Tips for finding ideas on how to write a story

What did you say? You cannot find anything to write about for a story. Open your eyes, look around you, and listen to snippets of conversation. Here are a few simple suggestions:

You could be a nurse, what happened to that patient? You are a wife and mother, yet you say; "I haven't done anything interesting." Then how do you cope with your children, what about their fights at school, how did you stop the kids from killing one another? How has your husband survived over the years in his stressful job?

Finding ideas to write a story will come from everywhere around your everyday experiences. You can create a story from anything at all. A snippet of conversation; "Minnie is having an affair with her best mates husband," Jodie said." That is the making of a story. Why, when, where, how, did she cheat on her friend; what made her husband be unfaithful, was it stress, lack of money, pressures of work, maybe he thought his wife was being unfaithful to him.

Once you put down answers to those questions, you ask yourself, where did they live, in which town, city, or country did it happen. What did the husband do for a living?

Was it the wife's fault? Did she spend too much time with the children, leaving her man feeling neglected or not needed anymore? When you have worked this out, put obstacles in their way, to prevent them from reconciling their marriage.

When that is fixed, create an illness, so he/she feels sorry for the other one. It is fiction, so you make up anything; create suspense, drama, and action. This is how you keep the reader interested. Hold the reader's attention, or they will put the book or story down without a second thought.

If you really cannot think of anything to write, then you may think you have writers block. Grab a dictionary and open a page, close your eyes, and stab your finger on the page. No matter what the word is, write it down.

Do this ten to twelve times. If you do not know the meaning of the words chosen, look at the description in the dictionary or get a theasaurus and find a similar word, meaning the same thing. Now start writing sentences, each with a different word until you make it into a gripping short story or even a novel.

Read, read, and read, the more you read the more you will learn. Start reading a short story; see how they have written it. Pick one and replace all the plots with your own plot, or drama. Practice this until you have a completely different story.

Then start in the middle of your story as though it was the beginning and rearrange the whole setup. Start your story with action. Show the action happening, do not tell it.

The Five senses

Smell the flowers, hear the ocean and see the breakers rolling onto the sand, touch the softness of satin and last but not least, taste the saltwater on your lips.

Now look for color in the scenes. "The blue sky disappearing behind the gray rolling clouds.". "The violet lavender waving in the breeze".

In the beginning, write about things you know something about. Do you own pets? Medical problems or insurance claims that went wrong, an ocean or beach disaster, incredible holidays and the best destinations.

Plagiarism or copyright

Beware of the meaning of plagiarism or copyright. Remember whatever you write yourself is yours. Never copy anything that someone else has written.

Find ideas for your story, from everyday happenings. Look around you, listen, and read how others do it. Then you will be writing your own stories.

Children 's short stories

Make up stories to tell the children. Then write down the ones they loved the best. Ask them to participate, adding their own little suggestions.

Writing for children can be very hard. You need to make sure you use different length words for the different age child. A five year old would not understand the longer word. At the same time high school kids would not bother to read baby talk. Get it right.

Conclusion

Find ideas for your story, from everyday happenings. Remember to look around you, listen and read how others do it. Then you will be writing your own short stories or thrilling novel.

Keep a small notebook with you at all times. Jot down the little things and ideas that pop into your head. You will never remember it,the next day or week, if you don't write it down.

Above all, learn to write, write and then write some more. I hope these tips for finding ideas to write a story will help you to be successful.