Getting Ideas from Real Life, Kiefer Sutherland, and My Overactive Imagination

Getting ideas can be difficult if you’re lacking inspiration, but the good news is, they’re everywhere.

The advice to write what you know might seem limiting, but it can be a great launchpad for getting ideas flowing, then the only limit is your imagination.

For example, my current novel is about a woman who forms a support group for women to vent about men. They end up killing bad men. The idea came from similar revenge fiction, usually following just one woman seeking revenge. Obviously, it’s not something I’ve ever done in real life.

I wanted to put my own mark on the trope because there are only so many ideas out there, but it’s how we as authors choose to tell the story that makes ours different from similar books.

I wanted to see more of myself in the books I’ve read. Most have a main character who is financially well off. So, she has time to go around airing grievances against the opposite sex.  My main character and the other members of the group are working class. This changes the story immediately. Instead of having limitless free time to plan their crimes and scroll Instagram, they have to juggle their extracurricular activities with holding down jobs. They also have a different outlook on life.

The overall idea for the plot can be easier than the smaller details, which are just as important if you want your story to come to life. This is where I used my own and other women’s real experiences to talk about the way some men treat women, as well as the whole culture of victim blaming. Unfortunately, there are a lot of very real examples to choose from and every woman I’ve spoken to has a story. So, I combined and adapted some of these to fit in with my novel.

The one scene that sold a few copies at a spoken word night was based on a real experience I had on public transport. It was a small thing in comparison to many other women’s experiences. A man in the seat behind me kept leaning forward and brushing his hand against my shoulder and arm. I ended up leaning forward and sitting on the edge of my seat.

I described this in my book from my character’s point of view as she doubted herself and worried about whether she would be overreacting if she spoke up.

One of the women who bought a copy specifically mentioned that scene. Even though I hadn’t told her it was real, it felt relatable and realistic.

One thing I find helpful for generating ideas for the smaller details is to pay attention whenever my imagination wanders off-course. In my current work-in-progress, a character would be lured to his death, but I didn’t know how it would happen.

Then, as I was talking to someone about doing some TV extra work for them, I noticed a lot of red flags, such as not giving me the address and saying I’d be picked up from a random petrol station. I can’t give away spoilers for the novel, especially as it isn’t even published yet, but I imagined being murdered and how he might make it look like I either left my husband or killed myself. After I finished scaring myself, I realised my imagined worst-case scenario could be adapted for my plot in killing off my male character.

Not surprisingly, I didn’t take the TV extra work, so I don’t know what would have happened to me if I had. It helped with an important part of my plot though.

Since then, I’ve been too busy to act on every idea unless it helps with what I’m currently working on. I don’t want to let ideas go to waste though. So, I’ve started writing down ideas or random one-liners as I get them. They’re all saved in a folder on my phone, and this is backed up on my laptop. Some will be poems or short stories or might work as a line in these. A few are for other novels.

One of these ideas revolves around a supporting character in my work-in-progress. I only got to show a little of her backstory and motivations, but I think there’s scope for her to have her own novel.

Another idea I had was inspired by a dream. Not many people can say Kiefer Sutherland inspired them to write a novel. I dreamt that he attended a writer’s group I go to, and he read out an explicit story. Although I’ve forgotten all the details, there was something about a woman cheating on her inattentive husband. When I woke, my mind mixed some of my own thoughts with things from the dream. Thankfully, I got up even though it was around 3am, and I wrote some notes. Then, at a more reasonable time, I wrote the prologue beginning of the first chapter, then decided on the format the novel will follow when I get time to return to it.

I also take a lot of things literally, even if I know they’re not meant that way. So, for shorter fiction, I use my funny interpretations of something as a starting point. That’s why one of the ideas I have is for a throwaway funny story about someone attending an interview and being mocked. This idea came after my husband had a mock interview to prepare him for the real thing when he was applying for a permanent job at the place where he’s currently temping.

I used to get an idea and tell myself I’d remember it for later, then I forgot. It doesn’t take long to write down just a few lines that will jog my memory later. Now I’ve gotten into the routine of recording my ideas like this, I never run out of inspiration.

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Amanda Nicholson is an author, poet, podcast co-host and copywriter. Her recent novel has the memorable title Death to All Men. Amanda’s poetry has been broadcast on BBC Radio Manchester, and she won the Bradford Cares 2023 Competition. She Has a Creative Writing MA, and her articles have been published by Ask.com, Harlequin and Reader’s Digest UK, among others.

https://www.tiktok.com/@amandanicholsonwriter

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DEATH TO ALL MEN

She never intended to kill anyone.

Cassie Penbrook decides she’s had enough of men invading her and other women’s personal space and thinking they can treat women however they want. She places an ad in the local paper to form a group for women to vent about men.

Cassie, along with the other women, ends up killing an abusive man and covering up his murder. One thing leads to another, and before she knows it, she has notched up two murders and is already planning a third.

As she wonders whether she’s spiralling out of control, she tries to hold down a relationship with one of the few decent guys she’s met. However, one of the other group members has a dark secret.

Can Cassie ever return to having a normal life, or has she gone too far to go back?

BUY HERE

 

Tags: featured, women writers

Category: On Writing