the writer's room discussion

help I’m just so stuck, how do you guys come up with ideas for your next works?

Taking a real situation then using my imagination to create the world around it. A neighbor gave my spouse and I a plant when we moved in so I’m working on a romance novel idea where the opening scene is the love interest, a stranger, gifting the main character a plant. The story spirals from there, and I usually come up with an ending or at least the direction I want to head in first, then make an outline so I can see where the story leads before trying to write it. Some things work, some don’t, so it’s okay to play with it a bit!

Also, people watching! My husband and I always play a game where we guess where people in cars are going and give them names, occupations, and decide how long we think they’ve known each other and how, etc. we also do it (quietly) in restaurants or coffee shops or the dog park. Real strangers might give you a great idea for a character, and then you can picture the world around them and what their struggle is.

I’m a beginner myself by I was raised by an author parent so I’m familiar with the process, but don’t take my word for it. What works for me or someone else might not be your jam!

i wish i could help with this a ton but really i have anxiety and adhd so i just space out and a book idea comes to mind lmao but something that’s a good starter imo is doing fairy tale retellings :)

to be honest i take real life situations that have happened to me or things i wish could happen to me and i put a spin on those things! like, for example, i recently had this big crush on this guy and i was hoping for a little summer romance with him, but he only likes me as a friend, so i decided to write a story about a summer romance and how two people try to deal with having a relationship and dealing with coming of age/college at the same time!

I personally take inspirations from the vibes/storyline of a song, or something that’s happened irl and just spin it my own way. I also use picture prompts a lot.

i am a very visual person, and i tend to get ideas from art, film, and photography. as a photographer myself, sometimes i take inspiration from my own photos, whether it's photographs of strangers on the street, or a really interesting location that gets me inspired.
i also tend to get very inspired when i travel. usually i'll end up coming back from a trip with a new wip or something that i want to brainstorm more.
when it comes to characters, i love putting together playlists that remind me of the kind of people they are. playlists really help to immerse myself in ideas and prompt creativity.

There is a scene in the film "The Player" where a producer demonstrates how news items can be the source material for a screenplay. He picks up a newspaper, reads a few of the headlines and then expresses them as the elevator pitch.