Coming up with story ideas can be nerve racking. You may have tried looking at pictures or listening to music, etc. Perhaps, you’ve read my previous blog on story ideas, but still cannot get inspired. (Click on story ideas to read the previous blog.)
Want something fresh? Something new? Are you desperate to have a different take on a story that will get readers talking? I have some awesome story ideas about topics rarely written about.
When a writer spins a story about a subject which people don’t really explore, it can create a new niche. Or, at least seems original. The important thing to remember is NOT to stress yourself out on being original or new wave. The fact is that in this day and age nothing is completely new or original.
There is a saying in teaching pedagogy: “Why reinvent the wheel?” It means there is no reason to stress yourself out when using a method that already works. The wheel has been around for ages and it has always function the right way without any need to reconstruct it. It does its purpose, nothing else can do what it does better.
Keep in mind, you can decorate the wheel. Put some spinners on it to make it look entertaining, but at the end of the day, it is still just a wheel that functions like all the other wheels. Most stories are like this. Your unique writing voice and telling of the story gives the tale its glitter.
Styling your novel in an original way can give you more popularity and prestige. Wicked, for example, is the simple retelling of an old story. Again, Gregory Maguire didn’t recreate another wheel. His style simply bejeweled it with a rich retelling of the story from a different point of view.
So, let’s get that glue gun heated up and lay out some precious stones. Below are ideas that range from genres of romance, crime, and fantasy. However, with a little twerking, any idea can be modified into the desired genre you are writing in. Or, shake yourself out of your routine and try another writing style. Maybe it will knock some creativity through to get you writing again.
Here are 13 story ideas:
- High class prostitute falls for average man but refuses to quit her job. Write about the trouble and turmoil their lives go through as they try to make this relationship work.
- Mythology is always a good “go to” resource. I think it is time for someone to write about the relationship between Hades and Persephone. Plus, a pushy mother-in-law that demands to see her daughter 6 months out of the year must have a story to be told.
- For Shakespeare fans: Write about Mercutio’s heartbreak. Someone must have done a number on him. How else could he deliver the most powerfully, riveting speech about anti-love?
- Black market crime syndicate provides certain individuals a virtual reality experience of murder/theft/crime for the right price. For one individual, things get out of hand after he experienced his wife getting murdered.
- An out of work manager at a daycare decides to use her new free time to reprogram her husband’s bad habits. Her experiments based on child psychology training has her reshaping her husband into her idea of the perfect man.
- The story of the fictional secret lover of (name that dead person).
- A family escapes a Japanese Internment Camp during World War II. How did they do it? What happened after their escape?
- Woman has psychic link to objects. Every time she touches an object she sees the history behind it, such as, who has touched it and what it was used for. When she touches (name that object), she sees an unsolved murder. The police don’t believe her. It is up to her and her blind neighbor to find the killer and put him to justice.
- Navy man is in training to be a US Seal. One problem: he is having an affair with his commanding instructor.
- Writer falls for the recurring hero/heroine of her/his book, then character comes to life. How can a fictional character stand up to real life situations? Does the writer still desire her/his character when there is laundry to be done and no one has washed the dishes?
- A husband is a closeted homosexual who is leading a double life. He stays in an unhappy marriage but he goes out at night to satisfy his true nature. Soon his teenage son comes out to him. Will the husband have the courage to reveal his secret? How does that affect the family?
- Pregnant girl finds out her baby daddy is an alien. Her child could be humanity’s savior or destroyer.
- Some more Shakespeare with a twist: What about King Lear in a Sci-Fi version? Three half human, half dragon daughters battle over their kingdom in the wake of their father’s “terminal illness”. In fact, their father is playing sick to see who should have the crown and who really loves him.
I hope these story ideas get some of your creative juices flowing. Once you have the idea you like, read my blog “Making Your Ideas into a Novel” for further help on writing your story.
Tell me what you think about the ideas or add some ideas of your own in the comment section below.
#getinspired
#keepwriting
#storyideas
Jasmine Lace 