Every story starts with an idea.
Mine usually starts with a character, but that’s not necessarily how it works for everyone. Regardless, stories are everywhere. In the snippets of an overheard conversation, in the weird thing, you saw the other day, in the striking person you met on the street.
Everyone has a story, and that’s the beauty of it. You can base an entire story on what you think about a distant stranger and they will never know. They think of themselves in a very specific way, and you see them in a very different light. Do they have a guitar? A skateboard? A specific haircut that makes you think or feel a certain way about them? The assumptions you make about them are what can fuel your story, and the beautiful part is that you’re probably wrong.
Which makes the idea that you could have built a story around them, completely impossible, because as far as they view themselves, the characters, and the stories around those characters, aren’t them. Stories are everywhere, try to cultivate the ability to look and listen, be an observer, a people watcher, you’re sure to find a few great story ideas if you just look and listen a little.
Exercise:
Go People Watching:
During this exercise you should write down information on 5 different people:
Name:
Background:
Ideas about who they are:
This only works if you DON’T know the person, don’t use this method on people you know. DON’T engage with the person, the idea is to make stuff up based on their appearance. This exercise is designed to help you become more observant, and give you several story ideas, from someone who will never know they helped you find a new story idea.