WHERE STORY IDEAS COME FROM

So you're reading this captivating story, it's so complicated it scares you to think that a human mind can conceive it or so damn simple you wonder why it yet casts a spell on you. Now you're amazed, wondering where this author got such an idea. Chill. Story idea sources are not that scarce, it is the shaping it into a readable plot that holds the headache.

I'm just going to share some sources I know most acclaimed authors have confessed they got their ideas from and some I've gotten mine from as well.

First is life. Life events and experiences of the author is one of the richest source of story ideas especially for literary fiction authors. Believe it or not, there are more books based on the true life of authors or those they know than authors care to admit. There's no one who's up to 25 whose life wouldn't make a thrilling book if we'll plotted.

A close second of story sources are other books, films, comics, drama, etc. There's now scarcely any new concept out there. We're all just retelling old stories in different ways with more contemporary plots and arcs. Art mimic each other, that's a fact, so it's okay to piggyback your "new concept" on something already done a few decades ago. I'm not saying there are no more new story concepts out there, no. What I'm saying is that your new story idea is most likely going to sound like something someone somewhere around the world have heard someone say or write. And this won't be because someone stole someone's idea. You might never have come across that other story before but as they say, ideas are not custom made to one man or woman. Simply put, there's nothing new under the sun.

Folklores. If you're a writer and you ever get the golden chance to sit and listen to an African sage tell folklores, you won't be able to resist the temptation to be plotting an epic fantasy story along the lines of his story. Folklores are loaded with deep themes and iconic scenes that make them irresistible for story concepts.

Dreams are legit. Believe it or not, most weirdly outrageous and outstanding story concepts came from the inexplicably dreams or nightmares of the authors. Stop letting your dream bother you when they should be driving your creativity. If your dream is scary, you have a horror story in your hands, sorry, head. If they are filled with intrigues and fast chases that you nearly died dreaming the dream, it's a thriller, baby. Heck even your wet dreams are materials for a sizzling Romance bestseller.

Editor's warning will not let me go on with a few more sources I have in mind but I hope there will be a part two to this article. If you have other great sources of story ideas you've explored before, kindly share with us in the comments.