Let's Start With An Idea

So…Where do you get an idea from?

It can come from anywhere. Let's start with a list. And don't be afraid to put titles of anime, comics, TV shows, movies, or even books. Heck, even put in random words if that works for you.

Or you can ask a question.

And definitely don't be afraid to steal.

Just realize that there are two sides to the dreaded originality issue that you need to be aware of: There is nothing new under the sun and everything is new under the sun.

Consider "Romeo and Juliet." Basic Plot: Boy meets girl. They fall in love. They find out that their families are at war. They get married. They commit suicide. Everyone is sad, but the families unite.

Now, more importantly, consider the variations. One, both, or neither die at the end. It can be a boy and a girl, two boys, or two girls. Marriage is an option, and it can be either a happy one or a bad one, and it can happen before or after the final act. Heck, replace "fall in love" with "fall in hate" and save the romance until after the conflict, or they can continue to dislike each other after the conflict.

You can even change the conflict. Instead of "different, warring families", make them of different social classes (he's poor and she's rich, or vice versa). Or they belong to different gangs. Or he's a geek and she's a cheerleader (wait, that's different gangs…). Or even ideological differences. Or one's an alien and the other's human. In essence, as long as the conflict complicates the romance, you're good to go.

And that's before we play around with the setting and genre. 

All this from taking the basic "Romeo and Juliet" plot and introducing a few basic twists. See how things are simultaneously "nothing original" and "lots of originality"? Sure, it's mostly just slapping a new coat of paint onto the old jalopy, but sometimes we add a few fun modifications like fins, spinner wheels, and bigger engines for additional fun.

Heck, you don't even have to start with a conflict. Road trip movies are always fun, as the trip changes those on it. Or you can compare societies and show that they are the same. At this stage, you can be as specific or as general as you want. Here are my stories and what started them, if it helps:

Miner's Glory: I just wanted to do a Western. I'm a big fan of A Man Called Horse, and I wanted a Gatling gun. I was in South Dakota, and so it's Gold Rush and Native American culture fitted in. Also, I wanted a woman avenging her slain fiancé. All of this became a kid forced to deal with his slain friend on a ranch.

Ogre's Pendant: I just wanted to have fun with the basic idea of the first quest and how parties get together. Simple.

Chinese Chess: Don't you get tired of seeing dragons slain or gone to as sources of wisdom? How about making a treaty with one for self-defense? Well, that and a more intellectual approach to dragons; he even gets a library card in the end.

Hinami Neon: I'm a big BubbleGum Crisis and Blade Runner fan. Plus, I wanted to see just how nasty I could get. This answered a lot of questions in that regard. So I created a group of mercenaries that are targeted by a villain getting rid of people from his past so he can move forward.

Sex Percussions: Someone entered a title contest with this. I had to steal it. It started with a group of performing capoieristas, and degenerated from there into making fun of elemental magic, with a Mayan goddess to boot. Also, I wanted something in 1920s Canada for some reason, so that made it into there as well.

Brass Ring: In the Champions RPG, it's mentioned that the worst enemy a hero can have isn't the most powerful villain in the universe, but a detective with obscene skill at observation. So, what would happen if a telepathic detective went after superheroes' secrets and used them to make them play fair? And what would happen if those secrets were released? The story also weaves in two brothers having a second chance (the brass ring of the title).

Strip Poker: Everyone who is a big fan of 1980s movies knows that there were a lot of movies that featured the beginning of a strip poker game, the middle of a strip poker game, or the end of a strip poker game. I wanted a full game, darn it.

Shorn Wool: Ever notice in the stories of the Three Fates you rarely hear of where the wool comes from? What if it's a metaphor for beginning your life? (Yeah, I know it's from a herd of Apollo's sheep, but what kind of story is that?)

Hope's Last Stand: I wanted a sitcom pilot script, and all I could think of was combining my work experience (at the time, I was working at Taco Bell), and T-NBC was sort of fun to watch. So you got this woman reforming a fast-food joint on the edge of the parking lot with a crew of teenagers and a pair of misfits as her assistant managers.

Ultimately, you need to start with an idea. How you explore those ideas is up to you.