Ideas for Writing Part III

Ideas for Writing Part III

In the past two blogs I discussed many different ways to have some great ideas for new novels. Looking though older works and putting a different spin on it is a great way to create new books. Taking a popular story and retelling it through the eyes of a different character is another way to find new ideas for your writing. Creating amazing characters and setting them into situations that are outside their comfort zone and difficult for them is an industry standard for coming up with stories. Today I’m going to look at a source for books that can be used for both fiction and non-fiction books alike; the news.

Each and every day thousands of newspapers are printed and countless news networks report the news 24 hours a day. There is more news than any one person could ever read or process in a single day. These news stories are some of the best places to grab ideas for books. There are many different ways that you can use the news to gain new ideas. There are so many different news sources that it can be hard to know which ones to pay attention to. Follow along as I discuss how to use the news to have an unending source of material for your writing.

The first thing that needs to be looked at when deciding what news to follow is what kind of writing you are going to be doing. If you want to write economic books, watching and reading stock and market news and what is happening with government economic policy is the best place to start. If you are like me, a science fiction and fantasy writer, following more science based news and papers is very helpful. Someone who writes comedy might want to find a news outlet that focuses on the lighter side of things and someone who writes how-to books would want to focus on general news.

Picking the right news source to pay attention to is a big part of it. I read all the science news that I can find. Some of the stories that I hear seem stranger than fiction. What scientists are working on developing and what they are learning about humans and the world around us. By using these concepts I can enhance my science fiction writing and discover new concepts that people are looking at.

Watching the news is a great place for people who like to write biographies to learn about new people whose lives would make an interesting read. People who’ve done extraordinary things in their lives will be featured on the news. This is also a great way to learn ways to develop characters for your writing. There are many people out there who can serve as either an inspiration to other or as a warning. Often the news features little bits and pieces about them, never coming close to tackling the whole story.

Authors who want ideas for economics or government books can use the news to discover the latest trends, what people are interested in and how they are trying to use that data in their own lives. There is a never-ending stream of information about economics and finance that the news reports on every day. Any one of these pieces or news stories could be turned into a full book or used as an enhancement chapter in a book you’re already working on.

There is always the question of whether its life imitating art or art imitating life. Which one comes first? You can use the news as a basis for your books. A quick scan of the headlines on a news website today shows many things that could be used as a full novel. There is a story about possible fraud at an election, military troops engaging an enemy, a new twist and witness in a murder case that was thought to be settled, the shortage of high-end scotch and a story about a police officer who saved a car full of teenagers who’d gotten into an accident. Any one of these stories could be transferred into a novel or non-fiction book.

There is so much in the world today and that doesn’t even look at the world from yesterday. Going through the history books is another great way to develop new ideas. There is always something that can be used. Never discount an idea or story right away. Always write them down and think it over. Many won’t be good enough to be used as full-length novels but some might. Others will be used to enhance other novels. As long as you have a plethora of ideas, you’ll never be searching for something to write.

To see how the news and current events have influenced my writing, head over to www.leifericksonwriting.com and buy my books today. Thank you.