The Write Stuff

by Ashley Lister

Ideas

I gave a lecture on creative writing last week.  We covered most of the basic topics – plot structure, character development and whether or not the use of adverbs should be punished with the death penalty.  At the end of the lecture, there was a Q&A and, as often happens, someone asked, “Where do you get ideas from?”

Many writers ridicule this question and say things like: “I subscribe to Ideas Monthly: the magazine with all the plots idea.”  The less facetious make quips like, “I steal them,” or, “The voices in my head tell me what to write.”

Personally, I think it’s a valid question and undeserving of ridicule.  The reason so many writers recoil from this question is because it’s one where they don’t fully know the answer.  I’ve been halfway through a novel, pondering the next part of the plot progression and trying to tie it in with a character twist, and I sometimes wonder where the idea has come from.  The most disturbing realisation is: I don’t always know.

For those ideas I can trace to their origins, I know that much of my inspiration comes from watching films.  This is not an admission that I steal storylines.  I don’t.  This is me saying that I’ll watch a film, see two characters interacting in one specific way, and then think, “What would happen if that interaction changed slightly?”  If it’s a good film, I will forget about the inspired idea and get lost in watching the movie.  If it’s a dull film, I can mentally storyboard my way through a new plot idea before the end credits have started to roll.

Sometimes an overheard snatch of conversation will inspire me. 

I once heard one colleague confide to another: “And I still won’t touch it unless I’m wearing rubber gloves.”  That comment – heard without any context supporting it, immediately set my thoughts on a tangent.  My imagination spent hours trying to offer a logical explanation for that statement and several stories came out of that one snippet.  I have no interest in knowing what was really being discussed.  Somehow, I think the real reason for her making that comment would probably be a disappointment. 

There have been times when my imagination has been driven purely by character development.  Thinking about one or more characters, and considering what they’re likely to do in a given situation, has produced some work of which I’m very proud.  As a reader I enjoy discovering whole and complex characters.  As a writer I take particular pleasure in exploring characters and trying to bring them to life on the page. 

Sometimes an idea will spring fully-formed into my head.  Often this happens when I’ve read a Call For Submission from ERWA.  To me, there is something irresistible about the challenge of being asked to produce an innovative story on a specific topic, especially when I know that my efforts will be competing for the attention of an editor alongside a host of competent and respected writers from within the industry. 

And there have been other times when I’ve simply stared at a blank page on the computer screen and wondered where the ideas should be coming from.

When ideas aren’t immediately forthcoming, I can always busy myself by working on other things.  Sometimes the absence of inspiration is a relief and allows me to proof, edit and study.  Sometimes the absence of inspiration is a living hell and I begin to wonder if I’ve broken my creativity muscle. 

But, most times, inspiration eventually comes.

For those who are struggling to drum up ideas, there are ways to inspire creativity.  I recently attended a creative writing class where the lecturer handed out a list of single plot elements.  These included:

• A couple meet for lunch.
• An exchange is made on a bridge.
• Someone sees their name mentioned in a friend’s diary.

The lecturer then went on to remind us of the traditional fiction genres and told us to write in the style of any one that took our fancy.  It was a fairly tight remit and I found myself writing a horror story about a man making a deal with the devil on a precarious bridge.  The finished product – three and half thousand words later – was a pleasant reward for my efforts.

Another lecturer advised starting with a line of dialogue. 

Another suggested looking at old movie titles and seeing if the phrasing used in those classics inspired any story ideas. 

Some of the best ideas for stories simply come from wondering, “What if…?” 

Ashley Lister
December '08 - January '09

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"The Write Stuff" © 2008 Ashley Lister. All rights reserved.

About the Author:  Ashley Lister is a UK author responsible for more than two-dozen erotic novels written under a variety of pseudonyms. His most recent work, Swingers: True Confessions from Today's Modern Swinging Scene (Virgin Books), a non-fiction book recounting the exploits of UK swingers, is his first title published under his own name.
Ashley’s non-fiction has appeared in a variety of magazines, including Forum, Chapter & Verse and The International Journal of Erotica.  Nexus, Chimera and Silver Moon have published his full-length fiction, with shorter stories appearing in anthologies edited by Maxim Jakubowski, Rachel Kramer Bussel and Mitzi Szereto.  He is very proud to be a regular contributor to ERWA.
Email:  Ashley Lister
Website:  www.ashleylister.co.uk

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