{"id":17431,"date":"2020-11-05T16:49:50","date_gmt":"2020-11-05T20:49:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=17431"},"modified":"2020-11-08T14:28:46","modified_gmt":"2020-11-08T18:28:46","slug":"how-to-get-good-ideas-for-a-story","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-get-good-ideas-for-a-story\/","title":{"rendered":"Stephen King: How to Get Good Ideas for a Story"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Do you want to know how to get good ideas for a story? Where do these ideas come from, and how do you know if they’re good? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Learning how to get good ideas for a story isn’t an exact science. You might have lots of ideas, and they might not always be good. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keep reading for advice on how to get good ideas for a story from bestselling author Stephen King. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

How to Get Good Ideas For a Story and What to Write About<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

You can write about anything. The only requirement is that you tell the truth<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Good writing pulls readers in by telling the truth. The characters seem real and behave in recognizable ways; the reader sees herself and her beliefs embedded in the story. In contrast, you likely stop reading a book when you can\u2019t identify with any of the characters and find them implausible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s common advice for starting writers to \u201cwrite what you know.\u201d Interpret this liberally. It\u2019s not what you literally know (otherwise you couldn\u2019t write about going to Mars) but rather about the truths you understand\u2014what life feels like, how romance and friendships develop, the details of your work. Don\u2019t take \u201cwrite what you know\u201d to artificially limit what you feel capable of writing about. The way you learn how to get good ideas for a story is to just start writing, and see what works, and to write what you know. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before becoming a writer, John Grisham was a lawyer, and he took what he knew about law (details of whitecollar crime, the savagery of law firms) to write his breakthrough novel The Firm<\/em>. The world and characters are believable, because they came from John Grisham\u2019s truth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019ll probably start by writing in the genres you like to read\u2014if you\u2019re a science fiction fan, you\u2019ll write science fiction<\/a>. You might even emulate the style of writers you like, which is nearly unavoidable for novice writers until they develop their own voices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What you <\/strong>shouldn\u2019t<\/em><\/strong> do is write what you think other people will like\u2014friends, colleagues, critics, book buyers. <\/strong>Don\u2019t try to emulate the form, plot and style of bestselling authors. All this takes you away from authenticity, and your readers will know.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So write what you know and like, and bring your truths into the story. You know some unique truths about the world, which will make your writing unique.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Do you want to know how to get good ideas for a story? Where do these ideas come from, and how do you know if they’re good? Learning how to get good ideas for a story isn’t an exact science. You might have lots of ideas, and they might not always be good. Keep reading for advice on how to get good ideas for a story from bestselling author Stephen King.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":17456,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[34,15,30],"tags":[145],"class_list":["post-17431","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-communication","category-education","category-work","tag-on-writing-a-memoir-of-the-craft","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"\nStephen King: How to Get Good Ideas for a Story - Shortform Books<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Do you want to know how to get good ideas for a story? 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