Ideas Need Not Apply
A funny thing happens when people learn you're a writer. They approach you with ideas they have for books. Great ideas, only they don't want to/can't write them as a book, so would you, the writer, like to work the idea into a book?
Um, no, no, and no.
As a writer my problem is not generating ideas for stories. I think few writers have this problem. The problems I have are finding time to complete my novels, making sure my characters remain true to form, not losing track of my narrative thread, and creating an engaging world readers want to visit.
Besides, some of the ideas I have had launched at me are just awful. Even when they are good, they are often not compelling enough to me to write about. I need to feel passion for my subject, and the very fact that it's someone else's dims my interest.
The only exception to this rule is my mother. She once told me of an idea she had for a screenplay, and, typically, I said, "Yeah, yeah, Mom. Great idea. I don't think so." About a year later, I did develop her idea into a screenplay (that needs final revisions--that time crunch thing again). Her idea was great. But she's my Mom. So she gets special treatment.