Ideas come from within and brainstorming. They come and are gathered from the right side of the brain, your more creative hemisphere. The left side is the logical side, or the self editor, often known as a negative voice. Sometimes simply watching a movie, reading a book, or overhearing a conversation can bring up a bestselling theory. Other times, or most of the time, however, it requires thinking on our part. Or blood, sweat, and tears.

After reading this page, be sure to read all my articles on plots and ideas.

Brainstorming- Gathering up different ideas and putting them together through freelance thought. Nothing hard with this one.

The characters make the story, and to me the people I imagine are the ones that bring the plots upward. I start with a simple description:

A housewife
A general
A psychopath
A small child

Or, of course, you can be more detailed.

A divorced, pregnant woman who wants a career
A negative, ugly man who is domineering
A soft spoken choir teacher who is too innocent
A priest who is a kleptomanic

Anyway, you get the idea. Now mix and match. List,without paying attention to the above, somethings that could occur. Again, this is a simple exericse. The thinking comes later.

Loses someone they love
Moves into a haunted house
Murders someone
Loses something valuable

After mixing and matching the best combination, you select a theme. The theme is the underlying emotion of your story. It is sometimes mistaken for the plot.

Man against man
Man against nature
Man against society
Man against himself
_____ leads to insanity
______ leads to bankruptcy
_____ leads to freedom
_____ leads to death

Of course there are many many others. Have fun with these brainstorming exercises. Then create more with the plot, which is where outlining comes in.