Finding ideas for a story
Often aspiring writers will ask the question, “Where do you get your ideas?” As if the most important, difficult part of writing were getting an idea to write about. Some people feel like the only thing stopping them from writing a story is having a good idea for a story. Let me offer some guidance in how to find ideas for a story. It might be easier than you think.
But first, let’s talk about whale watching. If you have ever been whale watching, you know that most of the time you are not watching whales, you are watching the ocean. Then at some point you see a spray as one of the whales comes up to respirate. The boat rushes over, and then you spend the rest of the time waiting to see if the whale comes up again in the same area. Usually it does—sometimes there are a few whales—but there is often a pretty long wait between whale sightings. You’re just looking at the ocean surface. The ocean surface, while ever-changing, is not as exciting as a whale.
As you’re waiting for the whale to resurface, not knowing exactly where it will show up, it is tempting to scour the surface of the water with your eyes, searching for the first sign of a whale. Every wave appears to be the dark shape of a whale surfacing, every bit of sea foam could be the start of a whale spout shooting up. This is exhausting. Your mind becomes fatigued as it searches the ocean for the whale, your attention drifts, and by the time the whale comes back up to the surface, you’re not even looking at the ocean anymore. A much better approach would be to look at the ocean in a relaxed way—after all, looking at the ocean is a famously restful activity—and avoid searching for the whale at all. As it turns out, when a whale appears, it is easy to see. If you are looking in that general direction at all, your eye will naturally be drawn to the sudden spray of white. There’s no need to search the ocean with your eyes. It is more sustainable to simply look out, without directing your attention in any particular way, at the ocean as it is, calm and undisturbed.
What happens when we look for something in the surface of the ocean, is that we stop seeing the ocean itself. We stop seeing what is there, and instead we see an image in our mind of what we’re looking for. We see whales where whales are not, trying to will the whale to appear in one particular spot instead of waiting to discover where the whale actually is. This tension makes it harder for us to wait and harder to see the whale when it actually arrives.
The ocean surface is a chaotic, turbulent visual field, but it’s nothing compared to our own minds. And the ideas for stories that come to us are much more varied and fabulous than even the majestic whales.
Whale watching is a lot easier, it must be said, after you see your first whale. You know what to look for. If you have never written a story (this is unlikely, but I will take your word for it) then the most important thing is to write a story. It doesn’t much matter what the idea is, just grab whatever is at hand. You need to write a story, so that you recognize what an idea for a story looks like. You need to finish the story, even if you aren’t sure how it ends. If you really can’t finish it, then write something else. If you really have trouble finishing stories, take a break. You are starting too soon. If you have trouble starting stories, start before you think you’re ready. But write a story, the next one will be much easier. If all your stories seem terrible to you, try combining them with each other. Maybe when they band together they can convince you to love them. Just write a story.
Once you have a little more experience, you can relax a little. Breathe. That’s what the whales are doing. When we watch whales, we’re watching them breathe. That’s why they come to the surface. They have to. If the whales are there, you will see them. And I promise you, the ideas are there. You’re not going to miss the idea for the story when it comes. It will be unmistakable. It might not be a great idea for a story, or it might be your greatest idea yet. You won’t know in advance, and that’s fine. You will only know if it grabs your attention–and if it does, then it’s time to write.
