Story Ideas? The "Eyes" Have It!

It doesn't seem to be much of a problem to find something to read.

You go to a library or a bookstore, find the type of story that interests you, and you bring it home to read. Easy, right?

But where did those story ideas come from?

In talking to students and adults, it is common to hear someone say they would like to write a book but don't know where to start. In this regard, the "eyes" have it.

As I tell the students in my writing workshops, absolutely anything can become an idea for a story. As an example, I ask them to think of their pencil.

It's the end of recess time. The students are lining up to come back into the classroom. The pencil, meanwhile, is sitting on the desk. This is the time of day the pencil dreads the most. The pencil knows the students -- sweaty and disgusting from running around at recess -- are returning.

And what's the first thing they reach for? Right. The pencil.

How do you think the pencil feels about this? You have to know the pencil is thinking, "No, no, don't touch me first, go for the book! Grab the book!"

But the student picks up the pencil.

"Yuck!" says the pencil.

And then the student decides the pencil needs to be sharpened. Sharpened! To a pencil, it's not a sharpener, it's a torture chamber! ZING!!

The point is, anything can be a story with a little imagination and vision. The "eyes" are very important to an author. What do you "see?" You have to "see" details and more details, no matter what type of story you might want to write, whether the genre is picture books, science fiction, romance, historical novel, biography, or whatever.

So the next time you pick up a book to read, try to "see" it through the author's eyes, following the path from the author's vision to the printed words you see on a page. With a little practice, you might soon "see" your own literary creation!