mind and demands an explanation.

 

[Guest]

Ah yes..........

You're welcome wildsweetone....it HAS been a curious thought I've been wondering about.

I liked what Killer stated too. I often find I have these sudden little "thoughts" pop into my head. And I think to myself..."Yeah, that might make a good story". Sort of like one I'll be submitting soon..."Magic Panties". You can only imagine where I got THAT idea from.

Sometimes it IS an object....(love the cup of coffee thing Wild) that does it for me too. Or something I suddenly remember from out of the past. Or someone will share a thought or experience with me via email, and that triggers an old memory...story idea.

Alot simply comes from imagination...granted. And like Weird Harold said, I'll get this idea for a story simply out of a title and go from there. So I guess...it's safe to say stories can come from all sorts of different sources.

Nice to know I'm sorting through the same process's that everyone else seems to be.

I remain,

 

[BigTexan]

For me, I usually hear a phrase or think of a phrase or a title or some little snippet and then a story builds itself around that phrase, title or snippet.

If I think the story that builds is good enough then I'll try to write it.

That was how "Like Mother, Like Daughter" started. I noticed that my daughters indeed are very much like my wife and that phrase popped into my head. Then the story coallesed around it.

BigTexan

 

[deliciously_naughty]

For me, I might classify my stories into several categories

1. What If??? stories....Wesley's Woman, For Love of Snow White, Haunted Lover fall into this category...What if Captian Picard had a daughter that fell for Wesley Crusher...What if the "Wicked" Queen was trying to save Snow White and not kill her...what if a person whose journal I was studying was actually a ghost still hanging around my house?

2. Sexual fantasies...things that are written expressly as sexual fantasies... My Sexy Career (posing for a magazine and becoming a call girl), Megan My Dear (written for someone else who wanted to do their g/f's little sister and her friend), Daddy's little Devil and He's not my brother (incest...although since I have niether a brother or a father it's all somewhat theoretical for me)

3. Real Life inspirations...I'm working on a story about some NYPD cadets after seeing some on the subway, Among the Stacks (inspired by realizing how deserted Harvard University's archival stacks are and the possibilities that were presented by it)

My stories in production are
1. a retelling of the 12 dancing princesses...I've been getting good feedback from my retelling of Snow White so I'm trying another one.
2. Claires Story...I've had requests to know more about the character of Claire from Haunted Lover, so I'm writing her story. (the current title is of course a working title)
3. The story about the NYPD cadets
4. A story about an affair between a Prince and a "normal" girl in New York

I have some ideas that I'm not working on as well.

 

[TheEarl]

One random thought comes into my head and says to me: "Wouldn't that be a good story?" It usually doesn't get through my habitual laziness, until another thought that's been hanging around joins forces with it and they say together "Hey, wouldn't we be a great story?"

The Earl

 

[green_rook]

I crawl in through the widow of old poetmen, rip out their tongues, and drink the ideas that flow.

Or I just play with characters and situations until something yeilds itself.

 

[rogtom_69]

Where do they come from?

Well...I can only say what works for me.

I have written several stories that are published here on Literotica: Much of the 'action' is pure imagination.

I tend to place two (or more) people in a situation and then let my imagination run wild on 'what if...' 'What if the young girl had a liking for the older man?... What if a senior high student found his English teacher sexually attractive, and she reciprocated?

Then I 'paint the canvas' with words to describe the pictures I see in my head.........

It isn't easy...It needs practice, and an author must always expect some disappointments...But I would wager that most authors here would agree with me on one point. If even ONE reader gives you feedback that it gave them pleasure to read it, then it is worthwhile...

If you are tempted to write, my advice is (Like the Nike ad) 'Just do it!'

**************************************************

There is no surer way of failing than never having tried

Unashamed prompt to my stories - LOL

 

[ronde]

My sources for ideas encompass most of what has been said already. Some are based on people I have known, the ones with a historical bent come from my readings of history, and some are generated by random thoughts or perceptions about people I see but do not know.

Few of my works contain much in the way of real life experiences; they are, rather, the result of asking a few "what if" questions about the person or scenarios. I do practice what I have suggested at other times on this board - go sit on a bench in the local mall, watch people and ask these "what if" questions. It does work.

 

[Wicked-N-Erotic]

Some of my ideas have been from true life experiences that I've elaborated on, "My First Taste of a Woman", "Pleasures Of The Flesh", "One Night Of Passion". Most are my fantasies or just a thought that comes to me and I say hey good story idea.
Wicked

My Stories

 

[beaverhunter76]

I get my ideas either from Television shows or just my fantasies.

For example, some of my best work here are my Charmed stories. Well, who can't think of sex when watching that show. But I hate how in T.V. you never really see acts of depraved sexuality that happens in life (though Charmed has started showing more of that lately i.e. Paige's orgasms). So I let my perverse mind go free, and then I have to put my ideas into words to get them out of my head.

It's the same for my reallity based stories, though these are based on either curent events in my life (like work) or fantasies I've had about my female friends.

 

[PaulX35]

Inspiration is often the capacity to link a few real life and/or fantasy things into a concept that might make a good story. It's invariably how my ideas are born, some downright sexual fantasies, some based some way in reality.
"Infrared" came to life 15 years ago, seeing a woman sitting opposite me in a train. But it took that long to materialize into a concept interesting enough to write a story about. That happens to me often. There's tons of usable memory stashed away in a creative mind.
Sometimes I write things down, just as a thought, but mostly I just sort of forget them and let them pop up again, in search of something. When they come up at the right moment, we call it inspiration.

