Writers of fiction, poetry, TV and film scripts, song lyrics, and even commercials, rely on their ability to come up with ideas and put them into words. Consistently coming up with ideas for creative writing can be difficult, but there are always ways to stimulate creativity and avoid writing stagnation. Try some of the ways below to keep creative ideas flowing.
Step
Method 1 of 4: Looking for Inspiration from Existing Stories
Step 1. Read a lot
Good writers are good readers. That way, you can follow trends in your writing field, can see examples of other writers' writing styles, as well as find story ideas from the material you read; be it in newspapers, magazines, books, or on the internet.
- Other works of fiction can also be used as inspiration for stories. Intellectuals have uncovered the influence of the Scandinavian legend of Amleth and the Roman story of Brutus on "Hamlet."
- You can also take the basis of creative writing ideas from quotes. There's an episode of the classic "Star Trek" called The Conscience of the King. The story is about a former dictator who wants to atone for past sins by leading an acting group. It turns out that the title of this episode is taken from the dialogue in “Hamlet”: The play's the thing where in I'll catch the conscience of the king.
Step 2. Pay attention to current events
If readers are aware of the connection between your story and everyday life events, they are more likely to empathize with the characters you create and appreciate the story more.
Regularly reading a new newspaper, magazine, or website will give you story ideas that keep flowing in the form of headlines. Many episodes of the Law and Order series are based on contemporary headlines. Some British scholars and historians argue that Shakespeare's "Hamlet" was inspired by the life of King James I. You have to change some elements in the true story to create a fictional version, so as not to embarrass the real person
Step 3. Watch a movie or TV
If you're writing for a popular readership, watch what's popular on the big screen or television. Think of the same genre topic as a popular movie or show like that.
Step 4. Listen to music
Musicians usually write from everyday experiences or from classical themes. Build stories from your favorite songs. Listen to Tupac's songs and write about gang violence. Listen to Joni Mitchell's songs and write about environmental issues. Just listen to all kinds of music even if it's not your genre.
Step 5. Do your research
If you are interested in writing about a subject, study the subject further. You may find interesting details that can form the core of the whole creative writing.
Open dictionaries, encyclopedias, even thesaurus. You may stumble upon a word, idea, or event that can spark your imagination
Method 2 of 4: Leveraging Experience
Step 1. Ask "what if"
Choose what happened to you or someone you know, and think about what would have happened if the circumstances were different.
For example, if you took your mom to the supermarket after seeing an ominous cloud on the way home from school, imagine what your life would be like if mom actually went to the supermarket and the supermarket was destroyed by a tornado
Step 2. Observe people
Go to a public area where you can observe people coming and going, such as a mall, cafe, or park. As you observe them, ask yourself journalist-style questions about them. Where are they going? What are they doing? Where did they come from? Do they have a family? What do they like? What do they hate?
Step 3. Record the experience
Whether you call it notes, journals, or diaries, writing down everyday experiences with other people, new places, certain events, will provide you with written resources to tell stories for sometime. The more detail you put in your journal, the more detail you can extract and incorporate into the story. That way, the story will be more convincing.
Step 4. Get together with other writers
Spending time with other writers, either by participating in writing groups or by taking creative writing classes, will give you the opportunity to get ideas and support from them. The other person's point of view might encourage you to execute the idea that's been swirling around in your head, and start writing it down. Or you can exchange story ideas with fellow writers. Swap ideas you can't develop for ideas they can't. Who knows you can actually work on it.
Method 3 of 4: Free Search for Ideas
Step 1. Make use of the introduction to the story
In some cases, you don't need to build an outline from scratch. Others have listed great stories to develop. A story introduction or story clue is a prewritten scenario or phrase that you can use as a starting point to start the story. You can find them in the form of exercises in writing classes, in writing group newsletters, or on the internet.
Step 2. Use word associations
Choose a word (example: plantation, president, chalk, hungry, child, etc.). Whatever word you choose, it doesn't matter. Then write down as many words as possible that are related to the first word you chose.
- Over a period of time, set a timer for 5 to 15 minutes, then come up with as many story ideas as you can think of before the alarm goes off.
