Let's Go Getting Some Ideas

Writing Excuses 10.1: Seriously, Where Do You Get Your Ideas?

The task:

Write down five different story ideas in 150 words or less. Generate these ideas from these five sources:

1. From an interview or conversation you’ve had
2. From research you’ve done (reading science news, military history, etc)
3. From observation (go for a walk!)
4. From a piece of media (watch a movie)
5. From a piece of music (with or without lyrics)

tl:dr; Idea generation can be surprisingly hard. Took me weeks to finish this, if it counts as finished. Some kernels for ideas, more than real ideas, though.


 Well now.

Additionally, I'll also try to do the "Must go deeper" bit.

1. Conversation.

I've had a bunch of conversations about various topics, I wonder if I need to use just one, or if I can mix and match them?

- Relationships are a huge bother. It's much easier to talk about a bunch of utility-stuff.
- Cybersecurity
- The value of a useful belief which is basically nonsense. ex: "Everything happens for a reason."
- Femme fatales and sexy bad habits
- How woo and science may approach the same things from different perspectives.

A CS admin skeptic enters the hidden world of esoteric knowledge, and must help a woman escape her former cult.

- A person is literally completely different after ten or so years, so that's by definition, a life sentence.

A prisoner sentenced to life in prison, is brainwashed and modified to become a functioning meber of society.

2. Research

I... kinda do a ton of research, on Youtube politics du jour, because I don't want to be wrong in the internet, to various lifehacks, to biohacking, dieting and such. I do have a couple of ideas regarding diet, exercise and lifestyle:

In a world, where there is a long-lived race of Elves, the secret to their long lifespans is just in their diet, environment and lifestyle, while they are in fact the same species as 'humans'. 

Same idea might apply for a superhuman, as a variant of the 'super-soldier serum' plot.

Someone goes for a Stem Cell insertion for lifespan extension, but gets the wrong stem cells, and now their body is turning into someone else.

In generally, scifi five minutes into the future seems interesting. Head Transplants and all.

- A lot of changes depend on just coming up with a new material, such as the new innovation in doing thinner and lighter lenses. The scenario of just drawing a conductive pathway is already quite possible.

3. Observation.

- My eyesight is...not doing that well. Also, I'm more out of shape than I thought.
- 'Doc' Emmet Brown is the synth player for Uriah Heep. Time Travel?
- Musicians play way too loud.
- Cold, but for sunlight.
- TPO
- Something something birds.
- Pain and stretching. Getting things done is hard.
- Superfoods grow in the ditch.

A time-traveller is living outside the grid as a scavenger.

No... where's the conflict, though? Why? 
 - Maybe some species have gone extinct in the future, and they're enjoying them while they last? 

4. Media
- Well... I've been watching some let's plays. The last movie I saw was.... Civil War? What was in there? Various motivations for conflict, recruiting the next gen, a sci-fi nation in contemporary earth.... Wakanda is weird.

I guess, the idea of an advanced civilization smack-dab in the middle of a contemporary world is an interesting concept. What about an advanced civilization that seems like swords & sorcery? Something something Island in the Sea of Time.

Books... Time Enlightenment?  The present is better than the past.
Ascension? Severing? One path, control yourself, separate yourself from the world. Solipsism.
Another, eliminate yourself, only exist within your actions.

Gods among Men? The Isekai genre?

I love the Isekai genre, but I'd need an idea that also helps me write within it.  I do have a story idea that's been in the works for a while, about someone who gets summoned as a hero every few years, but centuries pass in the world he enters, and he's often forgotten.

Oh!
I recently was reminded of The Book of Mormon, so, now I have an idea:

The Book of Mordor.

5. Music.
- Vincent Price.
- Beat keeps my brain going, but I won't enjoy it.

A person dies when the music stops.

I've been listening to the Book of Mormon soundtrack a bit, maybe I could get something out of it.

Wow. This is taking me forever. Idea generation is hard

Further ideas:

•   From reading an RPG I wrote - An invisible gun, with limited bullets. Getting away with murder.