Can I get some writing advice?

I can't give you ideas, because that my dear is not your own work. Sucks, huh? But I can help.

I have a list of 20 basic plots that you can expand on and incorporate your own ideas into:

1. QUEST - the plot involves the Protagonist's search for a person, place or thing, tangible or intangible (but must be quantifiable, so think of this as a noun; i.e., immortality).

2. ADVENTURE - this plot involves the Protagonist going in search of their fortune, and since fortune is never found at home, the Protagonist goes to search for it somewhere over the rainbow.

3. PURSUIT - this plot literally involves hide-and-seek, one person chasing another.

4. RESCUE - this plot involves the Protagonist searching for someone or something, usually consisting of three main characters - the Protagonist, the Victim & the Antagonist.

5. ESCAPE - plot involves a Protagonist confined against their will who wants to escape (does not include some one trying to escape their personal demons).

6. REVENGE - retaliation by Protagonist or Antagonist against the other for real or imagined injury.

7. THE RIDDLE - plot involves the Protagonist's search for clues to find the hidden meaning of something in question that is deliberately enigmatic or ambiguous.

8. RIVALRY - plot involves Protagonist competing for same object or goal as another person (their rival).

9. UNDERDOG - plot involves a Protagonist competing for an object or goal that is at a great disadvantage and is faced with overwhelming odds.

10. TEMPTATION - plot involves a Protagonist that for one reason or another is induced or persuaded to do something that is unwise, wrong or immoral.

11. METAMORPHOSIS - this plot involves the physical characteristics of the Protagonist actually changing from one form to another (reflecting their inner psychological identity).

12. TRANSFORMATION - plot involves the process of change in the Protagonist as they journey through a stage of life that moves them from one significant character state to another.

13. MATURATION - plot involves the Protagonist facing a problem that is part of growing up, and from dealing with it, emerging into a state of adulthood (going from innocence to experience).

14. LOVE - plot involves the Protagonist overcoming the obstacles to love that keeps them from consummating (engaging in) true love.

15. FORBIDDEN LOVE - plot involves Protagonist(s) overcoming obstacles created by social mores and taboos to consummate their relationship (and sometimes finding it at too high a price to live with).

16. SACRIFICE - plot involves the Protagonist taking action(s) that is motivated by a higher purpose (concept) such as love, honor, charity or for the sake of humanity.

17. DISCOVERY - plot that is the most character-centered of all, involves the Protagonist having to overcome an upheaval(s) in their life, and thereby discovering something important (and buried) within them a better understanding of life (i.e., better appreciation of their life, a clearer purpose in their life, etc.)

18. WRETCHED EXCESS - plot involves a Protagonist who, either by choice or by accident, pushes the limits of acceptable behavior to the extreme and is forced to deal with the consequences (generally deals with the psychological decline of the character).

19. ASCENSION - rags-to-riches plot deals with the rise (success) of Protagonist due to a dominating character trait that helps them to succeed.

20. DECISION - riches-to-rags plot deals with the fall (destruction) of Protagonist due to dominating character trait that eventually destroys their success.

You can also try the two word test, where you just arbitrarily pick two words and somehow, an idea could evolve from that. eg. sapphire knight. I know, random right? But you could use some hunters as like jewel collectors, and they really like sapphires, and your protagonist could have eyes like sapphires and that's where she gets her powers from and the hunters might be trying to gauge her eyes out?

There will always be the

1. Man versus man.

2. Man versus nature.

3. Man versus self.

4. Man versus man’s work.

in writing. Keep that in mind

Remember to include twists and turns, which I cannot help you with but steer clear of vampires, as they are ridiculously overdone.

Work out your characters personality with a mind map before you write, as you'll end up changing them half way through your story because you have no idea what they are.

I hope this helped you!

