Rogers has some guest bloggers taking up temporary residence at Kung Fu Monkey, including Michael Alan Nelson, writer of the sensational Boom book Fall of Cthluhu, who managed to post the first truly satisfactory (to me) answer to the obligatory question, where do writers get their ideas?
I've come to learn over the past few years what most writers probably already instinctively know; much of writing is about observation. Ideas usually don't come to us in a vacuum. However, writing can be a very solitary existence so it's very important to get out of the house, interact with people, see and experience new things. You have a much better chance of generating ideas when you aren't staring at the same four walls day after day.
When I get stuck on anything, I go for a walk. When I get really stuck, I go for a drive, and then take a walk when I get to wherever I end up. I may not come home with lots of ideas, but I always come home with at least one. I also never know when something's going to strike me, which is why I always carry a little notebook and pen in my pocket when I leave the house.
Man, I want to write a Cthulhu story now. Time to take a walk.
... well, probably a drive. Yeah, a long, long drive.
