[ OT ] How do you come up with the stories you write about ?

I listen to music. I love sci-fi, and most of the time, the music for sci-fi movies or anime or whatever, evokes a completely different image inside me. 
 
 Take a look at this example: [ Ghost in the Shell, floating museum. ] ( http: //www.youtube.com/watch? v=9ZFhke6HoYQ ) 
 
 Assume you have n't watched the movie, and let the music evoke water dripping in a dark cave. The music is dark and mysterious, so it's suspense or horror. 
 
 Okay. I got this. 
 
 You're a defenseless teenager girl ( hurt, perhaps? ) hiding away from a monster. Suddenly, the monster approaches. You can hear its steps, growling. You crouch and hide. You know it can smell you. There's a small underground water stream. It's freezing. You decide to slowly get inside the stream. It's freezing. You'll probably die, but the monster is just across the next turn. `` Oh, God, please God... do n't let it smell me...'' 
 
 You let yourself be taken by the stream, just a few meters away. The monster slowly steps away. You start to cry, hoping it's really gone for good. But now you feel lost. Where's the exit? God, you're freezing to death. You take off all your clothes, still crying... 
 
 ( the music shifts and a female chant is heard, so that obviously inspires something else ) 
 
 and notice that it feels warmer next to you. You follow a faint light to the source of the heat. 
 
 You go inside, and notice a white... room? It's filled with flickering lights... ( the chanting goes up in tone, so it's evoking something majestic. This requires a sudden revelation ) 
 
 The... goddess... she's there, but how? 
 
 ( end of music, end of scene ) 
 
 Fantasy and sci-fi music are wonderful tools for triggering your imagination. Try to go to youtube and search for random sci-fi, fantasy or anime soundtracks. You'll recover your muse in no time. 
 
 EDIT: ( Cont'd ) 
 
 Other times, it's just a premise. Back to ghost in the shell, there's the idea that two souls can be fused. This is obviously incompatible with my previous catholic mindset, so it was kind shocking. But let's take that step further. A machine for melding people's minds. Let's go wild. A post-apocalyptic future. The machine has to be used. How about somebody... dying? A kid. A child. An accident. That's good! Who will activate the machine? Hmm... let's see. Her brother! 
 
 We got a pretty solid image now. All that's left is narrating the events. 
 
 In summary: Emotions. Environment. Concepts. Characters. Events. 
 
 Those are the elements of a good story. 
 
 I'd also recommend you `` how to write science fiction and fantasy'', by Orson Scott Card. It has an excellent combination of tips for aspiring writers.