It's hard not to put parts of other stories into your own stories. I know a friend who wrote a story that was almost word for word of Eragon except with different names from other books. It was very annoying, because she kept saying how great she was at writing, when it was another book. This might have been because she read Eragon sooo many times. Anyway, normally when I write a story I have collected lots of ideas that I've come up with over time and use them. If I feel that I'm writing too much like another book, I just delete that part and start again, or change it so that it less like that book. If that fails, I curse the other book for being so good and stop writing my story until I can think straight again. To do this I read some not so good books and I forget how awesome the other book was because my head is filled with boredness. I hope this helped.

So you're saying that you need some story ideas? Well, here's the basics:

1) Write what you know. base your characters on people that you've met, or have had contact with in your life. Not direct copies, of course, but close enough to the people that you know so that you can be sure how your characters will react in a certain situation.

2) Keep a journal of your dreams. Some of the best books and movies came out of dreams. "Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde" was originally a dream. The Alien was directly out of a nightmare!

3) Pay close attention to the what's going on in the world today. That motto that "Law & Order" has, "Ripped from the headlines", is how they get their story ideas. They take real events and tweak them a little, and presto! Great stories!

4) Study history. The things that people fought and died for 5,000 years ago are essentially the same things they fight and die for today: love, power, land, drugs, etc. Times change, but people don't.

5) Finally, always consider the possibilities. When you read something online or in a newspaper, always think about how it might have gone differently. How would you have changed it? That's great creative exercise.

Good luck!

most book ideas come from something we have read or our own experiences. decide on a plot and go from there let the story work out the rest. if the plot is murder, say, start with a dead body. describe the day/night, how it happened but not y, or who. go to who found the body and develop that character to the point of possible motive.. the police get involved, describe the cop in charge is he an idiot with no clue (like columbo) or pretty smart? then u call in the team to do finger prints and develop it there. as u go more into the story the story will develop mopre characters and more motives... just don't make it the butler.. he is always at fault lol good luck

I agree with answerer no. 1:

Listening to lyrics is really helpful. Just as an example - and i can say this cause i decided not to use this idea - i listened to a song called Battlefield by Jordin Sparks and the lyrics go "i never meant to start a war, you know i never want to hurt you, don't even know what we're fighting for, why does love always feel like a battlefield?"

ANYWAY, it gave me an idea about two people who in love who live in a magical realm (i'm predominantly a fantasy writer) and they don't know it, but they're both on opposite sides of some kind of war. so they have to keep apart, and hate each other for being on the other side, but still love each other and try to find a way to still be together, even though there is a part in each of them that the other hates. i thought it would be a good enough story if it was written well.

anyway, that was just one example. find a song that can lead to a story!!

i got one of my story inspirations from a TV show - so that shows you where inspiration can come from

music is very good, maybe make up a story to a song you really like and then expand it?

REAL LIFE!! gosh, think of all the ideas there. listen to gossip, a good way to have ideas.

MIX novels that you really like...think about it, love a character from one book and another from a different book? put them together, change their names...whatever.

PLOT- usually a fight or some thing that the character has to get over. maybe a girl has lost her family? two people that can't be together-for whatever reason.

ever think you're onto a good plot/story, it will usually stay in your head, but write it down.

All good fiction is based on truth. Start by keeping a diary/journal, and then embellish what happens in your day to day life. Observe everything around you. Go to a public place like a mall or theme park(somewhere with a heavy flow of people) take a seat on the nearest bench and just people watch, write down descriptions of everyone that passes you. Some of my best inspiration has come from sitting on a bench at Disneyland, the people there are crazy.

All writers draw from inspiration they find in daily life and in other books. No one is completely 100% original. Personal experience and observation is always a source for good writing. What kind of writing do you want to do? What are some of the ideas that you like? You can e-mail me if you like and I'll totally try and help you out.

P.S. Billet-Doux really, really, deserves Best Answer, I cannot stress that enough. You've also got some other great answers.

Hilarious!

listen to music. the lyrics will help you come up with something.

another suggestion...people watch, when you observe others you learn a lot about their actions, why they do what they do, it's actually very interesting.

these will basically help you widen your imagination.

Best of luck!