“Together we take a walk on the page.”

Where do the ideas come from?

When I’ve worked with young writers, the conversation often comes around to this.  They’d like to write something, but what?  Where to start?  Aren’t all the good stories already out there?  What if it’s just an idea and not a whole story?

Ideas are All Around  by Philip C. Stead uses drawings, photos, even paint splotches to take us through a day of finding ideas, and at the end of it, you’ve got a book.  It’s not really a story, exactly, but sometimes taking a walk on the page or outside will get you started or bring you closer to that idea.

Was there a bundled up person  being pulled by a dog on a warm day?  Were there earthworms scattered across the sidewalk at one building but not another?  Did a cardinal swoop down in front of you and make you trip on the tricycle left out by the neighbor kid?  Were the bunnies all sitting on one side of the yard staring at you?

Write it down, and together, we might take another walk on the page.