A birthday card, a crumpled receipt, the recipe you asked for from a friend at the barbecue. On their own, they might not look like much, but a closer look can hint at a story.
As a writer, you might find inspiration in big things. A quirky person, an emotional moment, an impactful event.
Stories also hide in smaller places.
An ordinary object can tell us what someone wants, what they lost, what they're hoping for in the future. You just have to know how to look to find the answers.
Here are five ways to start.
1. Look for signs of use
Before you assign a meaning to the object, be sure to look at it closely.
Is the crumpled receipt new, or worn out?
Who signed the birthday card? Did they leave a message?
What recipe was it? Was it written neatly or hastily?
These details are just as important as the object itself.
Imagine two copies of the same birthday card. One is tucked neatly into its envelope. The other is worn at the crease with a coffee stain on it.
Technically, they are the same.
The story is different.
Try asking: What happened between the moment when my character got this object and when the story begins?
2. Ask who owned it
Objects are not interesting on their own. They are interesting because they are attached to interesting people.
Think of a grocery list with the following items:
- Milk
- Eggs
- Coffee
- Cat food
- Birthday Candles
Who wrote that list?
Is it a mom getting ready for her child's birthday? Is it a list that had been tucked into a cookbook inherited after someone's parent passed away?
You don't need to know who it belongs to right away.
Think about all the possibilities before beginning your story.
Try asking: Who would care about this object? Why?
3. Ask why it still exists
Most ordinary things disappear.
They are thrown away and forgotten about.
When something stays, you can ask why. Was it saved on purpose? Was it stashed and forgotten? Did someone hide it?
The reason the object remains can be a compelling part of your story.
Try asking: Why wasn't this thrown away?
4. Separate what you know from what you assume
This is where you can be the most creative.
Imagine you find a restaurant receipt for two dinners dated on February 14th.
You know two meals were purchased on Valentine's Day.
You might assume that it was a romantic date.
But it could have been two friends keeping each other company on the first Valentine's Day since their divorce. Or a parent taking their child out. Or an awkward first date that went terribly.
The distance between what you know and what you assume makes for the most interesting stories.
Readers make assumptions as well, and a writer who can leverage those assumptions will create stories that have tension, humor, or surprise.
Try asking: What does this object actually prove, and what am I filling in myself?
5. Let the object point toward something bigger
The story won't be about the object itself. The story is about what surrounds it.
The birthday card isn't about the card itself, but the relationship it implies.
The postcard isn't about a vacation, but about who someone is missing when they're on that vacation.
The object is just the evidence that something happened.
Try asking: If this object is only one piece of the story, what bigger story does it reveal?
Try it out
Choose an ordinary object around the house. Don't think too hard; anything will work.
Set a timer for five minutes and answer the following questions:
- What signs of use does this object have?
- Who might own this object?
- Why does it still exist?
- What do I know about the object, and what am I assuming?
- What larger story could it be evidence of?
You don't have to write the story yet. Just practice looking for one.