Great tips! You're so right about opening the floodgates of capturing ideas - write it down! Regarding avoiding plagiarism while taking notes, when I was getting my Master's back in the day, the opposite strategy worked for me. When I wanted to record an important idea or passage for future use, I copied it word for word and included quotation marks to indicate an exact quote, so that in future I could have something to reference to help me avoid inadvertently using an exact phrase without attribution.
I often get ideas when looking at pictures and paintings and a story will just begin to come alive. I also am artistic and create collages and junk journals and through these stories and ideas also begin to come alive. Whether they will ever get told, I don't know but pictures is a way I get a lot of ideas.
FABULOUS tips... but I especially love the suggestions for starting small... for those of us whose creative minds have atrophied over the years :) Looking forward to exercising this muscle!
"I was implementing accounts payable." lol! I suppose if you tried doing that creatively, you could end up doing time ... btw, if you're watching any TV, watch "Calliope" the latest episode of "The Sandman" on Netflix. It's apropos of the question, "Where do you get your ideas?"
Sometimes I find the best way to get ideas for novels is to stop trying to look for it. I've gotten the best ideas just randomly when I least expected it.
Great ideas! How do you get over thinking your ideas are stupid or won't work? Not just the idea for the story as a whole, but the little ideas within the story for subplots, etc., I often feel that my ideas are stupid or won't work. So how to get over that and just give the ideas a try?
I think you need a lot of ideas and many of them WILL be stupid or won't work :) For every 100 ideas, only some will be worth pursuing, but you need the bad ideas in order to find the good ones! So keep generating lots of them, and some will be awesome!
Hi Joanna, great video, love your material. I have a question about plagiarism. I am researching a project that deals with material from early church fathers. I want to write a book that gives commentary on their writings and uses their original writings. What are the guidelines and suggested boundaries for using very old material like that? Don't steal my ideas or I will hunt you down and seek an autograph. :) Just kidding, I'm too busy writing. :)
Copyright lasts until 70 years after the author's death, so you will be fine with early church :) Translations are another issue though e.g. although the King James Bible is out of copyright, some of the newer translations aren't - you can quote them but within the guidelines of fair use. However, I'm not a lawyer :) Best to get Helen Sedwick's book The Self-Publisher's Legal Handbook amzn.to/2DGfsOB
I get my ideas from everywhere. And when I say everywhere, I truly mean it. The place where I get most of my ideas however is in the shower. And that is the place where I lose most of them unfortunately. I hardly ever remember them once I step out the shower.
Do you know what the weird thing about your answer is, I knew you were going to say this when I made my comment earlier today? But for me this is not a solution. I don't want the ideas to come when I am in the shower. I have a strong affinity with water. When I am in it, the only thing I want to do is relax and enjoy my bath. I don't want to stop to write stuff down. I have all day to do this.
What if I have an abundance of ideas, but then have a problem with turning those into complete stories? ...Because that's the problem I'm having. Plenty of mind images that stuck with me for years, but whenever I sit down to write, there isn't any narrative, and when I ask questions to find one, the image becomes diluted and nonsensical. Any advice?
What are the rules/guidelines about taking a historical quote and putting in the mouth of a fictional character? I want to write historical fiction. Thank you!
If someone famous said it, then I would just have the character say, "As Einstein said, E=MC2," or whatever. But maybe check with historical fiction authors or editors.
Great tips! You're so right about opening the floodgates of capturing ideas - write it down! Regarding avoiding plagiarism while taking notes, when I was getting my Master's back in the day, the opposite strategy worked for me. When I wanted to record an important idea or passage for future use, I copied it word for word and included quotation marks to indicate an exact quote, so that in future I could have something to reference to help me avoid inadvertently using an exact phrase without attribution.
Great :) using quotation marks is important - or rephrasing when you copy things out
I often get ideas when looking at pictures and paintings and a story will just begin to come alive. I also am artistic and create collages and junk journals and through these stories and ideas also begin to come alive. Whether they will ever get told, I don't know but pictures is a way I get a lot of ideas.
Fabulous ideas Joanna. You might consider writing/publishing a day planner based on what you just said. I would buy it!
I'll keep that in mind - thanks!
