Where I Get Ideas From

All of the ideas I post here as Idea Prompts are drawn randomly from some reference books I have in my personal library. Reference books can help in finding just the right detail to add to a story, but they can help in creating stories in the first place.

Among the books I’m flipping through are:

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy. Very basic concepts. If you have a humorous bent, you can look for ways to twist or warp what you find in here.

MacMillan Visual Dictionary. If you ever wanted to know the names of the individual parts of an jet engine, this is the book for you.

Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. Awesome reference book; just open any page and colorful phrases tumble out.

Descriptionary: A Thematic Dictionary. Topics in this book cover all areas of knowledge and give me the most accessible ideas.

Random House Word Menu. Very deep and esoteric knowledge, but helpful if you want to immerse your story in a particular career or lifestyle.

Cambridge Biographical Dictionary. Anglo-centric, but a great way to find colorful characters to add to your stories.

Dictionary of Ideas. Originally published in England under the name of Hutchinson’s and release in the U.S. by Quality Paperback Book Club (QPB), this is a favorite of mine. Topics aren’t so easy to write about, but the give you a lot to think about.

The Thirty-Six Dramatic Situations. Breaking down the 36 into dozens more, it’s a great source of ideas of budding playwrights and screenwriters.

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