The one question every kind of writer is asked sooner or later is-where do you get your ideas? Author Harlan Ellison supposedly replied "Poughkeepsie." Author Neil Gaiman more candidly reveals "'I make them up,' I tell them.'Out of my head.'".The answer, it turns out, is different for just about every writer, and for almost each idea.For the relatively new field of Children's Graphic Novels, the answers are just as varied.A graphic novel is itself a relatively new idea-comics in book form.While comics have been around for over a hundred years, and often collected in books, the idea to call books containing original comics stories "graphic novels" has only been around since the 70s.And comics for children have been around for about as long as comics themselves, but believe it or not, Children's Graphic Novels is now the latest new idea in the world of book publishing.Some Children's Graphic Novels have even been around for decades-Herge's Tintin, for example.But now the publishing industry believes it has discovered a new category for potential growth in the ever-decreasing world of book sales, and publishers are looking to find the next Diary of a Wimpy Kid series.How can you possibly create the next big thing? Here are six suggestions on how to get an idea for your Children's Graphic Novel..1) Everything old is new again.Andy Warhol once remarked that he simply took old ideas and made them seem new.Since Children's Graphic Novels are really just an old idea with a fancy new name, why shouldn't you explore taking old successful comicbook ideas and reinventing them for a new generation? Hollywood is constantly remaking old movies-a few years ago Warner Bros.Produced a new Nancy Drew movie based on the Girl Detective who was originally created back in 1930.Television recycles ideas all the time.The TV series Veronica Mars was really an updated version of Nancy Drew.Finding a once popular kid's concept and recreating it as your own Children's Graphic Novel, requires both creativity and cleverness.It can't be too much like the original-you don't want to get sued.But if you pull it off, you may become the creator of the next Harry Potter, and reap the tremendous rewards.2) Be alert to trends.Publishers love to hop on whatever the latest bandwagon may be in their never-ending quest to find the next big thing.The trick is to move fast, before the trend fades away and kids move on to the next trend.It helps if your idea isn't completely dependent on the trend, but merely incorporates certain elements of that trend into your Children's Graphic Novel concept in an original way.3) Read the New York Post.Best-selling author Jackie Collins recently admitted on Chelsea Lately that she gets her ideas from Rupert Murdoch's tart-tongue tabloid.You don't need to specifically subscribe to the Post, any newspaper or news source will do.The trick for the Children's Graphic Novel writer would be to find the stories that would be of greatest interest to kids.For example, on the front page of a recent Post there's a story on the Tiger Woods scandal.Obviously, that story is far too racy for children, but the idea of a kid being a golf champion has potential.Be careful, sometimes truth really is stranger than fiction, and the idea you choose may seem too outlandish in fictional form.4) It works for Hollywood.Many major motion pictures are often based on something called a "high concept." While many movies may seem like they were dreamed up by stoned movie executives, that's not what "high concept" means.The idea of "high concept" is to create a compelling idea for a movie that can be communicated to the potential audience in just one sentence."The son of a pair of murdered witches seeks to avenge his parents by becoming a master wizard" could've been the pitch for Harry Potter.The original pitch for Star Trek, the TV series, was "Wagon Train to the stars." That pitch was brilliant in that it took an old idea, and dressed up with the then-modern hopes and dreams of America's love of the NASA space program.Having a high concept is helpful to potential publishers as it greatly helps them figure out how to promote and market your Children's Graphic Novel.5) Mix and match.This is basically a slight variation on the "high concept" idea.Often a "high concept" pitch may be nothing more than combining two previous successful concepts.Usually the pitch sounds similar to the title of that old Universal classic "Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein." The trick is to pitch these ideas with a straight face- "Star Trek meets Harry Potter" or "The Addams Family meets Meet the Parents." The pitch is not meant to be taken literally, although Hollywood did give us Aliens Vs.Predator (which was originally pitched and produced as a series of comicbooks).6) This is your life.And lest we forget the age old advice "write what you know," there are always ideas that come from your own personal experiences.Mark Twain certainly found a wealth of material from his childhood to form the foundation for Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn.Many graphic novels created for adults have been semi-autobiographical, and the best-selling Diary of a Wimpy Kid certainly proves the formula can work with children too.Gene Luen Yang created a graphic novel, suitable for all ages, which borrowed heavily from his childhood and created the award-winning American Born Chinese.Is there something unique in your past that would provide a wealth of great story material? Then by all means, use it.The above idea-starters are presented as examples of how many Children's Graphic Novel writers may get their ideas.On the other hand, some of the very best creative ideas seem to just come to writers, oftentimes even in dreams.The trick is to be open to such ideas when they do come.Keeping a pad and pencil handy is always a good idea!
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