Writers will spend hours and hours agonizing over their own stories, but where exactly do those stories come from? The most amazing and complex fictional worlds or tales weren’t written or conceived in a day. Great authors take time with their ideation, knowing that the subject and foundation can be just as important as the execution. The source of those stories and books can differ between writers, but all are used to create effective and emotional works of fiction. Even the most accomplished, skilled and notable authors have had trouble finding their subjects. 

The world is filled with an ever-growing number of unique books, how can one stand out? What’s more important is to find a topic that inspires you. That itself isn’t easy, but there are many ways that the world’s writers have found ideas worth their exploration. 

The greatest works have come from a great number of places. Not every writer takes their inspiration from one source. One of the most difficult topics for any writer to tackle is simply the subject on which they’ll be writing. There are many questions any good writer needs to ask themselves before delving into their story, but determining that story can’t be done on a whim. Finding book ideas is a difficult yet vital task. But if that spectacular idea hasn’t presented itself yet, can you force an epiphany? Not exactly, but writers can take a look at the practices that have created some of their favorite stories and could end up creating a few of their own. 

Use Things From Your Life to Inspire You 

Memory will inevitably be tied to any writer’s work. Style, visualization and dialogue are all based on real world experiences. So why not literary subjects? One of the most proven ways of choosing a subject is letting your own experiences choose them. Many approach the page with an idea already in-hand. Sometimes it’s an event that they witnessed firsthand that others merely read about; sometimes it’s a character they lived and grew with about whom the world must know. If you as a writer can relate to your work many will relate to it as well. 

Drawing from the shared experiences that many have is an excellent way of getting in touch with your audience. However, one needs to dissect their very experiences before placing them directly onto the page. Know what exactly that memory conveys before determining whether or not it’s worthy of a story. More importantly, ensure it can be an effective path from which you start your writing journey. Memories alone don’t determine your depiction of real life. Go out and listen to a conversation or witness an event worthy of commemoration. If you feel as though you don’t have the necessary experience to write the story you want, simply go out and seek it. 

While it’s not within the means of many to go on extravagant trips or travel exotic lands, you can always take a walk or a hike. Stories are set in every corner in the world, and they can be found there as well. 

Take Inspiration From Other Works Of Art

Works of art are said to be among the greatest sources of inspiration. While the written word is itself an art medium, drawing creativity from other forms of art can be especially motivating and enlightening. Symphonies by Mozart and Beethoven have been the catalyst to countless other works coming to life, and the same can be said for the paintings of Rembrandt or Raphael. Classical works like these might be better suited for more “classical” stories, but finding works of art that draw you in will help determine what stories you’re best suited to tell.

The words most easily written come from a story the writer would most want to read. Your writing style is the culmination of the works you read, viewed or listened to before making that first step. It’s important to understand that background also serves as your foundation. But one of the most significant details in artistic endeavors is finding the fine line between adulation and plagiarism. 

Emulation and homage are not equal to artistic theft. As Pablo Picasso famously said, “good artists copy; great artists steal.” Was one of the most revolutionary painters of the last 200 years advocating for creative thievery? No, instead the statement serves as a foundation for an important creative philosophy. That the most successful works of art inspire more works of art. An artist’s ideas are an amalgam of the characteristics they’ve picked up along the way, from other works of art and from other artists. 

Build On Or Alter History

Once again, real life proves to be just as interesting as the plots great authors concoct. Many of our greatest stories aren’t just built on the author’s memories, they’re built on altered or completed histories of many different cultures and civilizations. Large and ambitious empires rise and fall; lone figures loom in legends for thousands of years based on a heroic deed or distinct happening. Alternative History is itself a niche fictional genre, though most stories end up serving as “What if?” historical answers instead of delivering a truly unique vision. 

Many stories have begun as branches from actual events or notable persons. The greatest sources of drama and narrative tension tend to be times of contentious conflict or epic wars. The Revolutionary War, the War of the Roses, the Crusades and the Greco-Persian Wars have inspired countless works of art across countless mediums over time. Backstabbing political dealings and hidden armies traversing treacherous terrains were not concepts invented by 20th century authors, they were tactics used by some of the most fascinating minds and personalities to have ever existed. 

