Fiction books are inspired by...

[astralKnight]

I am always amazed by fiction books, where do the authors inspired from?

Any idea?

(You can ignore me, I think I will live. Or possibily posted in wrong section of the forum.)

 

[Halo]

Some author I read about (possibly Stephen King) said that he hates being asked where he gets his ideas/inspiration from! He also said that he tends to think "what if..?" a lot. That is, he notices something fairly ordinary, but then thinks "What if x happened instead?" I guess writers of fiction just have fertile imaginations!

 

[Doug Johnson]

What inspires authors?

Hunger.

 

[astralKnight]

What inspires authors?

Hunger.

This makes sense. lol.

 

[pontalba]

Even if I was starving, I don't know if I could come up with a creditable novel! I wish I could, but the mind goes blank. But the "What If" scenario is a good place to start I would think. Sounds most logical.

Or even take an instance in your own life, or a friends and elaborate. To me it seems dialogue would be the most difficult.

 

[Doug Johnson]

To me it seems dialogue would be the most difficult.

For 99% of fiction writers, the pay sucks too. I often wonder why so many people want to be writers.

 

[astralKnight]

Some author I read about (possibly Stephen King) said that he hates being asked where he gets his ideas/inspiration from! He also said that he tends to think "what if..?" a lot. That is, he notices something fairly ordinary, but then thinks "What if x happened instead?" I guess writers of fiction just have fertile imaginations!

Stephen King must based on something, I think he probably does not want to share with others.

What is the secret ingredient?

At least mine is based on astral projection.

 

[SFG75]

Great topoic Astral!. Along the lines of hunger, I'd say that each writer has a chip on their shoulder so to speak. They each are looking for some meaning to impart or desire to make a given genre the best that it can be. Then again, every writer has their own reasons.

 

[angerball]

Maybe SFG75 is right, and most authors have something they want to get off their chest. But it can't be the only reason, since there are so many lightweight books out there.

I don't think it's money that drives them either, since it must be quite hard for a good book to get noticed. Maybe they want to move people and to motivate them, but I dunno if that would be the majority of authors.

I think I would really struggle to write a book that was truly original. I recall reading an interview with SE Hinton about The Outsiders. She said that when she was stuck for ideas, she would ask friends/family for advice, and they would give her suggestions on where to take the story. Doesn't sound like there's much motivation there.

 

[pontalba]

I recall reading an interview with SE Hinton about The Outsiders. She said that when she was stuck for ideas, she would ask friends/family for advice, and they would give her suggestions on where to take the story. Doesn't sound like there's much motivation there.

Interesting, I wonder if she asked them, and whatever answer they gave, either went the opposite way, or it gave her the oomph to think, oh no, not that, but maybe..... but wdik?

 

[angerball]

Pontalba, she actually followed their advice. She was up to a certain part in the plot, and was a bit stuck, and friends suggested that she

Spoiler

have the church burn down

, so that's what she did.

 

[astralKnight]

Great topoic Astral!. Along the lines of hunger, I'd say that each writer has a chip on their shoulder so to speak. They each are looking for some meaning to impart or desire to make a given genre the best that it can be. Then again, every writer has their own reasons.

Very true.

Maybe SFG75 is right, and most authors have something they want to get off their chest. But it can't be the only reason, since there are so many lightweight books out there.

I don't think it's money that drives them either, since it must be quite hard for a good book to get noticed. Maybe they want to move people and to motivate them, but I dunno if that would be the majority of authors.

I think I would really struggle to write a book that was truly original. I recall reading an interview with SE Hinton about The Outsiders. She said that when she was stuck for ideas, she would ask friends/family for advice, and they would give her suggestions on where to take the story. Doesn't sound like there's much motivation there.

I agree 100%. Most writers are inspired by their own. Like you guys said, they have something wanted to be out of their chest.

And most writers are not making penny. (At least if this is in the US. lol)

What is driven them is their idea and their fantacy and wanted to be known and motivate others.

 

[Justin91]

I think many writers write because they HAVE to, there is a story inside them they HAVE to get out. What starts that initial idea that we can be a writer? All of us have read a book only to get a few pages or chapters into it and say to ourselves, "I can do a hell of a lot better than this crap."

Maybe some of us try it...to tell the story that has been trying to get out. Some of us may put it on paper; we may then throw it in a box, or we let a friend read it. If they like it they may say, "keep writing, this is great!" This is just the beginning. To become a published fiction writer it is very difficult...a fiction writer living off of their earnings is nearly impossible. Even the real crappy novel all of us have picked up and never finished was chosen out of hundreds or even thousands of manuscripts. This is probably after numerous rejection slips. Why does this wannabe writer continue and not throw up his hands and quit? Simple…a writer has to write.

You were right HALO, as for the Eureka moment when a seed of story idea strikes you, Stephen King once said "any situation can be made into a story by asking the question "What IF..."'

Try it sometime...while waiting in line at the bank, sitting at your computer at work, or late at night when you hear a strange sound through your bedroom window...ask “what if”…it can be truly amazing.

 

[astralKnight]

I think many writers write because they HAVE to, there is a story inside them they HAVE to get out. What starts that initial idea that we can be a writer? All of us have read a book only to get a few pages or chapters into it and say to ourselves, "I can do a hell of a lot better than this crap."

Maybe some of us try it...to tell the story that has been trying to get out. Some of us may put it on paper; we may then throw it in a box, or we let a friend read it. If they like it they may say, "keep writing, this is great!" This is just the beginning. To become a published fiction writer it is very difficult...a fiction writer living off of their earnings is nearly impossible. Even the real crappy novel all of us have picked up and never finished was chosen out of hundreds or even thousands of manuscripts. This is probably after numerous rejection slips. Why does this wannabe writer continue and not throw up his hands and quit? Simple…a writer has to write.

You were right HALO, as for the Eureka moment when a seed of story idea strikes you, Stephen King once said "any situation can be made into a story by asking the question "What IF..."'

Try it sometime...while waiting in line at the bank, sitting at your computer at work, or late at night when you hear a strange sound through your bedroom window...ask “what if”…it can be truly amazing.

Well said, Justin,

When I was a kid whatever I wrote. My Mother always said "You are brilliant." That kind of inspire you, too. All writers think they are born genius.

 

[Justin91]

Sounds like you had a very positive and encouraging mother Astrel.

I don’t think ALL writers believe they are genius and few probably were encouraged since they were young. I think many writers did not realize they could write until they accidentally stumbled across their talent.

I guess the point of my last post was that many writers may be encouraged at one or more times in their career, but it is through their personal drive that they MUST WRITE that navigates them along the rocky road of publishing.

 

[alfinge]

I guess writers of fiction just have fertile imaginations!

Some author I read about (possibly Stephen King) said that he hates being asked where he gets his ideas/inspiration from! He also said that he tends to think "what if..?" a lot. That is, he notices something fairly ordinary, but then thinks "What if x happened instead?" I guess writers of fiction just have fertile imaginations!

Yeah, i agreed with you here!