Stories are everywhere, all around you, because every single human being has a story. Then why, as writers do we often struggle for a story idea?
You might remember (or heard from your parents) that in the 70s and 80s, television sets operated with the help of a roof-top antenna. At times, one had to climb up there and adjust it, until someone from below would yell, “Haan, reception aa gaya hai.”
In the same way, a writer has a ‘story antenna’ which can catch the amazing characters, plots and situations flying all around her. But having the antenna is not enough, it needs to be tuned. Meaning you train your brain to recognise a story when it comes your way.
For example, you may be sitting in a bus, and two people behind you are having a fight. You don’t know who they are but start imagining. Is it a husband and wife? How long have they been married? What are they fighting about?
The conversation might give you a clue, or you simply use your imagination.
You get off the bus and forget about these strangers. But a month later, or years later, you are writing a story about a couple who don’t get along. One of the scenes takes place in a bus. You are able to bring it alive by recalling that overheard conversation.
So, essentially, a writer is a collector of memories, impressions and fragments of trivia. All of which is churned around by her subconscious mind to combine into a unique and interesting story. Let me give you an example.
I read an article online about a man and a woman who fell in love in Italy, during coronavirus. They saw each other during one of those famous ‘balcony concerts’ and 2 weeks later, they were engaged. This was the genesis of story #3 on this website.
I started thinking – who could these two lovers be? What is their back story? Are they Italian, or could one of them be a tourist who got stuck there. And while I was tossing these questions around, Ted from ‘How I Met your Mother’ came to my mind.
The tourist became Ted, a sweet, well-meaning guy but unlucky in love. Next question: what could be the series of unlucky events in his life, before he came to Italy? And here, I let my imagination go wild. Without thinking, ‘oh, this is not logical’.