Some of the most significant and monumental works of art merely tried to capture a brief glimpse at the beauty of an afternoon or morning sun. Stories and books don’t have to extend beyond the imaginable to truly challenge the reader or audience. They can be based on modern political upheaval, societal shifts, ancient trials and tribulations or petty squabbles among historical figures. History and reality will continue to provide plenty of intriguing narratives for writers to mimic. 

Use A Modern Day Problem Or Issue

Passion is one of the most significant motivators and attributes of any writer or artist. Taking an idea that drives you and putting into your work is incredibly important, and can create a vast and lasting appeal to your work. The intricacies of modern society can contain many stories worth telling. It certainly isn’t right to make light or fun of any issue that plagues those societies or cultures, but artists have always used the state of the world as fuel for their work.

This transcends simply building on your life experiences or the world around you, but speaking about the world at large through the subtext of your work. Creating metaphors and allegories that shed light on issues or happenings you think are worth more attention. These same issues shouldn’t be manipulated simply for the sake of a good story, but can be important tools with which artful and endearing books can be written. Motivation can be just as important as ideation, and many authors have written heated words to create change in the real world. 

Create The World Your Story Will Inhabit

World-building is one of the most overused narratives practices of the modern day, but with good reason. Readers appreciate a fully fleshed-out world. They can more easily relate to the character; more easily picture its corners and sights. It can be the most detail-oriented aspect of writing any story but it can also be the most rewarding. If characters or plot don’t quickly present themselves, first give them a world to inhabit. That doesn’t necessarily mean it needs to be a Fantasy or Science Fiction-based world. 

The location or era of any story needs to be adequately established, even if it takes place outside your front door. Take time creating a foundation from which you can see many stories blooming. Establish a situation or setting in which you’d want to read a book and set it there. Create inhabitants with their own personalities and daily routines. Several notable books begin with a bang but most start with slow trickles of information, introducing the reader to the world they can expect to live in for the next several hundred pages.

Start With One Character In One Room 

Conversely, starting with one character is a stepping stone with similar effect but a different execution. Sometimes it’s a bit too much to start with an entire world. Settings and scenes do need to be set, but most books start with nothing more than a character in a room, and there’s nothing wrong with that. The plots of good books unfurl as their pages pass. If a reader can tell exactly what a book will consist of from its first page than it may not be an effective story. First, take some time to create your introductory character. Whether they’re your harrowing lead, your conniving villain or simply a narrative device does not need to be revealed by your first sentence.

What matters more than anything is starting to write. After creating a character decide what exactly could make them compelling or interesting. Give them characteristics and detail. Many authors have long lists of questions that they interview their characters with before they even write the first line of dialogue. Take time to decide where the character comes from and why they’re here. What could possibly drive them to leave that room, or even enter it in the first place? 

Make New Stories From Tired, Old Pieces

Stories, books and tall tales have existed for years and years. As the medium grows and changes so do its trends and standards. Many cliches were once revolutionary narrative techniques or plot twists. But time and the evolution of the medium will always lead writers to develop more effective practices. Some of the greatest works were inspired by other pieces that didn’t quite hit the mark. While it can become a crutch for any author to say their story is “A meets B”, there’s nothing wrong with deriving details and plot points from pieces you thought could have worked better. 

Any capable writer should also spend time analyzing any work they come across. Many stories are bits and pieces of other narratives that the creator chose to take in another direction. Understanding the medium in which you choose to create, or even the words you choose to speak with, means studying and scrutinizing the works of those who came before.

The Right Idea Is Your Idea

There is no rule to inspiration. It can come from anywhere, at anytime and from anything. Some of the world’s greatest authors spent a handful of days conceiving and writing their greatest work, while some took years. Stephen King is one of the most prolific authors of the modern day, but is he any less significant than J.D. Salinger or Harper Lee? Who themselves only had one significant book each. What can truly help a novel stand the test of time is the idea on which it stands, the foundation of its creation. Great book ideas are not an exact science, but that is not to say they lack for precision or detail. 

The planning stage of any novel or book is of the utmost importance and is not to be taken lightly. No writer has ever survived on the quality of their style or the merit of their reputation alone. The idea behind their work must also be of substance. Find an idea that is important and intriguing to you and the work will flow. Take care to also put the same level of work into every part of your undertaking. Every step of the process is important and sometimes arduous: from editing to ideation. Your book’s idea will come, but the most important technique is to take your first step and begin your first page.