Extremely happy that you would be doing more writing videos! You're such an inspiration and somehow what you say is very easy to comprehend.
Really enjoying these videos! I would be interested in some more on dictating your story. Thank you for your amazing content.
sylverbright thanks :) I have a video coming up on dictation!
FABULOUS tips... but I especially love the suggestions for starting small... for those of us whose creative minds have atrophied over the years :) Looking forward to exercising this muscle!
Thank you, Joanna! An extremely helpful video! Trying to get back to writing, and reminded me of how to get the creative juices flowing again. :)
Really useful, thanks!
I love your ideas... and your enthusiasm.
Very good video. Thanks for sharing :)
Great takeaways, Joanna! Just ordered a copy of "Atlas Obscura"... #inspired Also loving the videos and seeing your lovely face! ;D
It's a great book - you won't be able to stop dipping in! Glad you like the video too. More coming!
Great post. Thank you. What make is that fabulous thick orange notebook. I have stationery envy!
It's Leuchtthurm - I use those and Moleskine mainly
"I was implementing accounts payable." lol! I suppose if you tried doing that creatively, you could end up doing time ... btw, if you're watching any TV, watch "Calliope" the latest episode of "The Sandman" on Netflix. It's apropos of the question, "Where do you get your ideas?"
Sometimes I find the best way to get ideas for novels is to stop trying to look for it. I've gotten the best ideas just randomly when I least expected it.
Nice one Joanna :)
!! I saw your necklace and was wondering if you'd lived in NZ
For 7 years - and I have a Kiwi passport :) The string snapped on that necklace - I have yet to find one that replaces it!
Great ideas! How do you get over thinking your ideas are stupid or won't work? Not just the idea for the story as a whole, but the little ideas within the story for subplots, etc., I often feel that my ideas are stupid or won't work. So how to get over that and just give the ideas a try?
I think you need a lot of ideas and many of them WILL be stupid or won't work :) For every 100 ideas, only some will be worth pursuing, but you need the bad ideas in order to find the good ones! So keep generating lots of them, and some will be awesome!
Hi Joanna,
great video, love your material.
I have a question about plagiarism.
I am researching a project that deals with material from early church fathers. I want to write a book that gives commentary on their writings and uses their original writings.
What are the guidelines and suggested boundaries for using very old material like that?
Don't steal my ideas or I will hunt you down and seek an autograph. :) Just kidding, I'm too busy writing. :)
Copyright lasts until 70 years after the author's death, so you will be fine with early church :)
Translations are another issue though e.g. although the King James Bible is out of copyright, some of the newer translations aren't - you can quote them but within the guidelines of fair use.
However, I'm not a lawyer :) Best to get Helen Sedwick's book The Self-Publisher's Legal Handbook amzn.to/2DGfsOB
Thank you Joanna,
Great advice on the Sedwick book. I will follow up on that.
I get my ideas from everywhere. And when I say everywhere, I truly mean it.
The place where I get most of my ideas however is in the shower. And that is the place where I lose most of them unfortunately. I hardly ever remember them once I step out the shower.
You can get waterproof notepads for the shower :)
Do you know what the weird thing about your answer is, I knew you were going to say this when I made my comment earlier today?
But for me this is not a solution. I don't want the ideas to come when I am in the shower. I have a strong affinity with water. When I am in it, the only thing I want to do is relax and enjoy my bath. I don't want to stop to write stuff down. I have all day to do this.
What if I have an abundance of ideas, but then have a problem with turning those into complete stories? ...Because that's the problem I'm having. Plenty of mind images that stuck with me for years, but whenever I sit down to write, there isn't any narrative, and when I ask questions to find one, the image becomes diluted and nonsensical. Any advice?
What are the rules/guidelines about taking a historical quote and putting in the mouth of a fictional character? I want to write historical fiction. Thank you!
If someone famous said it, then I would just have the character say, "As Einstein said, E=MC2," or whatever. But maybe check with historical fiction authors or editors.
Fantastic video Joanna, as always, but are you sitting on a space hopper ? I was slightly distracted by all the bouncing
I'm on a swiss ball. I didn't think anyone would notice - I'll have to move to a chair!
I'm now standing for future videos