I absolutely love this question! Collecting ideas is a hobby of mine. There is an energy and excitement when ideas are new.
1. I am really, really, lucky that vivid and colorful dreams run in my family, so I have awesome dreams that "sometimes" get a turn at the writing desk. Dream meanings are fascinating.
2. I collect stories, funny sayings, and other things that I encounter every day into a document I call the compost. Theodore Roethke had a similar collection of fragments in Straw for the Fire. Inspiration from Roethke? Yes please.
3. Read "On Writing: A memoir of the craft" by Stephen King. Basically, take two unrelated ideas and combine them. This helped me when I combined two short stories to create the graphic novel project I am working on today.
4. Find some awesome writing prompts, either online or in collections. Some of my favorites are "Steering the Craft: Exercises and Discussions on Story Writing for the Lone Navigator or the Mutinous Crew" by Ursula K. Le Guin and "The Writer's Book of Matches" by Fresh Boiled Peanuts.
5. Do some research. Do you love fencing? Dogs? Funerals? Read some books, nonfiction and fiction, interviews, watch a TV show or movie. Ask "what if" and "I wonder if" questions. Combine two unrelated things (see 3). You'll be amazed by what other writers have created. What will you create if you had similar ingredients? Go to the lab and find out.
Going from inspiration to publication is a different journey. Focus on gathering ideas. Have fun with the writing and see what happens on the page. Then have fun with the editing and publishing part of the journey, if you so desire. Good luck!
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