Flashes of Light

I collect photos in a folder titled 'Story Ideas'. Some are scenery, others are just pictures that satisfy some inner need or a research reference. At the moment there are about four hundred in the folder.

This morning I scrolled through them, looking for a little flash to jumpstart my second chapter. I wasn't looking for some huge idea, but something small. And I noticed a thumbnail titled 'living under a rock'.

I always have to preview the pics because I usually can't make out the thumbnail. Anyway, I clicked on it and it was picture of an enormous rock with a home--really just a bricked up space--beneath the rock. Now, how secure could you possibly feel living in that bit of space?

Then that expression--Where have you been living? Under a Rock?--came to mind. Hmmmm. How can I use this idea in my story?

Readers often ask writers where they get their ideas. The answer is 'everywhere'. Some are quick scenes we see in our daily lives. Or something we read that leads to a new idea. It might be a picture. It could be a dream. More than likely, it's a 'what if?' moment.

What are your flashes of light?

anny