Where does Nicholas Sparks get his ideas?

That's a question even he can't answer, though he does admit that the ideas never come easily. Because his novels deal with universal themes and universal characters, it's difficult to conceive of an entertaining, interesting, and original story that hasn't been told before, either in a book or in a film. Generally, he works through hundreds of ideas and characters (a process that can take months) before finally making his decision and beginning to write.