Coming Up With Ideas For Your Novel

A Side-Note on Coming Up With Ideas

I don’t know how most people come up with the ideas for their stories, but I realized the more I thought about my novel and what I had written the more I realized it was similar to so many other stories. I was worried about this, but it seemed like a lot of those stories were similar to each other as well. Take my story for example, it’s similar to Norse mythology and Nightmare Before Christmas in that they travel between worlds, but it’s also similar to Alice in Wonderland in the same regard or even Neverwhere (a book I highly recommend reading).


I felt better about using ideas that have already been taken when I stumbled on (literally stumbleupon.com) this quote by T.S. Eliot from his book The Sacred Wood, “Immature poets imitate; mature poets steal; bad poets deface what they take, and good poets make it into something better, or at least something different.” I basically figure this means, the only way to write a story is to steal something from somewhere else. I first have to be mature enough to accept that it’s stealing, then I need to decide how to make it better. If I only pretend to steal, chances are, I’ll come up with a sad excuse for a book, so I decided I’m willing to use ideas that already exist and make them my own.

Keep a Notepad

In the weeks I have spent writing my novel, I have come up with inspiration in the oddest of places. To be honest, I probably spend more time coming up with ideas for my novel when I should be doing something else than when I’m trying to write.


 I was on my way to a friend’s house the other day when I had some ideas about the wizard character in my novel. I’ve started keeping a pen and notepad on me, so I stopped and sat down on a wall to write my ideas. When I finished, I had to remember where I was going.


I find that most of the time I get an idea, I’m not anywhere I can do anything about it, so I take the notepad home and write it down on the computer when I have a chance.


 I also get a lot of ideas when listening to music or reading. While reading Dracula, I enjoyed finding out that vampires have a lot of restrictions on what they can or can’t do. Dracula knocks over Jonathan Harker's mirror at one point because he, as a vampire, is invisible in mirrors. Jonathan also finds Dracula sleeping in a coffin in an area of dug-up earth where he could have killed him. 


Being a vampire has its perks, like being able to climb walls; speak with wolves; and have supernatural strength, but it also has a lot of hindrances that make the vampires mortal. I told my friend, Lisette about this, and she mentioned that Dracula also can't enter a house unless invited, much like Mephistopheles.


 I didn’t know who that was, but I didn’t want to look stupid so I wrote down the name then went on Wikipedia later. Apparently Mephistopheles is the devil, but he can't come in someone’s home unless invited. That gives me great ideas for dark creatures that will exist in my novel.  After reading about Mephistopheles, I want to name them daemons or daimoneon. I’m not sure how it will work yet though.

Keep Reading While You Write

I read this quote by Stephen King while looking up ideas on writing: “If you don't have time to read, you don't have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that.” I enjoy reading, but I’ve never done it very consistently. Stephen King was relentless in saying this though. I’m not sure how accurate it is, but it makes sense. It’s like a blind person trying to learn to draw, possible but maybe not worth the effort.


I started reading several days’ worth of Dracula at a time when I read that. I also picked up a copy of The Hunger Games from a friend in case I have extra time when I’m out. I think it will give me more ideas for my novel. It’s definitely hard to figure out what the balance between writing and reading is, though.


I also suggest going to see plays. They are literary too ^_^ I went to see Pygmalion at a local college this last weekend – good job to the people at CCU for doing so well! Pygmalion reflects human character amazingly well. I don’t know that I learned anything from it that could help my novel, but seeing it definitely keeps my creative juices going.

Keep Focused on Your Novel

It’s easy to lose focus when there are so many fun things to write about. I’ve thought about starting so many other novels now that I’m thinking about it, but I have to keep bringing myself back to this one. Who knows how great the novel will be until I write it, and I will never get anything written and published in two years unless I keep my focus where it should be.


I try to write a little every day either in or about my novel, even if it’s just for 20 min or half an hour. The thoughts and inspiration come easier each day I write, although I find that my first half hour of writing is usually gibberish. I read somewhere that you should never throw away ideas, but you should keep them in a folder since you don’t know when they will be useful, so that’s what I’ve done for now. Maybe those ramblings will be useful down the road.