For writing a short story, one of the prime requisites is a creative bent of mind and excellence in writing. Though these are just the preliminary requirements and might make the task appear extremely easy, it is not always the case. This is because for writing short stories, one needs to churn out ideas constantly. After the generation of the idea, it needs to be developed and transformed into a comprehensive tale of events, characters, situations, etc. Now, the question here arise, how does one find ideas for writing. This solely depends upon the skill of the person, as the ideas for a story can come from anything and everything under the sky.
Ideas for Writing Short Stories
- Make sure you always carry a small notebook and pen wherever you go. This will help you to write down fleeting flashes of inspiration.
- Place a diary and pen on your nightstand table while going to bed, as dreams and insomnia often lead to great story ideas.
- Keep your mind open and observe your surroundings and your daily life events carefully, as they can act as potential short story fodder.
- A bus ride around the city might prove to be an inspiration and provide you with a plot or character, from where to begin your story.
- Hunt for an intriguing photograph or a compelling image, which can fuel your imagination or provide you the thread to the tale in the photograph.
- Flip over old newspapers to find some real-life sagas that can be converted into compelling short stories.
- Your real life can also act as inspiration wherein you can give situations a different or extreme angle or treatment.
- Talk to people and socialize as you might often have interesting stories to hear. Pay attention to the dialect, intriguing names, characters, etc.
- Inculcate a habit of maintaining a free-writing journal. Write in it for 15 minutes daily about anything that pops into your head and try to be original and do not hold yourself back. Read your free-writing journal and look for interesting passages, phrases or ideas that might inspire a story.