Today we will talk about where I find some ideas about what to write, and hopefully, you will find some ideas, too.
I write in a variety of topics and genres, and this article will talk about how I find ideas for all those topics.
Fiction
Having just completed a draft of my first science fiction novel, Synaptergy, I have a few ideas for where I found my ideas. This book came from looking at new technology startup ideas and seeing how researchers in medicine and technology are looking to use implanted smart devices in specific patients. I got to thinking about all the benefits such a proposition could have for society, but I also recognized the serious potential for abuse. This novel explores those ideas, and so I had a topic for my storyline.
Other ideas from fiction can come from our own lives. If we have kept a journal or diary growing up (Greg Heffley, I'm looking at you!), this can make a tremendous launchpad for a fiction novel. Start with the story you have read from your past and think about what might happen if you did something different. Most of us think situations over and over in our minds, wishing we made a different choice. That is an excellent idea for creating stories.
Other people just have active imaginations. C.S. Lewis drew a picture of a Faun carrying postal notes when he was a mere teenager. From that single picture that could have been doodled in class one day, the wonderful series of Chronicles of Narnia was written. We never know where inspiration comes from!
Non-fiction
I mostly write in Christian Non-fiction, though I have a few secular non-fiction book ideas in my hopper. These ideas come from my life. The Christian ideas come from church, Bible study, or issues in Society. For example, I wrote Happy Hellidays because of the extreme consumerism in American culture. Likewise, Christians are supposed to (not that many of them do) live differently from the world. I AM not amused was written to give Christians a framework for evaluating media entertainment. My other books came about from Bible studies.
My ideas for non-Christian work come from life experiences. I am a minimalist, and so I plan to write a book about why I chose a minimal lifestyle and the steps I utilized to unclutter my life.
Look to your hobbies, professional skills, or lifestyle to find topics for non-fiction books. Figure out how to spit up your ideas into phases, and get to work writing!