Creative writing by Roy York

Finding ideas

The second in a series of articles by Roy York.

Ideas

Sometimes a 'wannabe' writer will be heard to say "I couldn’t possibly write short stories or novels - ideas just don't seem to come into my mind". But a professional writer can't afford to wait until an idea for a short story comes into his or her mind. The unpaid bills would soon mount up. On the contrary, successful writers' have worked out a system of creating ideas, the special kind of idea he or she wants at that moment. And so can you. Almost before you know it, you will have more ideas than you can ever possibly develop into stories - all kinds of stories.

Inspiration

The germ of an idea usually comes with an 'inspiration' whatever that may mean to you. It is sufficient for the writer's purpose if something, anything - a scene; the sight of a person; the conception of a character; an interesting problem that suddenly presents itself and stirs the fancy of the writer - sets the power of imagination to work. This could start off a series of mental pictures. As characters are added, various incidents present themselves and become related to events. This moves the story towards the climax which precedes a satisfactory end.

Ideas are everywhere

Many writers get some of their ideas from scanning national or local newspapers; it is not always one of the main news stories which kick-start the imagination.

For example; 32,000 estate agents lose their jobs. - One such agent, married, two young children has recently taken on a large house and a hefty mortgage - what to do? The Credit Crunch is on, he has no job, can't sell his house and has very little money in the bank He has to come up with some ideas. Does he convert the house into flats? Does he turn it into a care home, an up market restaurant or does he turn to crime? But whatever you do don't allow him to win the lottery to solve his money problems, editors hate this as a solution, they feel it is a cop-out.

Other examples:

Quarrying on Dorset coast could begin soon. - Workman uncovers a body. Should one of the locals be worried?

More people in Britain are now suffering from allergies. A policewoman up for promotion is allergic to flowers. She is allocated her first undercover assignment. She is to keep observation on a certain building, the only problem is her stakeout is in the florist shop opposite.

Take a front page report on severe flooding in Gloucestershire; Many houses flooded, some in rural areas impossible to reach, except by boat or helicopter. At one such house a man and woman are rescued. One of the rescuers recognises the man as a high-profile politician, the woman is married and her husband is abroad on business. What if - the rescuer blackmails the politician? What if - the politician hires a hit-man? How many 'What ifs' would you want to bring into your story? This is your story, you work out the denouement.

The above are just a few ideas from one newspaper. Films, plays and books are also abundant sources that can stimulate your imagination. Think beyond the plot or one small incident from it. Never just copy the original incident. Make your story stand on its own merit. Ideas are everywhere.

Thirty six dramatic situations

Around the turn of the twentieth century, a Frenchman named Georges Polti devised a list of all possible plots available to the writer. These have become known as the Thirty-Six Dramatic Situations, although, it would seem likely that Gozzi, a Venetian writer, was the originator of the list of situations. However, Polti can be given credit for writing them down in such a form that they have not been lost and are still used as a useful piece of literary information. Some of the headings included among the thirty-six are: Death of a loved one; Revenge; Jealousy; Abduction. Polti points out that, although there are only thirty-six dramatic situations, each one can be combined with one, or more of the others to produce different plots.

So you never need to feel guilty if an idea comes to you after watching a film, television or something you've read in a book, providing the idea is a product of your own imagination.

Essentials

The three essentials required for a story to take shape in an author's mind are, invention, composition and imagination. Inspiration is a wonderful thing when it occurs, it is a bonus, an opportunity not to be missed but you cannot always get it to arrive on demand. We have all, at sometime, sat and waited for inspiration to come and lead us to that benevolent editor who is just waiting to give thousands of pounds to every writer that sends him a manuscript. After five cups of coffee, flicking elastic bands around the room and staring at the roof across the road hoping yours is not in such a bad condition, you must put ideas of visiting the betting shop out of your head and get on with some serious writing. There are some would-be writers that say, "I can't write unless I feel inspired." In some cases their yearly output will consist of fourteen Christmas cards and a note pinned to the front door saying, "I'll be back in five minutes." Writing is a job, it is a job you should enjoy otherwise there is no point doing it. Writing fiction is a skill and like other skills we must try to perfect our craft to the best of our ability.

Starting point

Your starting point should be market research. Most beginners ignore this, write what they want to write then look for a place to sell it. This is unprofessional. We have nearly all done this, including myself. Sometimes it has hit the target and we have been successful but it is no use sending your 2000 word ghost story to Budgerigar Weekly, study the magazine you intend to write your story for. What is their house style? What length are the short stories? Study the content of the type of story they publish; is it gentle, romantic, a murder story, does it usually have a hopeful ending or a twist ending? Does this particular magazine only publish stories written in the first person or in the third person, or do they not worry about the viewpoint as long as the story is well written and told in their particular style?

(Viewpoint will be discussed in a later article)

What age group does the magazine cater for? The age of the reader you're aiming at is very important, the adverts they print and type of articles they publish will give you a clue. Find out the name of the fiction editor, most are listed in the current edition of the Writers' Handbook or the Writers' and Artists' Yearbook, available in your local reference library. And always remember to include a stamped addressed envelope when you send your work to publishers.

Remember writers should also be readers. If you read a story you really enjoyed ask yourself why it appealed to you. Think of plot, dialogue, characterisation or was it the quality of the writing that impressed? By analysing what does or does not work will develop your unique style and skill as a writer and place you on a pathway to success.

Next

3. Characterisation

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