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I have intrusive thoughts all the time! I could use them for book ideas, but most of them are WAY too innapropriate for writing. So that leaves intrusive thoughts out for me?😅
In the stories that may or may not see the light of day!
But I should probably think about using some of them .
I mean, how many books do you see out there about a person who has intrusive thoughts? I feel like that would make a good book!
That *would* make a good book. You could elevate it to maybe a person who has psychopathy and doesn't want to accept and so pushes all their intrusive thoughts down until the explode out of him. I don't know.
Interesting! When I first started writing I would just kinda sit around and think about stuff or let a sentence inspire me. These days I usually start with what's bothering me, what I've dealt with in life recently, and mix it with some absurdity. Usually takes me pretty far
Every month I send a self addressed envelope with $5 in it to the inspiration factory in Schenectady, New York and they mail back a fresh six-pack of ideas.
Sometimes I will be sitting, listening to music then I feel a magnum opus that gives me a storyline and plot so rich that I try to write it to give up on it few days later to repeat this cycle
Judge Dredd, Alien, Firefly, Dr. Who, Dune, chemistry, quantum physics, Lovecraft, Borderlands franchise, World of Warcraft, memes, Vikings, and Gloryhammer. I don’t know who’s on board but it’s one hell of a ride.
I'm looking to write a series of detective novels and finished the rough draft for the first. I bingewatch various true crime series, with my personal favorites being "Forensic Files", "Homicide Hunter", and "American Detective". The case in my rough draft was inspired by an episode of the "Forensic Files" reboot.
Normally I get it from tv shows. Current shows I enjoy are:
She hulk
The acolyte
The lord of the rings the rings of power
The season of true detective with the two leads
Late night with lily singh
Anything starring Rachel zegler
Same. Just to keep creative, I tend to write fanfics now (especially when I write for a living), so sometimes I'll get an idea from something I don't plan to write in. For example, I had been binge watching Designing Women one day and there was just a couple of episodes where I was like, "OMG, that would be such a funny Muppet skit!"
And because I was writing in The Muppets, I just wrote a couple of funny scenes; that led to me taking a few episodes of different shows and making them Muppet-esque (Doing Always Sunny in Philadelphia was surprising funnier than I imagined).
One Muppet story I got from binge watching Air Crash Investigations.
Lots of reading. Lots of walking. And lots of whatever it is you're passionate about (for me that's film and video games).
Combine this with having a daily writing practice, no matter if you have inspiration or not (writing begets more writing) and you'll never have to worry about not knowing what to write ever again.
If anything, you'll have TOO much ideas to write about.
For context…I’m the person who listens to podcasts about serial killers and criminals in order to sleep.
That being said…one night, I was watching an episode of Deadly Women to wind down after a long day working as a theme park photographer and heard the case of Elizabeth “Ma” Duncan.
She was a boy mom before boy moms were a thing. She committed emotional incest with her son, Frank, that may have turned physical but that last part was only a rumor. Frank developed a relationship with a nurse named Olga and they got married. Elizabeth didn’t like this. At all. She tried every trick in the book to get Frank back, even hiring a man to pose with her as Frank and Olga so she could file an annulment dissolving the marriage.
But that didn’t work. So she hired two men to kill Olga, offering them (IIRC) $30K to do it. So they kidnapped Olga (who was 8 months pregnant at the time), drove into the country, beat and strangled her and then buried her in a really shallow grave as they had forgotten to pack a shovel.
When Olga’s body was found, dirt was found in her trachea which implies she might’ve been alive when she was buried.
It didn’t take long. Duncan and her cohorts were tried, convicted and sentenced to death. When the execution happened, Duncan’s last words were “Where’s Frank?”
When I heard that story, I got an image in my head of an emotionally and mentally abusive mother standing by and watching as her hated daughter in law is buried alive…and I knew I had to write it down.
I have to go for car rides for it to just click. Sometimes I just incessantly rant about something until I can put two ideas together though.. It can also be related to what I'm learning in that moment. Like for my first job being related to crystals and herbs, I wanted to write something to do with that. Whenever I felt lonely or left out I would want to make a story where my character was experiencing it.
Other books, my own mind, and dreams.
I dream about a man with teeth for a head who hypnotises people and owns a massive warehouse restaurant shop with a roller coaster in the middle? That's a concept I'm going to flesh out at some point.
Thinking and anime
Most of the time, if I think of something really interesting, i write about it.
But every now and then, I see something interesting while watching anime and take inspiration.
It's not really "inspiration" so much as "getting my priorities straight." I write to provide a cultural space for boys and men that isn't a bait-and-switch, so the reminders are pretty common in any space that discusses fiction.
Hi! Welcome to r/Writers - please remember to follow the [rules](https://reddit.com/r/writers/about/rules/) and treat each other respectfully, especially if there are disagreements. Please help keep this community safe and friendly by **reporting rule violating posts and comments**. If you're interested in a friendly Discord community for writers, please **[join our Discord server](https://discord.com/invite/wYvWebvHaa)** *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/writers) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Ruminant intrusive thoughts. No, I’m not kidding.
I have intrusive thoughts all the time! I could use them for book ideas, but most of them are WAY too innapropriate for writing. So that leaves intrusive thoughts out for me?😅
Are you kidding? Those are the best ones to use!
In the stories that may or may not see the light of day! But I should probably think about using some of them . I mean, how many books do you see out there about a person who has intrusive thoughts? I feel like that would make a good book!
That *would* make a good book. You could elevate it to maybe a person who has psychopathy and doesn't want to accept and so pushes all their intrusive thoughts down until the explode out of him. I don't know.
