You’ve been dreaming of penning your own book for a while now. You’re motivated and you’ve finally built up the confidence to get started. But what to write about? How about starting with a captivating idea that will get your imagination salivating?

Here are 5 ways to generate unique ideas for your book:

1. Real life (yours or others)

Reality sparks creativity. Have you experienced an interesting scenario that no one would believe? Or had a situation that you wished played out differently? How about any of your family or friends? With a couple of interesting spins, you can churn out a fascinating story that anyone would love to read. Also, don’t forget to people watch and eavesdrop. What kind of life do you imagine the stranger jogging in the park to have? Where do you think that conversation you overheard in the mall might go? Chase those thought bunnies and see where your imagination takes you.

2. Pick an element/trope (or several)

There’s an endless variety of idea generators online that could help you pick out interesting occupations, settings, or even plot twists. Pick an element and list 10 options to choose from. Circle your top 3 and select your favorite—or even combine them. If the idea excites you, brainstorm different story scenarios around it. The same can be done with your favorite tropes: enemies to lovers, a stalker scenario, an ancient treasure, etc.

3. Play the “What If?” game

Some of the most captivating ideas can simply come from asking yourself questions like a child: What if I owned a chocolate factory? What if I could travel through others’ dreams? What if I had the ability to freeze anything I touch? You can focus on an object, person, place—literally anything—and generate at least 20 questions about it. See where your curiosity takes you.

4. Dreams

Dreams are some of the most intriguing ideas we can ever encounter. Keep a notebook nearby while you sleep and jot down anything you can remember when you wake. You’d be surprised what your subconscious can come up with. This also works with rabbit trails and daydreaming. If you find your mind wandering as you sit in traffic or wait in a long line, pay attention to where your thoughts stray and jot them down in your phone. You could have the beginnings of an exciting tale.

5. Get inspired

Nothing inspires a storyteller like a story well-told. Watching movies or TV Shows, reading books or synopses, attending a quality musical or theatrical production can work wonders for your creativity. Take the time to enjoy some admirable entertainment and see what sparks your imagination.  Don’t plagiarize though. That’s lame.

Conclusion

Generating good ideas is  a skill that must be strengthened like a muscle—the more you exercise your abilities, the easier it becomes. Keeping a notebook or document with all your ideas is a great way to remind yourself of just how creative you are. Open notes in your phone and jot down interesting character quirks, plot twists, and titles when the inspiration strikes. You’ll soon find you have a wealth of unique ideas that will captivate you as well as a variety of readers. Looking for more tips on how to generate unique ideas, check out Part Two of the Ideas Series here.