Ideas Are Like Rabbits

Ideas are like rabbits.  You get a couple and learn how to handle them, and pretty soon, you have a dozen ~ John Steinbeck

Once I get some inspiration or get an idea for a scene or story arc, my writing is very productive.  It's when I run out of steam and am empty of ideas that my progress stalls.  And, I'm almost embarrassed to admit this, employed brainstorming with paper and pen to get my plot moving forward.

What helped me with my latest brainstorm was a vast array of different works of fiction that I'd recently read.  And to be a fiction reader has a been a big shift for me since I started on my journey.  Up until about four years ago, my main reading material was non-fiction:  self-help and business books.  Of course, I was into Harry Potter and read all those books and every once in a while I read the book that became a movie.

But when I started my novel, I started reading fiction.  I now read a wide variety of fiction that has helped shape my writing and armed me with a plethora of ideas for my own stories.  I read mysteries, thrillers, sci-fi, even chick-lit and YA titles.  I just finished reading The Hunger Games trilogy.  Not only was that some of the best reading I ever done, it taught me a lot about story structure and plot development. 

If you're a writer, you know exactly what I'm talking about.  If you're on another dream journey, you'll have to seek out the resources needed for you to generate the ideas you need to achieve your goal.  I remember selling Tupperware and attending every training session I could.  I gleaned at least one new idea to grow my business from each meeting.

What new ideas have your run across recently that gave some vigor to your dream journey?  I'd love to hear about them!