SF Benson: Using Ideas from Television

In the last post, I mentioned finding inspiration through documentaries. Today, I’ll show you how to create an actual story with that spark.

Show: Two-hour Ancient Aliens Special on Artificial Intelligence

Idea: Artificial Intelligence Gone Bad

Wait! Hasn’t That Been Done Before?

We all know that there aren’t any truly original thoughts in fiction. Right? Every time you stumble across a general idea, you’ll undoubtedly find that someone else has either turned it into a book or a screenplay. Our unique angle, however, turns it into a new novel or movie.

Brainstorm Your Idea.

In the televised program, plenty of ideas were explored. How many possible plots could you develop from watching just one episode of your chosen show?

For the aforementioned idea, I came up with:

AI takes over humanity
AI goes to war with humanity
AI infiltrates a community
AI sex workers are targeted in a crime

That last idea is one from my upcoming project list! It’s a thought I had before I penned my first book, but watching Ancient Aliens has given me some new perspectives.

In creating an idea, think outside of the box. Plus, make sure that you’re not duplicating an exact plot that’s already been published.

I dare you to push your imagination. Need a little help? Try this writing prompt:

I’d love to hear what you create!

One thought on “SF Benson: Using Ideas from Television”

My inspirations from existing shows/movies are mostly minor snippets. For example, one of the main characters in my fantasy projects has inspiration from Optimus Prime from the live-action Transformers movie. To be specific, I used Optimus’ energon swords as a base idea for the blessed swords the MC gets to eventually use (obviously, the power granted to the swords is completely different kind).

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