How to create an interesting story - Writers Forum

Sporkling · 06-17-2008, 10:55 AM

What sort of ideas make interesting stories?

I have another question too. How do you get ideas to write?

Wintermute · 06-17-2008, 11:36 AM

When you find out, let me know please. I'm curious myself.

Mr.B · 06-17-2008, 12:00 PM

It might be a vague answer, but I suppose ideas that inspire me make it possible for me to write an interesting story.
For your second question, I get ideas by always being open to them. One time I heard about Christians being disappointed when they gave away all they had and waited for God to return. They camped out on the night He was supposed to come and He never did. It inspired me to write a short story called "Second Coming".

tehuti88 · 06-17-2008, 04:15 PM

The first question is kind of...odd...because what's interesting to one person will be incredibly dull to another. For instance, I write about Ojibwa mythology. I find this so interesting that I could go on for AGES and AGES about it, but I don't, because I know that would bore some other people to tears. Somebody here might love a good sports story, while I would promptly wander off and find something else to read. It's a matter of opinion. There's no right or wrong answer. *shrug*

How do people get ideas to write? Again, you'll get all sorts of answers. I get lots of ideas from the reading I do on the subjects I'm interested in. And since I write in series, often an earlier story in the series will inspire ideas for later stories. Often I'll think about the histories of my characters and that can spark stories too. I'm sure there are other sources of ideas for me but I can't think of them at the moment.

PageOfCups · 06-17-2008, 04:19 PM

What makes a story interesting is highly subjective so I can't give you much of an answer to that. Characters are central no matter what the story though and they're usually half the battle.

And ideas aren't something you can force or control in my experience, you just have to learn to recognise them when they stumble along and modify them if you don't like them.

lin · 06-17-2008, 05:24 PM

Sex helps.

And violence.

And also sex.

Oh, and drugs.

Katastrof · 06-17-2008, 05:46 PM

Write about what you find interesting; no point in pleasing others if you don't get any satisfaction out of the work you put in.

lin · 06-17-2008, 07:34 PM

But if it's not of interest to anybody else, why bother writing it down?

Katastrof · 06-17-2008, 08:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lin

But if it's not of interest to anybody else, why bother writing it down?

Because writing's a form of self-expression. Keyword: self.

Wintermute · 06-17-2008, 08:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Katastrof

Because writing's a form of self-expression. Keyword: self.

Publication is a form of mass expression. Keyword: mass.

CodeRed · 06-17-2008, 09:14 PM

Personally, I think that it isn't the idea itself that makes a piece of writing interesting, but rather the execution of the idea. I've read epic stories that were incredibly boring, and I've read a short story that was essentially a description of wallpaper that was far more interesting (and I'm not being facetious, that is actually true

).

lin · 06-17-2008, 09:43 PM

Quote:

Because writing's a form of self-expression. Keyword: self.

So it sex. Would you say that it's pointless to think about other people in that case?

You might also, since you're so into root words here, examine EXpression. Look it up, see what "EX" means.

(PS...It doesn't refer to the woman who left you because you thought sex was all about yourself and nobody else mattered)

Katastrof · 06-17-2008, 10:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wintermute

Publication is a form of mass expression. Keyword: mass.

Who said anything about publication? Some of the best writing isn't written just for a meal ticket.

Quote:

So it sex. Would you say that it's pointless to think about other people in that case?

You might also, since you're so into root words here, examine EXpression. Look it up, see what "EX" means.

(PS...It doesn't refer to the woman who left you because you thought sex was all about yourself and nobody else mattered)

I think that making the writing interesting for yourself, keeping yourself on the edge of the seat, is the key to making other people interested too. If you believe in your work and like it, there's bound to be someone out there who shares your passion. So why not make it interesting for yourself so you can enjoy it, instead of working to someone else's standards?

lilacstarflower · 06-18-2008, 04:03 PM

Don't know about the first question

The second question however: I like something to start with, then I ask myself questions about it, let my mind wander a little, do a little research and then like a tidal wave I get hit with loads of 'scenes' that I write out as quickly as I can. Then I try to put them in some kind of order so its makes sense

(always wanted to use that one!)

lin · 06-18-2008, 05:44 PM

Quote:

Some of the best writing isn't written just for a meal ticket.

Bullshit. Everybody likes to believe this, but it's crap.

Try this little test: how would anybody KNOW all that good stuff is out there, but unpublished? It's like those statistics on unreported crimes.

The really great comedians never tell jokes to anybody else. The best musicians are out on their back porch and nobody ever hears them. The greatest athletes never compete because they are only interested in their own actions.

Etc.

Hey, if sex is interesting for yourself, why bother to go out of the way to make it good for somebody else? Or even have anybody else involved?