If you ever find yourself stumped for a fiction idea, try one of these suggestions.

Listen to music. Listen to the story. It’s okay to picture what the singer and songwriter have put out there for you, but let your imagination go further. For a country song about a great horse that died, imagine what other kinds of pets people might get attached to. What kind of cowboy would keep a ground hog in his pocket as a pet? How many tattoos would a girl have, if she really loved her pet lizard? What about working animals? I’d love to read a story about an adventurous blind woman mistakenly paired with a very prim Seeing Eye dog.

Play with headlines. Don’t read the article, just see what kind of story your mind wants to create based on the title. “Shop Owner Slain by Bandit.” Would you care more about the bandit, the shop owner, or the owner’s new Mongolian mail order bride? What if the bandit and the shop owner were brothers? Who would care if the paper got almost everything wrong? What if you changed one word? “Shop Owner Slain by WHEELCHAIR Bandit.” Suddenly the tragedy becomes a black comedy or a comedy of errors. Newspapers, journals and magazines are great sources for inspiring titles you can warp to meet your needs.

So, listen to music, play with titles and let your imagination run wild. Just remember to keep a notepad handy as a safety valve, or your head might actually explode!

About the Author Rodney Robbins is a quirky author and cartoonist who enjoys life's paradoxes. You can visit his store and blog at http://www.lulu.com/rodneyrobbins for more information.

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