How to Generate Short Story Ideas

Open your eyes, ears and mind and you'll discover that short story ideas are everywhere. Train your story-generating "muscle," and more and more ideas will come to you. Never force it, rely on your imagination to put something interesting together from what your eyes and ears pick up.

Step 1
Carry a small notebook and pen wherever you go so that you're prepared to write down fleeting flashes of inspiration. Place it on your nightstand table when you go to bed - dreams and insomnia often lead to great ideas.

Step 2
Keep your mind open. Use your daily events and observations about people and life as potential short story fodder.

Step 3
Take a bus ride around your city. When you see a person who interests you, imagine yourself in her shoes and begin your story.

Step 4
Be on the lookout for an intriguing photograph - a compelling image can fuel your imagination. What story does the photograph tell you?

Step 5
Scan newspapers and seek out real-life sagas that would make compelling short stories.

Step 6
Select an event from your real life and give the situation a different or even extreme conclusion.

Step 7
Listen to your relatives. Our elders, especially, often have interesting stories to tell. Take special note of dialect, intriguing names, characters, etc.

Step 8
Keep a freewriting journal. Write for 15 minutes daily about anything that pops into your head, and try not to edit yourself. Read your freewriting journal and look for interesting passages, phrases or ideas that might inspire a story.