Where Do Ideas Come From?

Other people's ideas

The idea of Lucy destroying the world by writing a story about it came from my friend Paul Taylor. Paul is a filmmaker, and tweeted me his idea: [what if a girl writes a story called 'the end of the world, and then it comes to life?]

I took this idea to begin my second book. Lucy was a minor character in my first story, and was a favourite of mine, and of many readers. People wanted to know more about her.

I decided that as Lucy gets older, she becomes more and more disillusioned by life, and it culminates when she writes this apocalyptic story. The idea was that her feelings were so strong that they came to life through the power of imagination.

"The creature I saw," said Lucy, "the one that went downstairs? I had imagined it, ages ago, back on Earth. I think the creatures are from my imagination."

Adding layers to this idea was the setting of the Galaxy Tower. They were waiting for Lucy to destroy Earth: it wasn't just a mistake; it was her destiny.

"I can't send you back because there is no Earth," huffed the Keeper. "Your story destroyed it. You were supposed to die with it. That was your destiny."

Your turn:

Start with a character who is writing a story called 'The End of the World'. Why are they writing this story? How does it come to life around them? Are there monsters or aliens or zombies? Is there a great world war or a nuclear explosion? It could even be a natural event, as we theorise happened to the dinosaurs.

Your task is to write a description of the world ending, with a focus on your character's reaction. Do they know that the apocalypse is because of their story?

Another idea that came from a friend was the pirate's muse in The Caretaker of Imagination. His idea was to flip the traditional image on its head and create a pirate who was inspired by something as sweet (and safe) as chocolate cake! I loved this idea, and the character of Captain Simon Peabody began to emerge.

Your turn:

Think of a classic stereotype and think about how you can flip it on its head. A rugby player who paints watercolours? A dentist who loves lollipops? A prince who needs rescuing?