Hi Traci I was wondering if you could give me any good tips for a good story to write?

Traci L. Jones Hi Chris,
Usually I get my ideas from out of nowhere. My third book I was listening to my favorite Broadway musical and a phrase in one of the songs caught my attention. The phrase was silhouetted by the blue and I got to thinking what it meant, not only within the context of the play, but what it could mean otherwise. Silhouetted means defined, or outline, blue can mean depressed, then I thought what if a kid's life was being defined by depression. My second book came from talking with other African Americans about what it was like growing up during the 70's with busing. Standing came from an image I had of a girl walking through the cold towards home.

So if I were you and were searching for an idea I would do a couple of writing exercises. For instance, think back to your younger self and try to remember the most emotionally driven conversation you had, with a friend, a parent and write it out. Be as real and honest as you can about how you were feeling, what the other person's voice sounded like. Then once that's all out, re-write changing the POV to the other person. What do you think they were thinking, what were they seeing from their eyes. That sometimes can create a story idea.

Maybe you aren’t drawing a total blank. Maybe you have an image of a character. C.S. Lewis started out with a picture in his head A frazzled creature, half-man and half-goat, hurried through snowy woods carrying an umbrella and a bundle of parcels. And he got seven books out it. Stephanie Meyers had a dream of a girl and her vampire boyfriend who loved her but thirsted for her blood.So, take that one lonely image you have in your head and daydream about it for a few minutes. kay now write down everything you know about that the image, now expand it, think of it as a polaroid, let it come into focus, what’s in the background, is it a beginning scene, a middle scene or a climax? Who is there? How did they get there? Where are they? What decisions led them to this place?

Then if none of this is working, take one of your previous ideas and take a few moments as yourself a few what ifs about it. What if this took place in 1970? What if this took place in 2050? What if the narrator is unreliable? What if the narrator is Fate or God or the Devil. When one of those ideas seems interesting write a brief plot description – share starting with the what if you settled on.

Hope that helps!

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