Turn Trash Into Writing - Where to Get Story Ideas

No, I'm not going to tell you about how to take your old writing and recycle it, though that might be a good idea for another day.

Instead I'm going to ask you to take a walk around your neighborhood and pick up (or at least take note of) at least 10 items of trash that you find and bring them home. If like me, you live in the middle of nowhere, you can still walk around your property and find out of place things, or do this exercise when you take a trip into town.

Here's what I found on my walk:

Feathers from a dead bird, obviously killed by some critter.
A smashed beer can.
A flier for a local nightclub.
A wrapper from the local fast-food place and a plastic fork.
A page of coupons for the local supermarket.
A busted bicycle wheel.
A plastic water bottle.
A plastic shopping bag.
A child's sneaker.
Scraps of a busted tire.

Of course your first benefit in doing this exercise can be having a cleaner neighborhood, with less trash on the road. But there's a writerly benefit to this exercise as well.

Now, pick at least one of the objects you found and ask yourself how that item relates to one of your characters, and write about it. Or perhaps the item will spark an entirely new character!

Using the list above, here are some thoughts on what you or I might get out of it:

Feathers from a dead bird, obviously killed by some critter.

In my story, "Willa," I have the protagonist's mother bring home a dead bird in the first chapter. It ends up illustrating some interesting things about my characters:

Her mother is squeamish about handling dead things, but wants to preserve the natural beauty of the carcass.
Willa, on the other hand is not squeamish.
The manner in which they use the wings from the bird not only sheds light on their beliefs, but the bird wings (taken by her sister for Show-and-Tell) later lead to a crux point in the story, where Willa realizes her brother and sister are in danger.

In your story, a dead bird might send your character on a rampage against the local cats. Or they might be avid birders and need wonder what sort of bird it was. Or in a detective novel, the dead bird might be a clue. Was the bird poisoned?


A smashed beer can.

My present protagonist is a 16 year old girl who does not drink, so a beer can won't remind her of wild nights out partying and tossing beer cans out of the car, but it may for you. Willa would probably reflect on the sadness of people ruining the environment. Or she might pick up the can and give it to a local hobo for recycling. Or use it as a container to boil water in. How about your character?

A flier for a local nightclub.

Perhaps your character decides to check out the nightclub. Maybe they meet someone there. Or spend a lonely night reflecting on how this just isn't their kind of place. Maybe the flier contains a scrawled message that leads them to a clue.

A wrapper from the local fast-food place and a plastic fork.

This might lead to anything from a rant about how impossible it is for plastic to biodegrade, to a visit by your protagonist to the fast food joint. Or maybe they'll complain about their weight. Or if you're writing about a busy parent, perhaps they'll debate bringing home some food or the perils of getting their kids to eat healthy.

A page of coupons for the local supermarket.

Is it time for your protagonist to go shopping? How do they feel about clipping coupons? Do they consider it necessary savings? Do coupons clutter their house? Do they feel that coupons "force" them to buy products that they wouldn't buy otherwise? What are the coupons for? Do they suggest that your character needs to do the laundry? Make a microwave dinner? Bemoan the fact that they'd love some fries but their figure can't handle it?


A busted bicycle wheel.

Maybe your character takes a bicycle trip and the darn thing breaks down. Are they the sort to flag down a passing motorist for help? Will they walk home and drag it? Or leave it on the side of the road? On the way home do they see something of import? Maybe your protagonist hits a bump or a rock and goes flying. Do they need stitches? Are they whiny about the injury or do they take it in stride? Is it really an accident or does someone crash into your character? Could this be part of a chase scene? Does seeing a broken bicycle remind you of an incident as a child when bullies stole their bike? Or when they were the bully?


A plastic water bottle.

What kind of water is it? The expensive kind that athletes get? Just normal everyday bottled water? If the former, does that suggest a scene where your protagonist goes to the gym or otherwise gets themselves fit? Or meets a big burly gym-goer? Is your character thirsty? Why? Were they running? Is it a hot day? Do they buy a bottle of water for their dog?


A plastic shopping bag.

Does your character go for plastic or paper, and why? Did their bag of groceries break? Who helped them pick it up? Could your murder victim be smothered by a plastic bag? Is it time to go shopping again? What's the label on the bag and where could that take them?

A child's sneaker.

Where's the other sneaker? How did the child lose it? Does your character wear sneakers? Or only dress shoes? Does a sneaker reveal a past memory? Does your character jog? What happens when they go jogging? Do they play some other sport? How do they feel about sports in general?

Scraps of a busted tire.

What would happen if your character got a flat? Do they change it themselves? Call Triple-A? How did they get that flat? Driving crazy? Not maintaining their car? Something dangerous in the road? Someone slicing their tire? Is your character on a long journey by car or other vehicle? Are they afraid of big trucks or do they drive one? Maybe this leads to you writing about a tire swing. Or your protagonist's first car. Or their present car. Is there an accident ahead on the road? How does your character respond when they get stuck in the traffic from that?

Or maybe the entire exercise in trash picking causes you to write about trash, or about a garbage man, or a landfill or dumpster.

So pick up some trash and let it inspire your story.