People always ask me, “Caleb, where do you get your ideas?” The truth? Almost never at my desk. Ideas show up when I’m doing literally anything except trying to come up with them.
My three favourite idea-finding spots
- The shower. No phone, no distractions, just hot water and a brain that suddenly remembers every cool thing it’s ever wondered about.
- Long car rides. Watching the world go by lets your imagination wander off without anyone interrupting.
- Right before bed. That sleepy in-between place where your brain mixes everything you saw today into something new.
The “Catch It Before It’s Gone” rule
Here’s the thing about good ideas — they fade fast. So I have a rule: catch it within 60 seconds, or it disappears forever. I use the Notes app on my phone, or scribble it on a napkin, or just say it out loud to whoever’s nearby so I don’t forget.
Some of those scribbled ideas turned into whole chapters of The T‑Rex King: Rise of the Roaring Alliance. One of them came from watching a tiny ant carry a leaf five times its size — that became the moment Rex realises being small doesn’t mean being weak.
Try this today
Carry a tiny notebook (or just the Notes app) for one week. Write down every idea, no matter how weird. At the end of the week, read them all back. I promise you’ll find at least one that wants to be a story.
And when you write it? Tell me about it. I love hearing what other kids are dreaming up.
