Young Writers Society

I mostly write poetry, and I really want to write longer fiction, but I can't get my stories long enough and also, everything I write I fear is terribly unoriginal therefore the point of putting it on paper is moot.

I have trouble coming up with ideas because it all seems horribly cliche to me.

And also...if I'm without any ideas for stories is picking a random line from a random book (sort of like blbliomancy) and using that as a plot an acceptable way to get story ideas?

Don't think everything you think of is cliche. Most of the time it isn't. You just get parannoyed. I do too, trust me. If you have an idea write it down and sleep on it. You manage to get more ideas to add to it write those down. I usually manage to start writing my stories down before I truly get all my ideas and that's okay to do to. Usually the ideas come to you as you go along writing the story. You may feel more comfortable with planning out your story though first and then adding major depth to it.

I hope this help some at the least,
-Amber

If you get inspired by something, do it. If it's a line from a book, I see no problem. All stories are based on and inspired by other stories. Often books quote other books at the beginning or throughout the book. (His Dark Materials is not only inspired by but in some part based on - even named from! - Paradise Lost.)

Similarly, as for how to get started: sit down with your writing medium of choice and write. You've got to start somewhere. Don't worry about anything, except getting it down. Try looking up writing challenges (eg: NaNoWriMo) and participate in those if you think it'll motivate you to get it written.

^_^ There is a very simple answer to your problem: Nothing is original anymore. All the good ideas are taken, used, and out there. Somewhere, I'm sure there is some great new and untouched idea. But finding it will be hard, since imagination actually requires you to take 'images' you already have and make them new. Thus, 'new' and 'original' ideas are really just mixed up versions of old ideas that are so mixed up you can no longer recognize the originals it could be compared to.

Not to say that no one will come up with an idea, and later realize someone else beat them to it. it happens. It just proves that somewhere someone is thinking a lot like you. So get over the idea that your ideas are too cliche.

Ideas. Hard to find. I used to take random words (adjective, verb, nouns) and put them together into an idea. (ex: hat, monkey, dancing <sounds a lot like one of those little monkeys with hats that dance around for money, yes? Already exists, yes? But what if the story is really about a story where the main character has a hat with some significance, maybe even magic and has no choice but to use their dancing skills to save a monkey belonging to comeone powerful. Not brilliant, I know, but pick better worda and you can get a better plot. If it sounds cliche, just mix it up again).

And yes, you can take sentences from another story. Just don't take the whole thing. Another thing I always like reading are people who take fiary tales and turn them into novels. They give a new spin on an old story, to the point I once didn't even realize what the story was based on until halfway through. =P

Read a lot, write a lot, and even if it's cliche then write it anyways. It's good practice. Hope that helps some.

^_^ Keek!