Story Ideas

I’m having a recent writers block, trying to think up a feasible story, but something that isn’t generic, like a cheating wife, or office romance, but I was wondering if there is anything you have that can break this block or how you come up with ideas for your stories.

I eat dill pickles or smelly cheese, but both have forsaken me of late.

Okay, silly aside. It is a hard place to be, I know for true.
Write something, anything. Don't try for a story, just make words move in your head.
Take a walk without purpose.
Think about something you saw during the day -- people waiting for coffee, a work mate at the copier, somebody hailing a cab. Think what might have happened ten minutes later. And ten after that. Follow the thread.
Don't think about a category. Let the story unwind and create its own container.

Kistin’s advice is great!

A lot of my ideas stem from pictures, so I google pictures with a wide variety of keywords.

Good luck to you, MrFrost! We’ve all been there.

The good thing about being a writer is that inspiration can come from anywhere. You could get it from the places Kistin and Kimmi mentioned. Heck, you can get it from the news, TV/movies, things people say in conversation with you.

Generic tropes, you can ask yourself, "What if I take this generic trope, but imagine how it would look if presented on Cable TV?"

Sometimes, a title can come to you before a story idea and stuff expands from there. Discovering Plutonium By Accident came about from watching a Seinfeld episode years ago 😆. Then I thought, what would be a case of discovering such a rare thing/opportunity? My Comp story came about from a picture, combined with me remembering someone uttering the phrase "Fucked In The Head".

Okay, I'm getting long winded, but I think you get the point. Best of luck, brother.

C-SPAN had a program called, Book TV, whereby they interviewed authors. I remember one author who advised to know how your story is going to end before you start. That way you can work your way towards getting to that end.

One of my below stories was inspired while I was walking, it just came to me!

There are some good suggestions here. Most of my ideas come to me in my sleep, and I try to scribble them down on paper before they disappear in the morning. 🙄

On stories, I like to concentrate on the characters, then the start and the ending, before I look to flesh out the complete storyline. 😊

A 14 to 16 yr old girl comes home from school to find her dad marryed to a 19 yr old girl who was her high school bully. The women makes strict rules a childish dress code has her call her mommy and harsh punishment like spanking corner standing and so on. She even has the girl ask for her punishment before she finds out. I know my spelling sucks but you get the idea right please someone write this story. And send it to me so i don't miss it thank you.