On the inside cover of Kafka on the Shore Murakami explains how his idea for the book started with its title. This approach is opposite to anything I've ever written, though I recognize there's a notable difference between fiction and technical writing. But what a powerful idea: a simple phrase shapes the entire story.

I dug up this quote from an interview:

When I start to write, I don’t have any plan at all. I just wait for the story to come. I don’t choose what kind of story it is or what’s going to happen. I just wait.

I think that's pretty cool.