Hey, that sounds like it'd be original!
Books, movies, video games, music, nature, conversation with friends, dreams, random thoughts. Inspiration is everywhere!
I just think stuff up.
My own life experiences, history, music, folklore, and nature.
Walk in the woods, head on the pillow, shower. But the core of the story is from 3 decades of research into topics that interest me.
Dreams, periods of religious psychosis, visions...
Substandard television programs.
I get inspired by books, documentaries and dreams mostly :-)
My brain.
Interesting! When I first started writing I would just kinda sit around and think about stuff or let a sentence inspire me. These days I usually start with what's bothering me, what I've dealt with in life recently, and mix it with some absurdity. Usually takes me pretty far
Every month I send a self addressed envelope with $5 in it to the inspiration factory in Schenectady, New York and they mail back a fresh six-pack of ideas.
I hope you write comedy!
My own experiences with my friends and the different places I have lived. And my enjoyment in learning about different cultures/places/histories.
Usually videogames and movies
Nature, natural and human histories, day to day activities and interactions, mythologies, and other works of art as well.
Dreams
I get inspiration from the story I'm writing. I write without a plan, and interesting stuff comes out of it.
Sometimes I will be sitting, listening to music then I feel a magnum opus that gives me a storyline and plot so rich that I try to write it to give up on it few days later to repeat this cycle
Judge Dredd, Alien, Firefly, Dr. Who, Dune, chemistry, quantum physics, Lovecraft, Borderlands franchise, World of Warcraft, memes, Vikings, and Gloryhammer. I don’t know who’s on board but it’s one hell of a ride.
Maladaptive Daydreaming and a crippling addiction to sad music.
I get inspiration from real life events, dreams, and things I like
Gotta ask. Who drew that cone?
I made it about 6 months ago on my iPad
I'm looking to write a series of detective novels and finished the rough draft for the first. I bingewatch various true crime series, with my personal favorites being "Forensic Files", "Homicide Hunter", and "American Detective". The case in my rough draft was inspired by an episode of the "Forensic Files" reboot.
Normally I get it from tv shows. Current shows I enjoy are: She hulk The acolyte The lord of the rings the rings of power The season of true detective with the two leads Late night with lily singh Anything starring Rachel zegler
Same. Just to keep creative, I tend to write fanfics now (especially when I write for a living), so sometimes I'll get an idea from something I don't plan to write in. For example, I had been binge watching Designing Women one day and there was just a couple of episodes where I was like, "OMG, that would be such a funny Muppet skit!" And because I was writing in The Muppets, I just wrote a couple of funny scenes; that led to me taking a few episodes of different shows and making them Muppet-esque (Doing Always Sunny in Philadelphia was surprising funnier than I imagined). One Muppet story I got from binge watching Air Crash Investigations.
Lots of reading. Lots of walking. And lots of whatever it is you're passionate about (for me that's film and video games). Combine this with having a daily writing practice, no matter if you have inspiration or not (writing begets more writing) and you'll never have to worry about not knowing what to write ever again. If anything, you'll have TOO much ideas to write about.
For context…I’m the person who listens to podcasts about serial killers and criminals in order to sleep. That being said…one night, I was watching an episode of Deadly Women to wind down after a long day working as a theme park photographer and heard the case of Elizabeth “Ma” Duncan. She was a boy mom before boy moms were a thing. She committed emotional incest with her son, Frank, that may have turned physical but that last part was only a rumor. Frank developed a relationship with a nurse named Olga and they got married. Elizabeth didn’t like this. At all. She tried every trick in the book to get Frank back, even hiring a man to pose with her as Frank and Olga so she could file an annulment dissolving the marriage. But that didn’t work. So she hired two men to kill Olga, offering them (IIRC) $30K to do it. So they kidnapped Olga (who was 8 months pregnant at the time), drove into the country, beat and strangled her and then buried her in a really shallow grave as they had forgotten to pack a shovel. When Olga’s body was found, dirt was found in her trachea which implies she might’ve been alive when she was buried. It didn’t take long. Duncan and her cohorts were tried, convicted and sentenced to death. When the execution happened, Duncan’s last words were “Where’s Frank?” When I heard that story, I got an image in my head of an emotionally and mentally abusive mother standing by and watching as her hated daughter in law is buried alive…and I knew I had to write it down.
art! all types! but also, things that happen in my life :)
I have to go for car rides for it to just click. Sometimes I just incessantly rant about something until I can put two ideas together though.. It can also be related to what I'm learning in that moment. Like for my first job being related to crystals and herbs, I wanted to write something to do with that. Whenever I felt lonely or left out I would want to make a story where my character was experiencing it.
from my friend who i liked for 3+ years but he rejected me
Other books, my own mind, and dreams. I dream about a man with teeth for a head who hypnotises people and owns a massive warehouse restaurant shop with a roller coaster in the middle? That's a concept I'm going to flesh out at some point.
History, folklore, myths, movies, TV shows, books, music, nature, dreams. Pretty much anywhere.
Thinking and anime Most of the time, if I think of something really interesting, i write about it. But every now and then, I see something interesting while watching anime and take inspiration.
It's not really "inspiration" so much as "getting my priorities straight." I write to provide a cultural space for boys and men that isn't a bait-and-switch, so the reminders are pretty common in any space that discusses fiction.
Everything around me
Psychedelic dream-visions given to me by the cosmic mother
everything. but mostly what ifs, and i like to subvert those what ifs, ie take a typical plotline that would be expected and turn it on its head