In the first two blogs in this series, we explored why writers need ideas and ways to generate ideas. Now let’s look at some other ways to shake ideas loose.
Memories
Identify a single moment from your past or present and write it down in narrative form. This is a great way to dig deeply into your own life and give the moments more depth. Add in sensory detail, dialogue, exposition, action and more. The simple act of remembering deeply will help you tap into your own experiences more easily. This is a skill like any other and gets easier with practice. Think of it as delayed journaling.
The Dump Method
If a single memory won’t hack it, use the dump method. This is more of a stream-of-consciousness way to tap into your past. Start with one memory or even something you observe or hear. Use that as a springboard to tap into your memory banks. Keep writing for ten minutes, jumping from one memory to another as your thoughts come to you. The randomness is the key. Write whatever comes to mind. You might be surprised by what memories spark other memories. They may be linked or completely separate. The mind is funny that way. For those ten minutes, don’t edit. Don’t force. Just let your mind wander and write down what comes. Let your thoughts take you on a journey. Once your time runs out, review what you’ve written. Are there any stories that pop out? Is there a running theme? Any similarities in the memories? Look for ways you can use the memories you have captured. Could any of them be developed more? Do any of them spark an idea for a fictional story?
Use Who You Know
Base a story on someone you know. Think of this as a character study. You can either start by doing a character sketch on someone you know and then put them into a story or the other way around. The idea is to be inspired by people you know or see regularly. Maybe that crazy professor you had in college could take the place of a madman in your story or your kind pediatrician could step in as a father figure. Who do you know? What roles would suit them best? Try to see how they might fit your stories or tap into your knowledge of them to learn how to forge characters who are real and nuanced. You should know your characters as well as your best friends.
Make Lists
Creating lists can loosen up your imagination. It’s easy too. Make a list of your favorite vacations, holidays as a child, movies you’ve seen, favorite games, embarrassing moments, romantic dates, whatever. The idea is to stretch your memory and find those nuggets lost within your brain. Pick a topic and start a list. Or begin by listing what you see around you to launch a new list idea. If you can’t remember much of your childhood, make lists of things you wish you had gotten to do as a child, teen, young adult, adult. Wishes work too.
Map Your Mind
The key to this exercise is to approach it with complete freedom. Come up with a single item or memory or concept and create a mind map around it. Look for relationships and connections. Create new connections for each level. See how far a single idea can take you. It may be to a new combination of ideas that sparks the one idea you need or it may start you off in a new direction. This is a great exercise to try after creating your lists. Take one or more items from the lists and try to combine them.
Embrace Differences
Make lists of ways two things are alike and different. For example, what are 10 ways hippos and chimpanzees are different? Alike? Try it with random pairings to see what you get. This game is a great way to wake you your brain and get it moving, which will help lead you to creativity. Not all exercises will generate a story idea, but they are great for shaking loose the cobwebs and letting new ideas flow, which is always good for creative people. Think of this type of game as a warmup for the harder work to come.
Talk It Out
Find a trusted source and talk out your story ideas. Bounce ideas and elements against someone who can and will give you honest feedback. Sometimes just saying it out loud sparks new ideas or insights. The ears hear things the eye do not see. This is one reason reading your work aloud works better than silent editing. Your brain will overlook things it sees or doesn’t see, supplying missing words or errors. The ears are much better at finding awkward phrases, missing punctuation, and bad grammar. They also hear ideas more clearly.
Guided Visualizations & Dreams
I don’t know many writers who do not dream about their stories. The trick is remembering what you dream. Sometimes guided visualizations or lucid dreaming is the better choice. You tap into that unconscious creativity while retaining the ability to remember what you’ve seen. Try meditating on your story. Practice lucid dreaming techniques. Keep a diary beside your bed to capture your dreams. Let your subconscious work for you.
Characters
Brainstorming characters can be an effective way to add depth to your story. Approach the process as a creative endeavor. Map out traits that fit the person. Include wardrobe ideas and how they would decorate their space. What about work or school habits? Think of all aspects of a person and add them to your character map. If you are describing a villain, look for balance by adding some redeeming characters. If you are working on a hero, include some flaws or weaknesses. Have fun, but remember to keep your characters individual. Don’t use the same big traits for multiple people in your cast. Find ways to make them stand out.
Theme
Use your story’s theme as a starting point. What do stories with that theme make you think of? Feel? Brainstorm all the elements that make those kinds of stories stand out for you. Why do you want that theme to dominate your story? Explore the motivation pushing that story within you. You might find hidden depths in your own backstory.
Play What If?
Go down the rabbit hole of asking “what if?” What if the grass turned orange? What if the government could hear our thoughts? What if the robots did take over? Where would it begin? Would anyone be safe?
Look for ways to expand your ideas. Play games. Record random thoughts and play with them. Develop phrases that come to you. But, more importantly, capture everything and review it regularly. It does you no good to write down your ideas if you never return to them.
What to Do After You Brainstorm
Work the Ideas
Workshop the ideas. Don’t let them stay on the page as an exercise. Explore your ideas by testing them with an outline or plot. The goal is to push your ideas to see if they can sustain a longer form or enhance an existing story idea. What can you make from them?
Examine Your Ideas
Look at your favorite ideas and see how they could be combined or separated to form more ideas and stories. You may have hidden gems in your notebook that could bear new stories or ideas. Don’t stay locked into how you put them down in your idea session. Analyze them critically to see if there are other opportunities you didn’t see originally.
Don’t Hold Them Too Closely
the worst thing you can do is to grab hold of an idea and refuse to look at it critically.
Research
Expand on your ideas by researching them. The initial idea sets the path, it doesn’t comprise the whole. Look for more. Go down the rabbit hole to see what else you can find. Research opens opportunities. Knowledge feeds imagination. Set a time limit for your research and explore your possibilities.
Become a Hoarder
Okay, not really. But do start collecting ideas and articles and quotes that inspire you. Even pictures or images. Symbols. Anything that sparks an idea or feeling in you. Create sections in your Writer’s Notebook for inspirational items—memorabilia, articles, quotes, images, song lyrics, artwork, etc. Add to it when you see something that creates a reaction in you, positive and negative. You never know where story ideas will come from and it may not be from the warm and cozy.
Keep at It
Ideas are like any creative entity. It takes practice and patience. You need to keep doing it. Keep looking for ideas and pushing for them. Tracking them when they come to you. Be dogged in your efforts to capture your ideas. They are your raw materials. They feed the stories you want to write. Like writing, you have to do it to improve your skills. Keep at it. Don’t stop. Ever.