I have always held a (half-baked) theory that the stories we write are like dreams. In school, it always seemed that to analyze a novel or a short story was akin to analyzing the author herself. At least, I thought that in many cases the conclusions might have been just as valid. Stories written by masterful writers, of course, would be more lucid and more consciously thought out and arranged. Then I always ask myself, how often do authors read their reviews and smile at the extra ideas that had been projected onto their work. (Or maybe, not smile.)
From a comment exchange of a few days ago: maybe dreams start out as random neural firings in the brain as it performs its nightly housekeeping chores. Maybe then, our brains being what they are, our subconscious starts valiantly to connect the dots, and thus creates a story--our dream. This seems very much like the process of creating and writing a story--even if it happens while we sleep.
I constantly read that authors universally dislike the question, where do you get your ideas? Maybe because they kind of understand that the ideas are already in their heads. Where else?
Interesting! I think that's why so many authors end up with similar characters in similar situations. I've been reading a raft of mysteries, and I've noticed that the same writers rely on the same situations, whether it's a spouse thinking a spouse is cheating when they aren't or whatever. Or maybe there are always 2 sons in the family, or 1 daughter. It's funny how often these things come up. I've noticed that I keep giving my female protags "wacky" moms. Hmm! Yep, already in my head. Where does the "new" idea come from... often just a play on words for a title that mushrooms into something or other...
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