The Perspiring Writer Magazine

Many times I get the same line from people who have read my work.  “Where do you get your ideas?” they say.   

“Hmmmmm . . .” I say, because I have occasionally wondered about that—where do I get my ideas? For me, coming up with an idea for an article or story causes as much perspiration and sometimes more frustration than the process of putting it down on paper. Over the years, I have learned a few things that have helped me in times of trial.

First of all, I find that broadening the scope of the material I read can really help, as it is easy for me to slip into that little crevice of latching onto the usual thing. Besides the consumption of fiction, articles and essays; news, my favorite magazines, and what not -- reading things I would not have otherwise considered, like a travel or photography magazine, or even a fitness one (just kidding, but not out of the question) can be the answer.  

Also, there are some wonderful places I know I can repeatedly turn to. The Dictionary of Imaginary Places, by Alberto Manguel and Gianni Guadalupi is a good start for ideas, along with Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, or John Bartlett’s Familiar Quotations.  As funny as it may sound, even something more trivia based, such as Uncle John’s 4-ply Bathroom Reader, can be a boost in potential possibilities. Browsing through a few pages of books like these can get the “what if” assembly line going again.

Second, I turn to my recycle bin, because new ideas can come from old ideas. If you do not save some of the projects that you have started on, those which have fizzled out as you pursued them, you should try it. It is ideal material to wander through and approach again from a different perspective, one that I could not seem to find the first few times I tried.

Old outlines, ideas scratched down in the middle of the night (yes, the ones that at the time seemed like a sure Pulitzer). Even character profiles and old pages of research can jolt those idea creating gears that have either frozen or are waiting for the right fuel to get them grinding away again. I have been doing that for over thirty years, and I am thankful when I run across something that I can rewrite, or something else I did not toss in the circular years back.

The third thing is something I catch myself not doing. I call it “Barnstorming after Brainstorming.”  In other words, you have to blow the whistle and call the office closed for the day. I find the best time to do that is after I have sat down and done the things mentioned above.    

I try to write most days, usually for a couple hours or so, unless there is a specific reason that demands more. Most of the time, when my ideas are at a standstill, I realize I have forgotten to allow enough time to sit down and do nothing but brainstorm. I wait until my head goes dry; then I walk around griping and whining (honestly), and wishing I would have taken up painting (not so honestly). 

Putting aside a certain time to think of fresh ideas, and not judging them as ridiculous or totally insane, but simply jotting them down on a legal pad, has always helped my idea factory. 

Then, equally as important, is setting the legal pad aside. This seems to be the time to shut the creative process off – to go swimming, or golfing, or biking, or skiing -- whatever falls under your term for “barnstorming." I will sometimes try to forget about the whole process for a day or so and let all the things I have flooded my brain with, sit in the recesses and ferment. 

So for me, keeping my reading agenda broad and sometimes fishing for ideas in unusual rivers; referring back to and rethinking ideas that have at one time gone stale; and making sure that I both recharge my head and then unplug it for awhile to let it have some other fun – all of these things make a contribution toward keeping the raw materials flowing into my imagination receptacle where I can process them and ship them out.