--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I'm often asked how I get ideas for my…" description: "\"I'm often asked how I get ideas for my stories. The answer is there's no single way; every story is different.\" — Ken Liu" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8c/ken-liu-4222_answer_i-m-often-asked-how-i-get-ideas-for-my-s_1109254.jpg" --- # I'm often asked how I get ideas for my stories. The answer… ![“I'm often asked how I get ideas for my stories. The answer is there's no single way; every story is different.” quote by Ken Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8c/ken-liu-4222_answer_i-m-often-asked-how-i-get-ideas-for-my-s_1109254.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8c/ken-liu-4222_answer_i-m-often-asked-how-i-get-ideas-for-my-s_1109254.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8c/ken-liu-4222_answer_i-m-often-asked-how-i-get-ideas-for-my-s_1109254.jpg) > “I'm often asked how I get ideas for my stories. The answer is there's no single way; every story is different.” [Ken Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-liu/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. There is no single method for generating story ideas; each narrative requires its own approach. **In simple terms:** No one way to get ideas; each story differs. Key Takeaway Adapt your creative process. Themes creativity writing ideas Mood curious thoughtful Type inspirational practical When to use this quote - brainstorming sessions - daily observations - reading diverse genres Key Concepts inspiration process Questions to Reflect On - What sources spark your imagination? - How do you decide which idea to develop? A Different Perspective May cause indecision. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Answer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/answer/) [Asked Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/asked-ideas-1106521/) [How](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/how/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Ideas Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas-stories-871144/) [Stories Answer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories-answer-2946573/) [Story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/story/) [Story Different](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/story-different-403085/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) ## Related quotes > [We are shaped by stories from the first moments of life, and even before. Stories tell us who we are, why we are here,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-taylor/we-are-shaped-by-stories-from-the-first-moments-of-life-and-even/) [Daniel Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-taylor/) > [“The question authors get asked more than any other is "Where do you get your ideas from?" And we all find a way of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/the-question-authors-get-asked-more-than-any-other-is-where-do-you/) [Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/) > [The question I am most often asked is how do I find my ideas? The answer is I don't. Ideas find me. A character…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-fritz/the-question-i-am-most-often-asked-is-how-do-i-find-my-ideas-the/) [Jean Fritz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-fritz/) > [I'm often asked, 'Where do you get your ideas?' ...It's like asking, 'Where do you find air to breathe?' Ideas are all around you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twyla-tharp/i-m-often-asked-where-do-you-get-your-ideas-it-s-like-asking-where-do/) [Twyla Tharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twyla-tharp/) > [One of the most common questions writers are asked is "Where do you get your ideas?" But the sad truth is, we don't know.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-westerfeld/one-of-the-most-common-questions-writers-are-asked-is-where-do-you/) [Scott Westerfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-westerfeld/) > [I'll try to find a character or a story that is different from those I've done before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shin-min-a/i-ll-try-to-find-a-character-or-a-story-that-is-different-from-those/) [Shin Min-a](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shin-min-a/) > [Everybody's got a different way of telling a story - and has different stories to tell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-richards/everybody-s-got-a-different-way-of-telling-a-story-and-has-different/) [Keith Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-richards/) > [The ideas for stories that thronged my brain would not let me rest till I had got rid of them by writing them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/the-ideas-for-stories-that-thronged-my-brain-would-not-let-me-rest/) [W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) > [ “The most enduring and galvanizing ideas and values of our civilization are embedded in our stories, from those of Homer, \[…\] and Virgil, \[…\]… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blake-mycoskie/the-most-enduring-and-galvanizing-ideas-and-values-of-our/) [Blake Mycoskie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blake-mycoskie/) > [If the reader looks, I think he will find plenty of moral and political ideas in my stories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/italo-calvino/if-the-reader-looks-i-think-he-will-find-plenty-of-moral-and/) [Italo Calvino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/italo-calvino/) > [I don't abandon stories once I've started working on them. Once I sit down and start a story, I'll be damned if I'm going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-link/i-don-t-abandon-stories-once-i-ve-started-working-on-them-once-i-sit/) [Kelly Link](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-link/) > [Books have a vital place in our culture. They are the source of ideas, of stories that engage and stretch the imagination and most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-sheridan/books-have-a-vital-place-in-our-culture-they-are-the-source-of-ideas/) [Sara Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-sheridan/) > [Ideas for stories come to me based on my life, so who knows? If somebody sends me to become an astronaut, that's what I'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-benchley/ideas-for-stories-come-to-me-based-on-my-life-so-who-knows-if/) [Peter Benchley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-benchley/) > [“It seems to be in our genetic makeup to capture our best ideas in stories, to enjoy them, to learn from them, and to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blake-mycoskie/it-seems-to-be-in-our-genetic-makeup-to-capture-our-best-ideas-in/) [Blake Mycoskie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blake-mycoskie/) > [Ideas for stories come in really different terms and really different ways for me. Sometimes they're from books, sometimes they're just kind of out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-evenson/ideas-for-stories-come-in-really-different-terms-and-really-different/) [Brian Evenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-evenson/) ## More by Ken Liu > [I don't believe in reducing a style and a voice down to a set of descriptions, so I've never done that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-liu/i-don-t-believe-in-reducing-a-style-and-a-voice-down-to-a-set-of/) [Ken Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-liu/) > [People who are ambitious - politicians who crave power - think that they're in control of it, but at some point, the movement that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-liu/people-who-are-ambitious-politicians-who-crave-power-think-that-they/) [Ken Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-liu/) > [“My goal is to act as a faithful interpreter, preserving as much of the original's nuances of meaning as possible without embellishment or omission.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-liu/my-goal-is-to-act-as-a-faithful-interpreter-preserving-as-much-of-the/) [Ken Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-liu/) > [“It’s hard to hear the music behind the words when their meanings get in the way,” she told me once.