I do have to add though that it's often a lot of work to mould a basic idea into something that really works, and is really good enough for a story. I often rewrite stories twice or three times, but that's not the topic of this thread

Paul

 

[Sabledrake]

Idle musings, mostly. Daydreams, night dreams sometimes, wondering "what would happen if" or "how would I do that differently." Sometimes, inspiration just whacks me on the head.

Or maybe I've just got me a horny Fornit ...

Sabledrake

 

[Quasimodem]

My one working brain cell gets hung up on an odd idea or thought, and I must work it out with a pencil.

A computer functions more efficiently. It also cuts through the ideas, without the added danger of impaling an eyeball.

 

[wildsweetone]

It also cuts through the ideas, without the added danger of impaling an eyeball.

ouch man! is that what turned ya green?

 

[Guest]

Actually wildsweetone........

The reason Quasi probably turned green was from the last story he read........

gee, hope it wasn't one of mine!

I remain,

 

[Diane Marie]

Thesandman, I’ve been thinking about your question. It is not an easy answer, nor is it any one source, they can come from an article I’ve read, something interesting in the paper, maybe not so interesting, so and so was arrested today for such and such.

Someone else’s experience. I recently wrote a very passionate romance story, the inspiration coming from an a article written at a gay liberation web site I visit. It’s about an 18 year love relationship between two women. About the failure of our society to grant even the most minimal rights, right routinely granted to heterosexual couples. Sad to think you can love someone with all your heart, spend 18 years together, then be denied the right to be at your lovers side during the final minutes of her life. Not only sad, very cruel and heartless.

The article was not about that but it pointed out how even the right to be by the side of your loved one during illness or death could be denied. The article was not without hope, it showed a legal way to prevent that. Having to take that extra step is so unjust, a couple in love, is a couple no matter what the sexual orientation of the couple is. The right to marry should not be based on someone’s religious belief that being gay is wrong. No logical argument can be made against the right of same sex couples to marry. Those argument are easy to poke holes in. It comes down to morals, morals based on religious beliefs. Is that what we want in our society, or do we want a society based on justice and freedom? If your answer to that is yes, give me the religion, then who’s, the Christian religious right, or maybe the Islamic right. I’m sorry to be preaching, I have strong feelings on this issue.

Almost all of my stories have been based on my relationship with my last husband, although none of them have been about that relationship. None of them even portray him, although I do feel they portray what was inside of him. None of them portray me, I wish I would have been able to have the strength that my heroines have. In truth I was scared to death of that man. It’s hard to be strong when most of the time your in fear. In a way my heroines portray who I’ve become, at least I feel I have many of their strong traits.

If you’ll go to the story idea board, you can actually read how an outline for a story came to mind. It’s listed under Rape. That idea came from 3 comment, the man who started the thread, BlessedBe’s comment about changing it to a slippery consent story as opposed to a rape story. Rape is not erotic, slippery consent surely can be. Then Chicklet’s comment about the husband failure to perform. I can’t say why it happened but an idea for a story clicked into my mind. Outlining it for someone else to write, expanded it. The idea was in essence someone else’s or at the very least inspired by others. If I had the time I’d write that story, I love both of the leads, I’ve already written them in my mind. But as you all know it’s a long, and sometimes tedious job getting them from your mind to paper.

A lot of my other stories are based on relationship of other lesbians I know. Not the whole story but the inspiration for these stories come from some aspect of their relationship. These are not erotic story, they are romance. I figure there is a wealth of erotic lesbian stories, they are so easy to find. Lesbian romance stories are not so easy to come by. I could, if I so desired, make a fair living just writing those.

 

[Guest]

Diane Marie.......

As you stated:

"It’s about an 18 year love relationship between two women. About the failure of our society to grant even the most minimal rights, right routinely granted to heterosexual couples."

Quite often a situation similar to what you indicated above will often inspire a story for me as well. I have and know two very good lesbian friends, each of which live with their respective partners, married to one another...but only in their eyes. At least in this state (Utah if you can believe it) they are at least able to secure health benefits for their "live-in" partners without having to be officially married.

But it was because of their relationships, struggles etc., that I was asked to do a story for them...of them. Which I did. It's been submitted, but still pending. I would invite you to read it when it finally does post. It's called: Hearts Desire.

I tried to keep it light-hearted, knowing the women as I do and their personalities. At the same time, I wanted to portray the difficulties each has experienced, as well as the ongoing challenges leading up to their present day situation. None of which I could have done without their input of course.

Obviously I think it's difficult for a man to write a lesbian styled story and have it fashioned as anything but a males fancied tales of what he thinks or believes a relationship of that kind would be like. Hopefully I have done that in this instance, showing the intricate nature of their relationship, the intimacy of course...but also the hardships that I believe most gay or lesbians truly suffer.

Anyway...nuff about that. See? Even your posting stirred Thesandman's thoughts........

I remain,

 

[its Leslie]

I don't think I have ever written anything that was from anything remotely like a logical sounding starting point.

I get my ideas from sources that must have some wierd subconcious point of origins.

Sometimes the ideas are cool but its how I got them that makes me chuckle.

 

[wildsweetone]

Re: Actually wildsweetone........

The reason Quasi probably turned green was from the last story he read........

gee, hope it wasn't one of mine!

I remain,

I've been thinking...

maybe one of Quazsi's slugs got out

you know... that chuckle thing you mentioned Leslie... at the end of every story i've written i've found myself in a real bemused state. not only is it incredible how a story begins, but when that high zing whips through the body at the end, it's Wowie Land for me for a while

 

[Diane Marie]

Re: Diane Marie.......

Obviously I think it's difficult for a man to write a lesbian styled story and have it fashioned as anything but a males fancied tales of what he thinks or believes a relationship of that kind would be like.

I’m not sure that gender enters into it, if your not gay would you not find it just as hard to write about a gay male relationship.