Where do I get my Writing Ideas from?

Becoming a Published Author is a very interesting phenomenon.

For instance, I was asked by one of my friends, where I get my Writing ideas from.

For me, Writing ideas can come from anywhere.

I will share with you five sources here.

1.Stories of real people I heard whilst growing up.

Growing up, there was no shortage of scandals; disasters; dramas; comedies; rhetoric ; tragedy; romance.

You name it, it was there wherever you turned!

I used to hear stories with such themes happening to neighbours, family members, family friends, teachers, strangers ...

The stories were greatly entertaining and make excellent Book material.

2.Sheer creative imagination emanating from Stories I read in Books and Movies I watched on tele as I was growing up.

Growing up in a family of Educators: my paternal Grandfather was a teacher ; my paternal Grandmother was a teacher; my mother was a teacher and my father was a Lecturer and Principal of a College ... there was no shortage of Books to read.

From Ian Fleming's James Bond to Peter Benchley's Jaws to D.H Lawrence's Sons and Lovers to Modekai Abernia Hamutyinei's Karikoga Gumi Remiseve to Giles Kuimba's Rurimi Inyoka to William Shakespeare's Macbeth ... to Enid Blyton series ... to Mills and Boons ... to Watching Soaps on tele like Dallas, Dynasty, Falcon Crest ... not forgetting Westerns; Murder Mysteries ; Crime Series ... there was a wealth of information there that served as fodder for Writing material.

3.Lessons from personal experience that I want people to learn from

There are stories I have heard, for instance, in my family that involve great tragedies which I feel had they been dealt differently, the outcome could have been very different and less tragic.

So, I write about such stories, but change the outcome to get my own healing and closure and in the process, hopefully provide useful and practical solutions to problems arising in family and in relationships.

4. My mother, the late Laurentia Eunah Mutubuki Chambiwa was an excellent story teller

Growing up, I used to listen to Mum's stories, my young mind absorbing every story she told like a sponge.

Her stories ranged from personal stories during her childhood growing up ... to family dramas ... to family friends fiasco ... to colleagues' chinanigings ... to neighbours' theatrics ... and each time , there were lessons to learn from these stories.

She taught through stories.

Mum had this gift of painting vivid and descriptive tales; listening to her was like watching a Drama series on the tele.

5.Ideas from friends and colleagues ; even strangers!

Where I come from in Zimbabwe, people are so friendly and so hospitable.

You may board a Kombi - a form of public transportation - and sit next to a stranger - and that stranger will recite to you a true story about someone you don't know with such detail and thoroughness you'll be astonished.

The facts, the dates, the place where the story happened ... would be so detailed, by the time the journey is over, the amount of information you'll be having in your head would be astounding !!

So, as you can see, ideas for writing a Book can come from anywhere.

Just open your creative mind; who knows, maybe one of these days you may come up with just THAT idea that will catapult you to that first Book!!

#writingideas #sourceofwritingideas #writingmaterial #bookideas