Where do all those novelists get their ideas? From the same place which you could use to write stories – your imagination. Please don’t tell me you lack imagination, it’s an integral part of being human. Why is that person behaving in that way? Where has he/she gone away, and for so long? What a crazy thing to say, I wonder why? What will happen if I…..? How can I tell him/her without hurting their feelings? Why is the bus late? What made that noise? And so on. Imagination fills in the gaps in our everyday experience. And relating our experiences in the form of stories takes up much of our conversations with friends. “You won’t believe, it but when I went to see who was at the front door…….” Even the news is presented as stories.
So apply your imagination to the following situations and see how easy it is to create stories:
The schoolboy walked slowly and reluctantly to the Principal’s office. He knocks on the door. “Come in”, she says. ?????
She first met him on the way up to her studio. He had come rushing down the stairs looking very angry and brushed past her with only a brief “sorry’. Later he was in the coffee shop next door. ?????
“Now what do I do“, he thought, as the big black dog slowly approached. Was this the right time to talk to the neighbour? ????
She saw the old woman drop the letter to the ground. Was it deliberate or an accident? Should she pick it up and give it back? ????
These are events or situations, but there could be a history that precedes them and a future ahead. It’s your job as a story teller to create the context. Ask questions and use your imagination: Who is he? Why is she there? What happened before? What will happen next? What emotions or feelings are involved? Is this event funny or sad or dangerous?
The ingredients for a story can be very basic. The classic is Boy meets girl. How about creating a story from: Man looks for horse, or She threw away the clock or The child sat down and cried or His mother rang him at midnight.
Just close your eyes and let your imagination run riot. Then don’t forget to write down what you have discovered! Who knows, you may end up with a best seller!
Renaissance not Retirement 