Where do ideas come from? It’s a question people ask authors all the time, and for the most part, we don’t know. We might be able to say what we were doing when the idea came, but the reality is they kind of arise out of nothingness, the way intrusive thoughts do. So, what is that nothingness these ideas and thoughts come from then? It’s the default mode network.
The default mode network is what your brain does when it’s idling. It’s the part of your brain that helps problem solve, and when you deal with intrusive thoughts that’s where those come from as well. But it’s also where ideas tend to form, which is why it seems like they just spring to mind. That’s the nothingness ideas come from, and why it’s so hard to explain where they come from. Because we have no idea what the default mode network was trying to problem solve when the first idea came about.
Beyond that, writers tend to engage in activities that alight our imaginations, and that’s the basis for a lot of ideas. Things that are similar, but fundamentally different. We can also draw inspiration from things like dreams (I certainly do) and activities like brainstorming. Basic ideas often come from the default mode network, but you need more than that to craft a story. And part of that is learning how to generate more ideas from that singular point of origin.
How do you generate more ideas? Well, everyone is different, but the brainstorming lessons from school definitely helped me get here. Dumping all my ideas into a document, notebook, or app is a good place to start. Don’t worry about timelines or if you’ll keep them right now because the sorting comes later. And don’t throw anything away that you don’t use, because it might become its own thing later.
Another thing you can do is just write. Write about your day in a journal. Pen some poems. Craft essays on the human experience. Part of writing is becoming comfortable with it, and the more comfortable you get with writing, the easier the ideas should come. Writing is like a muscle, the more you use the muscle the bigger it gets. Because of this, the best way to become a writer is to write. Whether or not it’s perfect isn’t the goal, here. And you can only perfect a craft you’re actively working on. You don’t run a mile at one year of age, after all, so why expect perfection from your early works? I do recommend saving them because I’ve found that at least some of those ideas were salvageable, even if the work itself wasn’t. And you might want to go back and fix it someday.
Also, join a writer’s group. They’re fantastic for making connections and getting to know people and how to craft words. You can get feedback, tips, and all sorts of things you might not have considered. It might take a try or two to find one that works for you, and that’s okay. You can try joining a local one, or an online one.
Consuming the media in the genre you write will help too. If you’re a poet, read poetry. Into science fiction? There is a plethora out there. Love literary fiction? Go to a local bookstore or browse Amazon. Read, watch, listen to everything you can get your hands on because it’s the best way to pick up on things like form, tropes, and trends.
The reality is ideas don’t stop at the default mode network. That might be where the initial idea came from, but if you don’t do anything with it, it remains an idea. And you’ll need to add other ideas to the original one you came up with. So let your default mode network generate the first one, and then go from there.