Everyone knows it can be tough coming up with story ideas. So, where do I get mine? Sal’s Literary Ideas & Auto Parts in South Boston. Sure, Sal’s prices are steep. But you can’t beat his 30-day warranty.
Seriously, folks. Where do ideas come from?
I concur with Robert Olen Butler, who writes that “art comes from the place where you dream. Art comes from your unconscious; it comes from the white-hot center of you.”
How can we gain access to this mysterious unconscious? The key is a relaxed and receptive inward focus. Allow your mind to wander, unhindered by critical analysis or judgment.
I find that I’m most receptive while walking, preferably in a natural setting. Any repetitive movement can help: jogging, bicycling, swimming, davening. A hot bath can also do the trick. Alternatively, just sit or recline in a comfortable position, allow your breathing to deepen, and enter into trance.
Sometimes what surfaces is a story title or the name of a character. I was walking along the Charles River when the name Wiggle-Me-Won’t appeared out of nowhere. This grew into a story in verse concerning twin brothers: Wiggle-Me-Won’t and Wiggle-Me-Will.
More often, an image will surface. I recently awoke with the image of a boy enveloped in a mattress, with only his head and feet sticking out. This image turned into The Sinkopedic 3000, a story about a boy who discovers a world within his mattress.
If none of this helps, consider purchasing my newly developed IdeaCatcher.
We’ve all heard that ideas are “in the air.” Employing the latest in windsock technology, my IdeaCatcher literally snags those suckers as they float by. For a mere $29.95, be the first in your critique group to own this revolutionary device!
Michael Sussman is a clinical psychologist and writer who resides in the Boston area. His debut picture book—Otto Grows Down—was published by Sterling, with illustrations by Scott Magoon. Dr. Sussman is also the author of A Curious Calling: Unconscious Motivations for Practicing Psychotherapy, and the editor of A Perilous Calling: The Hazards of Psychotherapy Practice.
Thanks to Debbie Ridpath Ohi for the IdeaCatcher illustration.
12 comments
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November 16, 2009 at 8:46 am
Joanna
haha! Get me one of those idea catchers please. In fact I’ll take two.
Perfect Christmas gift for budding writers….
November 16, 2009 at 9:22 am
Jewel
Ha ha Hee-hee ha ha. I can see a run on the idea catcher. Hope you have plenty in stock. I think I will use one of my stray socks and hang it on a tree branch. With the nice steady breezes that blow through Oklahoma I am sure to capture a few.
Thank you for the belly laugh! And the advice to allow your mind to wander and put your inner critique out for lunch.
November 16, 2009 at 9:52 am
Corey Schwartz
Ha! My birthday is coming up. Maybe someone will buy me one! 🙂
November 16, 2009 at 11:21 am
Michael
Thanks, Debbie–the ad looks great! Orders are coming in even faster than for my X-Ray Glasses!
November 16, 2009 at 12:14 pm
Sheri Dillard
Great post, Michael! I get a lot of ideas when I’m out running. Sometimes, I’ll finish my run and realize that I never turned on my ipod/music!
I love your IdeaCatcher. “Windsock technology” — too funny! Hahaha…haha…ha…(cough)…
(Um, send me one of those things ASAP!) 🙂
November 17, 2009 at 6:33 am
marcy
Michael,
you don’t need an idea catcher…..you are so full of dreams and ideas.
but I hope you sell a lot of them and can go to the Carribbean on your
money.
November 17, 2009 at 9:26 am
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[…] Do I have a story? Maybe. Maybe not. But I do have some ideas that floated out of thin air. (Truth be told, I had just received an advance prototype of Michael Sussman’s IdeaCatcher.) […]
November 18, 2009 at 9:06 am
nanmarino
Great post! Love the quote from R.O. Butler and the IdeaCatcher is brilliant (but I hear that Walmart has it cheaper).
November 18, 2009 at 4:48 pm
Michael Sussman
Sure, Walmart’s is cheaper–it’s a knockoff made in China that only catches fortune cookie messages.
November 21, 2009 at 11:46 pm
Kelly Fineman
Adds davening to my to-do list . . .
December 17, 2009 at 2:16 pm
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November 28, 2010 at 10:04 am
PiBoIdMo Day 28: Two New Idea-Generating Inventions from Michael Sussman « Writing for Kids (While Raising Them)
[…] the most creative writers and artists. For PiBoIdMo 2009, I unveiled my revolutionary device—the IdeaCatcher™—employing the latest in windsock technology to snag ideas from the air. Despite a very […]