You know how when you go to author events and there is inevitably someone who asks that question: Where do you get your ideas? In my experience, you can feel both the author and the audience cringe. Authors, I have read, hate that question and it is mostly obvious that they do which is why the audience cringes too when the question comes up. It doesn’t help that most authors have no good answer. You think the number of times they have been asked the question they’d be able to come up with some kind of stock answer that isn’t so painfully vague.
If by some freak twist of fate I ever become a fiction author, I know exactly what my answer will be.
I’ve mentioned a few times about the universe handing me stories while I am on the bus or the train. The most recent one was back in August. I never did learn the mystery of what was on the back of the bus. However, I am sorry to say the woman who sang out “I’m not afraid of witchcraft!” died in December. She was a story all in herself.
This morning public transit gave me another story.
When I got on the bus at 6:30 a.m., there was only one other person on it. He had a stuffed suitcase and looked a bit ruffled like he had been on a long late night flight. Since the bus connects to a train that goes to the airport, I thought nothing of it.
I sat down and the man immediately turns around and looks at me from across the bus aisle and says,”I just found out my fiance is a prostitute.”
How does a person respond to such a revelation? “Oh,” I said, “I’m sorry.”
The man clearly wanted to talk because he then begins to spill the tale of a 2 a.m. phone call from a potential client and I just couldn’t listen. I did not want to be involved in this. All I could think of was how could you be engaged to someone and just now find this out? I tried to be sympathetic without also being encouraging because I have learned from repeated experience that men on public transit like to latch onto women who are nice to them. Thankfully, he ceased his tale of woe when some other people got on the bus a few stops later.
But what a story, right? Can you imagine all the fictional possibilities?
Allow me, a non-writer, to offer some advice to all you fiction and aspiring fiction writers out there: take public transit. You won’t even have to look for story ideas, they will guaranteed find you. And then when you are famous and at an author event and someone asks that question, you can honestly answer them, I get my ideas while riding the bus.
What an awesome story. Not for the guy, of course. I cry for him, but that sure does beat the hell,out of any answer I’ve ever heard for that question. I’ll have to try very hard to come up with something as good.
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Kathryn, heh, well if you can sound convincing you could use public transit for yourself or maybe somewhere you frequently wait in line. I felt bad for the poor guy.
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wow.
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Jeanne, that about sums it up! 🙂
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Love this story.
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Valorie, I feel sorry for the guy but it is a pretty good story.
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You know there is a treasure trove of stories when you travel…anywhere. I feel bad for the gentleman though. But I do agree that how can you be engaged to someone and not know this.
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cirtnecce, yes you do and you don’t even have to travel far to find them!
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Haha, love this story. I must say that I’ve never really noticed authors hating this question and while it’s not one I ask, as it just seems too cliched, I do often enjoy the answers. Many, here anyhow, often talk about taking notes on public transport – though not all say that that this has given them their initial idea.
My favourite answer though came many years ago from a very engaging children’s author – so he was answering a question form a child (the question starts early). He said that he often go his ideas from newspaper articles. For example, he said, there was an article about something lost (I think it was an animal but I really can’t recollect the detail) down a narrow hole (drain? can’t recollect). Anyhow, what I do recollect is that this resulted in him thinking “What if we had an eye at the end of our index finger? Imagine was we could see then”. I loved that. He said most of his stories – and he often wrote whacky one – started with some sort of What if?
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whisperinggums, your Aussie authors must be better at the question than the American ones! That children’s author had an excellent answer! And I love how he gave an example.
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They must!! Or, I’m just less discerning or too ga-ga to notice their discomfort!
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Authors could make hay with some of your bus stories! I’m already formulating a few plot scenarios… 🙂
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jenclair, feel free to run with those scenarios and when you have a published book, will you send me a signed copy? 🙂
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That is a great story. Such strange things happen in the world. One does encounter odd people with bizarre and book – worthy stories in public places where random folks are brought together and are put in a position where they have to “wait”.
The women in my life have told me similar things about men latching on to them. This is so unfortunate.
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Brian Joseph, public places with a mixed group of people, you are right, you never know what stories you’ll find.
Yes, it is an unfortunate thing. Books and headphones are not deterrents either. It now and then can get a bit scary.
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Great story !!!! Too bad for the guy, now I’m wondering how it all ends? Maybe you can craft a story & create an ending for us? Or maybe have a “contest” & your blog readers could propose an ending?
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Helen, hahaha! I am not a fiction writer fortunately? Unfortunately? But do feel free to run with it but you have to share the results 🙂
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“Take public transit.” That’s great advice, not only for aspiring writers but also for anyone who cares about our environment. 🙂
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AMB, yes indeed, there are many good reasons to take public transit!
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I hardly ever take public transit without running into an idea for a story; the majority of the jottings in my notebook are just that!
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Oh that is excellent to hear!
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Yeah, I can totally attest to the fact the public transportation is fertile ground indeed when it comes to writing inspiration! Some of the people who get on don’t even need to open their mouth’s before you start imagining the story that hangs over them!
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Danielle, oh isn’t that the truth?
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Hi Stefanie, I loved this post! What a story! Although I’m far from famous, I have been asked this question a lot at author events. I even wrote a post about it a few years ago: http://andrewblackman.net/2012/05/how-writers-generate-ideas/. The example I gave was from a walk, but public transport is definitely fertile ground!
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Andrew, oh, great post! yes, I think the stories are all around us and it is as you say, a writer is the person who doesn’t dismiss them but thinks about them and makes them into something more.
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I’d say “take public transit”, but I’d add “in a country where people talk to strangers”. When everyone keeps to himself, there are a lot fewer stories to imagine!
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smithereens, you know, I have a coworker who is from France (Paris area) and she told me people don’t talk to each other on public transit which is so strange to me!
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One of the things my well-travelled twenty-something daughter – who has done a lot of solo travelling in Northern America and Europe – loves about America is the friendliness of people on public transport. It’s one of the reasons she doesn’t much like England (no offence Brits!) – as a solo traveller anyhow.
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I am so glad to hear she has had such a positive experience! In spite of everything, people in the US tend to be rather friendly especially to travelers!
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They absolutely are, something those who refuse to visit the US miss out on!
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I was just thinking during my current read (Version Control by Dexter Palmer – quite good so far) that here’s an author that sits in cafes and eavesdrops. Just get out in public and people watch, right?
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Care, yes, exactly! Writing might be solitary but I think the best ideas just might come while out and about in the world 🙂
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Great advice, and great story! But the poor guy! My heart aches for him.
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Laila, I know? I wonder how it all played out.
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What a story! You are so right, riding public transit and you’ll never run out of stories. I used to ride the bus to work when I lived in Dallas and there were so many crazy moments.
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Iliana, it can get pretty weird sometimes, can’t it!
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Stefanie,
I came late to this interesting post and forum. As the saying goes, facts are stranger than fiction. Now, may I offer another viewpoint. I mean, as with all the crazy events happening these days, events that never in our wildest imagination could happen, and, all these fake news and alternative facts flying about in our atmosphere, how certain can one be about what others say. Could this ‘story’ told by this man be fake, just to gauge your reactions, or just for whatever reasons. I know, he must look very convincing. I’m just throwing this ‘alternative’ version out. 🙂
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Arti, heh, well my experience with men on public transit, and it is generally men, is that they will lie to you but when they do it is totally obvious. This man definitely was not lying, he was genuinely distressed.
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Ideas come from the most unexpected places but they all have a few things in common. One is the ability to observe what’s around you, the other is to ask the what if question.
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