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     So, a couple years ago, an associate of mine presented me with an idea for a book, which I gladly accepted. After a while, though, we stopped talking as often as before, so I took over the project. It had been dead for a while, but I've still got all my notes on it, and I'm thinking of bringing it back. This site has also been pretty intriguing to me. However, I've ran into an inability to come up with ideas.

     So, really, what I'm asking is this: how do you come up with ideas, forum? What gets your brain going? I really wanna get back into writing more often, but like I said, I can't come up with anything.

That is a very big question. Personally, I've never been able to induce ideas from nowhere. I guess it comes from being inspired from (insert virtually anything you can think of). To me, it is usually easiest to start with deciding what genre to write in first (if you're trying to form a fresh idea).

Lets say you pick Fantasy, just to name something. At this point, I would try finding what sub-genre I would want to have. Would I want it to be in a fictional fantasy world (like Lord of the Rings), would I want it to be a modern-times story with fantasy elements imbedded in it (like Harry Potter). There are probably many more, but I hope you get the point.

The first thing I do when a genre has been selected is to form the plot. What is the story about (Has Bowser kidnapped the princess? Is Sauron on the verge of taking over Middle-Earth? Has the Emperor introduced order 66?), and the villain usually flows from this. I often create the villain before I create the hero, but that's just me.

Basically, my point is that you should find a center to focus on, just name one thing you want (it could even just be a name. The fact that I wanted a character in my story to be named Eve had DRASTIC effect on the entire story, and virtually turned it into an entirely new story). The rest of the story tends to flow from that center, whatever it is.

I see. That actually seems like pretty good advice. Do your characters have a habit of forming from the story itself, or does the story form from the characters?

Hmm... both. There have been characters that the story surprisingly forced into the story (in a manner of speaking), that I never intended to include (or never intended them to be as important as they turned out to be). At the same time, plots have formed and changed because of the characters, where, at the point where I am writing, I feel that a certain action isn't right with the character's personality, and so the action changes and can have important effects on the entire story.

Hm. Thank you very much, I'm actually thinking about getting some work done tonight instead of playing VTM:R until I start banging my head against my desk.

How exactly would you define unique in this context? Unique as in distinguishable from the other characters?

Well, I mean, that's a given. Not to offend you, but I think most people could tell me that. I suppose a better question is this: Can I use archetypes in a mix-and-match fashion to diminish the effect of having archetypal characters? And, how do I stray away from archetypes? It seems a rather daunting task.

Yeah, drugs in general are actually pretty helpful. But I don't have any, so they're not of much use to me right now.

LSD probably wouldn't help on it's own.  You'd have to take it and then wander about your town for several hours, maybe visit a new town, unlike any setting you're too familiar with.  Follow a guy and see if he notices, then admit to him you're trippin' when he confronts you and note his reaction.  Yeah, that might help.

You don't have to be on psychedelics to do any of that, but you can be... which isn't really a very good reason, but hey! haha  I imagine that being a psychopath would help as well, because they don't have too much trouble lying (or, creating an interesting story).  That aside, you should be able to observe people.  Take all you know about your friends, family, enemies, lovers, or whomever and make them your characters.  What do you like about people?  Dislike?  What do you notice about yourself that you see in other people?  Maybe it's universal.  Meet new people, see new things-- it all helps.  Or, at least it should.  It's not "cheating;" after all, the only reason we like the characters we do is because they're relatable in some way.  Even if they're not like us, they're like someone we know, or they do the things we see people do.  Makes it fun to read, and fun to write.  Above all (perhaps), you've got to want to write it.  Not for the sake of putting words on paper, but for the sake of actualizing an inspired idea.

I've got one I'm working on right now that sounds hilarious in my head, and I'd love to actually write it (actually, I'd love to have it written already), but I'm lazy.  So, I guess that's my problem. haha

Hm. Now that you mention that, I think it's a good idea. I should maybe start taking notes on people. That'd help a LOT, considering I know some pretty diverse people.

Awesome.  I just took my own advice and wrote the first bit of my project, so that works. haha  I can't help the feeling that I'm stealing phrases I've subconsciously stored in my mind from some nameless literature I've read in the past, and when I realize that something like Fight Club or No Country for Old Men (the movies, not the books. Sorry) has been feeding my creativity, I'll be kicking myself pretty hard.

But until then, yayy, I feel like a writer. :p

Speaking of Fight Club, my friends and I just starte-

Umm... I think I've said too much.

Nonetheless, I think I'm finally going to be able to get all of the excess agressioon out my body now.

Well, we actually still talk, and I've mentioned it, but he hasn't touched it. He's been working on other things and lost interest, and besides that, the story itself has changed radically since we first developed it.

Otherwise, I appreciate the advice!

I listen to music....

That's really it lol. Music really helps to get my creativity flowing.

I just do my daily routine until something inspires me.

wait, you're giving advice on good writing?