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-liu/it-s-hard-to-hear-the-music-behind-the-words-when-their-meanings-get/) [Ken Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-liu/) > [The 'silk' in silkpunk refers not to a source of power, but to an entirely different, expressive technology language.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-liu/the-silk-in-silkpunk-refers-not-to-a-source-of-power-but-to-an/) [Ken Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-liu/) > [“A memory is a re-creation, precious because it is both more and less than the original.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-liu/a-memory-is-a-re-creation-precious-because-it-is-both-more-and-less/) [Ken Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-liu/) > [Almost all of my stories can be understood to be elaborations on our drive to remake the world and our adjustments to the result.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-liu/almost-all-of-my-stories-can-be-understood-to-be-elaborations-on-our/) [Ken Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-liu/) > [“Dad and I went on walking, our shadows touching.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-liu/dad-and-i-went-on-walking-our-shadows-touching/) [Ken Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-liu/) > [“I can only wish that someday you’ll also be pestered by a student as persistent to learn what you do not wish to teach.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-liu/i-can-only-wish-that-someday-you-ll-also-be-pestered-by-a-student-as/) [Ken Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-liu/) > [I think male authors who want to try to tackle these issues of representation of women can generally do a better job if they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-liu/i-think-male-authors-who-want-to-try-to-tackle-these-issues-of/) [Ken Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-liu/) > [“Surveillance is surveillance. I can never understand why some people think it matters whether it's the government doing it to you or a company.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-liu/surveillance-is-surveillance-i-can-never-understand-why-some-people/) [Ken Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-liu/) > [Whenever you talk about Chinese dragons, emperors, palaces, concubines - they conjure up a whole colonial argle-bargle that has nothing to do with historical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-liu/whenever-you-talk-about-chinese-dragons-emperors-palaces-concubines/) [Ken Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-liu/) > [We have never had a society that was truly just. Some groups have always benefited at the expense of others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-liu/we-have-never-had-a-society-that-was-truly-just-some-groups-have/) [Ken Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-liu/) > [“By custom, we wield the sword and wear the armor, but who among you does not know a mother, sister, daughter, friend, who exceeds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-liu/by-custom-we-wield-the-sword-and-wear-the-armor-but-who-among-you/) [Ken Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-liu/) > [My wife, Lisa, and I both grew up on wuxia - Chinese historical romances. They're kind of analogous to Western epics. They're based on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-liu/my-wife-lisa-and-i-both-grew-up-on-wuxia-chinese-historical-romances/) [Ken Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-liu/) [Explore all 114 Ken Liu quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-liu/) ## More Answer quotes > [Sometimes a question can hurt more than an answer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/sometimes-a-question-can-hurt-more-than-an-answer/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [What you are is a question only you can answer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-mcmaster-bujold/what-you-are-is-a-question-only-you-can-answer/) [Lois McMaster Bujold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-mcmaster-bujold/) > [Enjoying life isn't about finding the answers, but living the questions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-margolis/enjoying-life-isn-t-about-finding-the-answers-but-living-the-questions/) [Sue Margolis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-margolis/) > [The boldness of asking deep questions may require unforeseen flexibility if we are to accept the answers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-greene/the-boldness-of-asking-deep-questions-may-require-unforeseen/) [Brian Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-greene/) > [“And if you can’t say yes, answer anyway. Because I’d rather live with the answer than die with the question.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ellis/and-if-you-can-t-say-yes-answer-anyway-because-i-d-rather-live-with/) [Jon Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ellis/) > [“There is a cure and answer to everything, we just haven't found them yet.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eve-halimi/there-is-a-cure-and-answer-to-everything-we-just-haven-t-found-them/) [Eve Halimi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eve-halimi/) > [Whenever I'm asked about Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi, I always answer: 'Neymar is the best,' not just because of his goals but because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roberto-carlos/whenever-i-m-asked-about-cristiano-ronaldo-or-lionel-messi-i-always/) [Roberto Carlos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roberto-carlos/) > [A wiki works best where you're trying to answer a question that you can't easily pose, where there's not a natural structure that's known…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ward-cunningham/a-wiki-works-best-where-you-re-trying-to-answer-a-question-that-you/) [Ward Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ward-cunningham/) > [“Those are good questions. I recognize good questions, because I can come up with them myself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-brust/those-are-good-questions-i-recognize-good-questions-because-i-can/) [Steven Brust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-brust/) > [My answer is bring 'em on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/my-answer-is-bring-em-on/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [I'll answer anything... I'm brutally honest, actually, which gets me in trouble.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-mclachlan/i-ll-answer-anything-i-m-brutally-honest-actually-which-gets-me-in/) [Sarah McLachlan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-mclachlan/) > [“...I guess I can put two and two together." "Sometimes the answer's four," I said, "and sometimes it's twenty-two...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dashiell-hammett/i-guess-i-can-put-two-and-two-together-sometimes-the-answer-s-four-i/) [Dashiell Hammett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dashiell-hammett/) > [Jumping someone is never the answer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/jumping-someone-is-never-the-answer/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I play along myself, even though I can't help the player. So I can't say what I think the answer might be. But I'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paddy-mcguinness/i-play-along-myself-even-though-i-can-t-help-the-player-so-i-can-t/) [Paddy McGuinness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paddy-mcguinness/) > [Sometimes the question is complicated, but the answers are simple.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-suess/sometimes-the-question-is-complicated-but-the-answers-are-simple/) [Dr Suess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-suess/) [Browse all 2,090 Answer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/answer/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I'm often asked how I get ideas for my stories. 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