- Challenge yourself to write down as many ideas as you can, for example 50 to 100. Keep writing story ideas until you reach your target. You can also challenge yourself to write down these ideas over a period of time. Set a reasonable time to do it. Make sure you have enough time and do your best to come up with a sufficient number of ideas. In the majority of brainstorming sessions, most ideas usually won't be feasible. But it's okay.
- No matter what brainstorming method you use, don't stop halfway to evaluate an idea that's already come up. You should only quit when the deadline has expired or the target has been reached. At this point, you can review the lists that have been created and choose the best. And at this time, you can identify other ideas that are still related, then consider whether these ideas can be added to the main story idea.
- For example, you could start with the word “hurricane.” Then list the words related to “hurricane” such as: wind, water, damage, cloud, danger, etc. Then pair one of those words with the first word and try to tell a story with both.
Step 3. Build a story from randomly selected elements
Take the name of a person or place from the newspaper, phone book, or anywhere else; then imagine what he looks like.
- Build a background story. For a character, this backstory includes information about her type of job, friends, family, goals, and fears. For places, you can discuss the geographic area, local history, population, and wildlife that live there. Then, add an element of conflict, a problem that happened to the character or what happened in the place you created. Build a story about what happened in the end.
- Writing upside down. Alternatively, you may already know the ending. Now come up with a plausible reason why the character feels so angry. Choose the most interesting possibility and peel it off. Describe the event that triggered the outrage and the previous events that led to it. Add details at each stage until all the elements of the story are complete.
Step 4. Pretend as if you are telling a story to someone else
Instead of trying to rush the story, pretend like you're telling someone else. Either by making conversations in your mind or by speaking in front of a tape recorder. Think about what questions other people might ask about your idea or story. Write down the results of the conversation.
Step 5. Think of your readers
Who are you writing this story for? You will of course choose different topics for adults and for children, for the educated and the layman, or for men and women. Think about your readers' preferences, and start there.
Step 6. Know what you're writing for
Are you trying to cheer up? Would you like to provide information? If you can identify why you wrote it, you can develop that initial inspiration into a story.
Method 4 of 4: Designing a Pause Strategy
Step 1. Try writing two different works
If you're having trouble coming up with ideas for a particular story, try working on a different story, working on a different part of the story, or even writing a completely different type of script. Who knows your burden will be released if you stop struggling with the same writing. That way, you can come back to come up with ideas for the story later.
If you're working on a short story idea, stop and write a poem, write a review of a television show, or just write a word list. It's better to keep trying to flow ideas and write things down, than to be frustrated with yourself
Step 2. Take a break from writing for a while
You know when inspiration is coming. Stay away from paper or keyboard. Your brain will keep spinning ideas or looking for inspiration from everything. Even though Isaac Asimov writes 10 hours a day, 7 days a week, he still makes time for science fiction conventions, keeps in touch with friends, and even goes on dates.
Step 3. Exercise
If you're feeling stuck looking for ideas, spend a few minutes doing some physical activity for a while, whether it's exercising or doing household chores that require energy. After that, you will feel more alert and ideas will come more easily.
Step 4. Take a nap
If exercising will only make you tired, it might be better for you to take a nap. A short nap of 30 minutes or less is enough to give the body a rest and maybe enough to get the ideas coming back. While sleeping for up to 90 minutes will put you into REM sleep and allow you to dream up story ideas.
- Take advantage of dreams. If you just had a dream and you still remember it, write down the idea from the dream on a piece of paper and mix it up with whatever you want or whatever suits you. That way, you'll have an idea for a story later.
- Edgar Allen Poe sought inspiration from nightmares for most of his poetry.
- The chemist Friedrich August Kekule made a confession on the 25th anniversary of the publication of his 1865 manuscript of the ring-like structure of benzene. He mentioned that he dreamed of seeing a snake biting his tail. This dream inspired Kekule to interpret his research as he had done.
Tips
- Stay positive even if you're having a hard time coming up with story ideas. A writing stalemate will become a perpetual obstacle only if you let it.
- Stay diligent. Generating ideas for creative writing does take time and effort.
