Where Do You Get Your Ideas?

by Adam Huddleston

I would venture to guess that every famous author of fiction has at one point or another been asked the standard question: “Where do you get your ideas?” It’s a query often brought forth from novice writers looking for any bit of advice they can get.

As is typical with authors, the answers are quite varied. Some look back to life experiences for their inspiration. Others might take a previously published work and add their own personal twist on it.

One of the major impetuses for my writing is the dialogue I hear in everyday life. For example: One of my kids once asked if they could play on my phone. My wife responded that they couldn’t because, “Dad’s battery is dead.” That’s when the muse slapped me upside the head. What if, in the future, the male gender was extinct and all men were androids? And what might happen if one of these android’s batteries were running down, causing his spouse to need to reorder another husband, and this caused the artificially intelligent being to feel first sadness, then anger?

Yep.

That’s the kind of stuff that goes through my mind.

My advice for a struggling writer would be to search for ideas everywhere. Internet queries, favorite songs, even that awkward first kiss from a junior high classmate are fair game. If you look hard enough, eventually that muse will start swinging.

Just don’t duck.

Happy writing!

My Favorite Books for Writers

by Adam Huddleston

I thought this week I’d share a few books that I felt were very helpful for new writers.

The first is “Writing Fiction for Dummies” by Randy Ingermanson and Peter Economy. At first glance the title may appear to be condescending or lead the observer to believe that there is little useful information between its covers. This couldn’t be further from the truth.

The authors touch upon a wide range of topics in fiction writing. Everything from plot creation and character development to querying an agent and understanding royalties are covered. And what’s better, they are explained in a very easy-to-understand manner. This is the first title I read when I began my journey as a writer and I still return to it from time to time.

Another great reference, which I’ve referred to in the past, is “The Writer’s Digest Guide to Science Fiction and Fantasy” by Orson Scott Card. Who better to give advice on writing fiction that a world famous author? He covers world-building, story creation, and the business side of writing.

For another famous author’s views on writing, read “On Writing – A Memoir of the Craft” by Stephen King. This personal work focuses more on his life and how he became a writer than actual advice on the subject, but it is still an interesting read nonetheless.

Finally, no writer’s bookshelf would be complete without William Strunk and E.B. White’s “The Elements of Style.” The subject matter may get a bit technical at times, and it exists as more of a reference than a title you would read straight through from beginning to end, but it is a classic. It contains helpful information on proper grammar and punctuation usage, as well as a list of commonly misused words and expressions and several “reminders” when writing.

Run, don’t walk, to your nearest bookstore (yes there are still books with paper pages out there), and pick-up a copy of these marvelous works. You’ll thank me later.

Happy writing!

World Building

by Adam Huddleston

For writers who set their stories in the world as it exists today or in the past, the concept of world building may not be quite as important as it is to folks like me; the fledgling sci-fi/fantasy author. Real places with real people populate their work so they simply write what they know (or could find out through a basic internet search). What happens when you want to set your story on the planet Xynon in the Gordita galaxy? Or what if the country of your protagonist’s birth happens to be Fargan, where it rains peanut butter and jelly?

Mountains of books have been written on the subject of world building. I would highly recommend “The Writer’s Digest Guide to Science Fiction and Fantasy” by Orson Scott Card, author of “Ender’s Game.” He takes the major facets of world building chapter by chapter and explains them very well.

Once you get a feel for the different aspects: geography, peoples, history, religion, flora/fauna, etc. it is just a matter of developing them into a cohesive environment. Generally speaking, the deeper you delve into each part of world-building, the richer your work will be.

Another bit of advice: If you are going to create something that does not exist in the real world, you must make it relatable to something that is. What I mean is, the reader needs to be able to understand what it is they are reading about. For example, if you say, “the warfle crawled along the ground” give a good description of it so the reader won’t be lost.

Along the same lines, use real adjectives and verbs. Don’t say “the warfle cavadered along the sand.” Your reader has no idea what “cavadered” means. Just use crawled, slunk, etc.

Hopefully these suggestions will give you a jump-start in the practice of world-building. Happy writing!