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Story Ideas – - Sneak Peek at my new eBook
By Deb Gallardo
Probably the number one question asked of published authors is:
“Where do you get your story ideas?”
It’s a valid question, although those writers who complain they have too many ideas to ever write about them all, sometimes forget that finding story ideas is a learned skill . And it’s a skill YOU can learn.
Here’s an excerpt from my new eBook “Story Ideas – - Inside Your Newspaper.” While there are many other sources, this is my all-time favorite place to find fiction ideas. Enjoy!
STORY IDEAS – - INSIDE YOUR NEWSPAPER
Where do authors get inspiration? It doesn’t help to hear writers say, “Ideas are everywhere!” Where can YOU find story ideas every single time you need them? That’s what you want to know! Here are a few ideas:
- Some writers lurk in their favorite online forums, scouting for hot topics. Whatever people are discussing or arguing about is sure to find an audience, at least in that niche.
- Other writers scan local television listings for summaries of movies and series episodes. Usually one sentence in length, this succinct format is just the kind of premise a writer needs for a story spark. We’ll talk more about this format later.
- Still other writers watch daytime dramas for their abundance of multiple storylines. (At least they say it’s only for research.…)
- And then there’s the newspaper, the subject of this [article].
Have you ever bought a car and suddenly notice the same make and model everywhere? You wonder where they all came from because you don’t recall noticing them before now. The truth is, they’ve been there for some time now. So what changed?
You did. Because your focus changed.
It’s the same thing with story ideas. Once you know how and where to look, you’ll see story potential everywhere. In fact, you probably won’t be able to NOT see ideas!
And it all starts . . . with 6 little words.
You probably learned about these six story components all the way back in the fifth grade. It doesn’t matter if you’re writing fiction or non-fiction. Without these six pieces, there is no story.
It was so back when stories were oral tradition. It was so when humans began writing down tales, and at the advent of the printing press, not to mention the invention of word processors. Furthermore, there’s no sign that this will change in the future.
Regardless of whether or not stories are spun in cyber space or in two-dimensional electronic books, or by some other means not yet invented, inquiring minds really want to know the answers to these six questions.
The point of this book, then, is to teach you how YOU — yes, little ol’ you, all on your lonesome — can use a newspaper to answer these six burning questions time after time to:
• Find story ideas that spark your interest when your “idea well” has gone dry, and
• Flesh out character, plot and motivation
The steps we [will] use here are as much for beginners as they are for authors whose books have hit number one at Amazon.com or on the New York Times’ Bestseller List. Hey, when it works, it works!
You’ll have to buy the eBook to learn more.
I’ll announce the pre-release here and on this blog.
Copyright © 2007 Deborah K. Gallardo All Rights Reserved
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