The truth is once a piece is finished, most ideas conceived will have no place of origin. Plus, some things are meant to be kept as an artist’s secret, and I respect that.
However, Henry James left us a list of places that ideas come from and it’d be my pleasure to share that with you.
Curiosity
Curiosity killed the cat but created a writer. I try my best not to push away the things that I’m curious about especially when it keeps returning to me. I like to dive in and find the answers I’m looking for. Then, I find new questions to explore.
Variety of attempts
If at first you don’t succeed try try again. I definitely don’t always get it right the first time and that’s ok. Art thrives on failure. I’m not going to give up on writing because I messed up a couple hundred times. I keep writing! And If I have to scrap an idea, I don’t throw it away, I always try to tuck it away in case I can incorporate it into another piece. Or even use it to inspire new ideas.
Exchange of view points
Hearing someone else’s perspective of the world is so interesting to me. It helps to see things from outside of the box that I sometimes live in. It can definitely spark ideas after a good conversation with a friend.
Experiment
Experimenting and tinkering with different styles, plots, genres, or whatever else helps me to get out of the monotony of it all. Experiments are uncomfortable, they don’t have a home, and they take a lot of time and focus which is all great because there’s something about getting out of my comfort zone that gets my creative juices flowing. You should totally try it.
Comparison of standpoints
I love to use conflict to inspire my writing. Passion fuels a lot of my poetry and the purpose for a couple novels I’m working on. Comparison of standpoint helps to conceive new ideas because it make me want to give my audience a story that helps to explain my perspective.
So there you have it. The five places ideas are conceived.
I challenge you to try a couple of these (or all) then spend time just brainstorming a bunch of ideas. Or use them create new ideas to add to a story you’re currently working on. I’ll be doing it with you.
We discussed Why Understanding the Creative Process is important and What the Creative Process is. Now, let’s get writing!
Saschia Johnson On the Creative Process, Conceived Ideas
Jayne.press 
I’m trying to like the writings but it won’t let me so I guess I’ll have to comment on everything
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Hmm I wonder why it won’t let you. I’ll have to look into that. I’m so so glad you like them though
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I think conflict and different points of view can shape writing. The only problem is that if a writer chooses to embrace multiple points of view, they may not sound sincere. It’s better to have one and oppose the rest but that might make them sound like a bigot. One can also introduce an element of ambiguity where the writer is open to change their points of view rather than embracing everything or sticking to one. Then there’s inducing creative energy by drinking copious amounts of caffeine! But be wary of anxiety! Hell the creative process is a double-edged sword to me. And once you’ve penned something down, you’re drained, and that sucks too! I found this post very interesting.
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I think it depends on the type of writing. One character can hold onto a view strongly and another hold on to a bunch of conflicting views and still it’s a great piece. Isn’t Deadulous in Ulysses by James Joyce kinda searching and whimsical in his views and still it’s a great story. I think the growth of a character can also start out with ambiguous views then slowly change to an extreme view and that makes a great story as well. If the writer can literally believe along with their character i think that’s a beautiful thing. Something a non writer wouldn’t want to do. As writers we do that dirty work to create believable characters. Omg coffee, the magical bean hahaha definitely helps with creation! I shall write a post on caffeine hahaha thanks for your thoughts and inputs. Definitely an interesting conversation. And I also forgot meditation! That’s a huge part of my creative process. I’m sure theres a million other ways to birth ideas
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