In the beginning ... there was the idea.

The 'Idea' (sometimes thought of as 'concept') is critical to the start of any story. It is that seed—that genesis—from which all the branches of the story spring. It is the foundation upon which everything else is laid.

People often ask us: "Where do you get your ideas?" The question is a common one to creative people. Stephen King's answer is sometimes "Cleveland."

The truth is that is it difficult to know the exact source of an idea. They rarely come when bidden and are often shy when they are needed the most. They come stealthily at odd moments: the middle of the night seems to be one of their favorite times. They are often fleeting as well and like to run away from conscious memory. They are hit-and-run experts: they come in flashes at the most unexpected of places. For this reason I try to always have something near at hand on—including my nightstand—on which I can write down these ideas and capture them before they run away.

I remember Margaret Weis once calling me from the middle of Walt Disney World—a place which both of us share as a common hunting ground for ideas. She was at Epcot, had a sudden inspiration about one of our Death Gate Novels and had to tell me all about it at once. I think she needed to tell me right then and there so that she could first of all share the excitement of her discovery and enjoy the rest of her day at the park without having to worry about forgetting the idea.

Perhaps this illustrates a good point: an idea shared is an idea remembered. I find in my own case that talking through an idea with Laura or Margaret clarifies the concepts of the idea ... and even leads to NEW ideas. The other person can often give you feedback (if you have a good relationship) that will help you polish your rough idea into something more perfect. Yet even if the other person is just half listening out of politeness, just the act of talking through the idea can help clarify it in your own mind.

Ideas usually begin with the question "What if...?" This is, for me, immediately followed by three more questions: "Why?", "How?" and "What would result?"

What if sorcery was common and technology was considered a dark art? (Darksword Series) What if order in heaven was chaos on earth and chaos in heaven was order on earth? (Rose of the Prophet) What if the world were broken into its four classical elements of earth, fire, air and water? (Death Gate)

As important as "What if..." is in the idea, I find that it is the questions that follow often lead to the most intriguing and original aspects of an idea. Death gate is a good example of this. The original idea: What if the world were broken into its four classical elements of earth, fire, air and water? Why? Some cataclysmic event sundered it, possibly in a bid for supremacy over the world. How? It would have had to be a conscious sundering to be along such mentally defined lines as the classical elements so it must have been a war between powerful factions probably using mental powers or magic. What would result? Such a catastrophic event would reduce society to its beginnings ... each of the four incarnations of the elements would have unique physical conditions and societies.

Ideas do come without warning but there are things you can do and places you can go where the hunting for ideas is better than others. Ideas seem to spawn in other ideas. You can read ... and read anything and everything. A write MUST read to find those illusive ideas. The magical basis for the Death Gate series was inspired by my readings on quantum and chaos theories. History and biography are excellent sources for ideas. My family marvels and the DVD collection I often turn to for ideas. I go to movies more than most people I know for their ideas.

(Incidentally, I rarely go to commercial, series television as a source of ideas. They are too formulaic. Newton Minow, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission said, "Television is a vast wasteland" back in the 1960's. It has grown exponentially larger since then with a few isolated oases. If you must know, the only series I watch on commercial television these days is "The West Wing." You MIGHT find your idea while watching "Friends" or "Seinfeld" reruns but they are all beginning to look the same to me.)

When one is idea hunting it is also important to put yourself in an open frame of mind. You have to be receptive to new ideas in order to get them. In my own life I find that being slow to judge and quick to question can often be a big help not only in finding new ideas but in just living life well.

Many people wonder if looking at or experiencing other people's movies or television or books or music taints your idea with plagiarism. It certainly can if you are looking to steal their concepts wholesale. If you were to see Lord of the Rings and say, "What if the ring were a glove? We could call it 'Lord of the Glove!' -- then you haven't really found an idea. All you've done is badly warmed over Tolkien and a very large lawsuit. BUT ... if you started with "What if the ring were a glove? Why? Well, a gauntlet is like an armored glove. A great warrior might have a magical gauntlet that gave him special powers. (Suddenly we're getting closer to Witchblade here.) How? Perhaps it is a gauntlet that is suffused with the spirits of each person whose life it took and that's where it gets its power? What results? It would be a haunted gauntlet.

Then we ask the first question again ... What if instead of being a cursed item, the gauntlet wanted to free the souls that were trapped in it by doing good deeds -- by saving lives rather than destroying them? Why? It has a soul of its own that longs to be free. How? It must seek out, like Arthur's sword, the one pure person who can free it from its damnation.

We could call it "Running the Gauntlet" giving a double meaning to the second word. This implies a difficult, deadly series of tasks that must be performed in order to free the gauntlet of its curse.

Now look at what we have ... a story that is far removed from Tolkien but which is nevertheless a strong idea for a book.

Gee ... now I wish I hadn't given that idea away! It sounds like it could be a pretty cool series!

Getting ideas to take root can require some care. It is often like building a fire while camping. Perhaps you start with just a flicker or spark. You have to nurture it by adding a few dry leaves or thin twigs and let it develop a little slowly before building it into a bonfire. Next time, we'll explore the development of the idea into something more solid, defined and structures. I'll also point you to some of the tools Laura and I use in helping us visualize and define our ideas into books and games.

Tracy Hickman has written or edited more than thirty novels, had ten of them ride on the New York Times Best Sellers list, designed role playing games and modules, created his own role playing game and in recent years begun to write screenplays. He may be reached through his web site: www.trhickman.com.

(Back to Articles)