I quite often get asked a question most, if not all, writers will be familiar with, and that is how do I come up with ideas for my books. Whilst that might sound like a pretty straightforward question, the answer is rather more complex, so I thought I’d make it the subject of this month’s blog posting.

Some writers have ‘ideas’ days where they set themselves up somewhere quiet and pleasant, then sketch out any and every thought that pops into their head that could conceivably be turned into a book.

Others adopt the well-worn approach of taking something familiar, such as a trip to the shops or a holiday, give it a twist and turn it into a full blown story.

Another approach is to go fishing in the well of myth and legend, re-shaping such a story and placing it in a more modern setting.

There’s nothing wrong with any of these approaches and they can all yield good results. I’ve tried the first two myself, though I found the outcome less than satisfactory. And I’ll explain why next.

At the other end of the spectrum, in her book ‘Big Magic’, Elizabeth Gilbert describes in beautifully worded prose her belief that stories are out there, around us all the time, each one looking for a partner to write it down.

So me, where do I fit in? Somewhere between the two approaches I’ve outlined above, is where. Most of my stories begin as a single sentence or two that simply pops into my head. And once I start writing it down, I usually find that the words just keep flowing.

Once I have the seed of an idea, then I just get on with it and let the story take me where it will. Writing like this means that any idea that does pop into my head doesn’t need to be anything more than the tiniest slip of a thing in order for me to get going.

What I have also found is that if I do try to consciously generate ideas then I usually do pretty poorly. It’s not that I can’t ever come up with any ideas, more that the vast majority are boring and unimaginative. And if they are boring to me it’s odds on any story I write off the back of them is going to be boring to any reader who tucks into it.

In fact, it seems the less conscious effort I make to generate ideas, the more likely I am to find delicious little gems landing in my lap.

So, where do my ideas come from? Well, my head, is the simple answer! But how they get shaped and delivered is another matter entirely, one beyond my comprehension. I just make sure that I’ve always got something to hand that I can write on or in, so whenever I do take delivery of one of those little gems then I am ready and don’t end up losing it down the back of the sofa.


For the full version of this post please see http://www.benwesterham.com/a-writers....

Get a free copy of the novel ‘Good Investigations’ here http://www.benwesterham.com/.
Crime fiction with attitude and humour from 1980s London.