How Authors find Stories

Yesterday, I was listening to music trying to sleep. It was 2am and I put on a music playlist. One of those “maybe this will quiet my brain” attempts that rarely work.

Then a song played.

https://open.spotify.com/track/3zuiYHGLfLV6d9NngYgjmG?si=df9e94ed894b41f6

The Vampire Crew by Zen Vibes Station

It's essentially a song about a Vampire Pirate Crew. It all started with a question.

"What if a Romantasy Girl found this Pirate Crew and wanted to be turned?"

It quickly spiraled into a full-blown story outline. Characters. Consequences. A mythic loophole. An ending that hurt in the right way.

So how do we find a story? Through bread crumbs and questions.

You follow the thing that tugs at your brain.You ask what if one more time. And suddenly, you’re not trying to write a story anymore.

You’re uncovering one.

If you’re a writer, I’m curious: What’s the smallest question that ever turned into your biggest story?