Writing Inspiration: How to Get Ideas for a Story

The picture book, Any Questions by Marie-Louise Gay, is the author’s answer to children about the writer’s journey — how to get ideas for a story. It’s an interactive experience because you get to write part of a story, too and is beautifully illustrated with water color and ink.

Gay writes that children often ask her where does a story start.

That’s a good question, she says.

How Do You Get Ideas for a Story?

She writes that if you stare at a blank white page long enough, anything can happen . . .

White paper can be a snow storm.

But what if the paper were yellow?

Or blue?

She writes that sometimes words come out of nowhere.

Sometimes words are captured and written down.

Sometimes you get ideas that don’t fit in your story. So you have to use your imagination.

Drawing and painting, cutting and pasting help Marie-Louise.

She likes to shake the ideas around and turn them upside down.

Suddenly she knows that her story is about a shy young giant with birds nesting in his hair. He reads stories to the trees. Then the giant hears something. Thundering footsteps. Growling. (YIKES!)

All of the sudden. . . 

It’s your turn to think of what happens next! (Yes — you, the reader!)

You invent a horrible beast. (GOOD JOB!)

The giant and beast meet. And  become friends.

The giant reads the beast a story.

“The story echoed throughout the forest. Words of all shapes and sizes, figments of the imagination and brilliant ideas threaded their way through the tree branches and floated up into the sky.”

That’s how stories start.

Any Questions?

Print out your own Fantastic Story book template.

Get the inside scoop from the author on writing Any Questions. Then, listen to her reading this beautiful book:

P.S. If you haven’t read the Stella and Sam books, I highly recommend them. They are full of whimsy and character! We love them.

P.P. S. You’ll also love The Plot Chickens!!