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But have you had the opposite happen? You feel like you need to write something and can't come up with an original idea? I suppose it depends on the writer. But here are a few suggestions that can be used to take an ordinary idea and flip it on its head OR take that shiny new idea that's not going anywhere and uncover the hidden gold.
- Flip the premise around. Let's take a tired idea as an example. Girl falls for mysterious guy who is really a demon/werewolf/vampire/paranormal creature. Eh. How about if he tries to get her to fall for him, but she isn't interested and it turns out she's actually a demon hunter who has become the hunted? A little better...
- Change the gender roles. What if it's a girl that's the creature and the normal boy falls for her? Still not great, but it's got more promise.
- Take a necessary supporting character and look at it from her POV. Maybe it's about a girl who knows the guy's secret all along and has loved him for years, but has to watch as he makes a fool of himself going after the other girl.
- Combine several: The girl above has to protect the demon from the hunter because he can't see the danger ahead. Yeah, I like that one. What do you think?
Sometimes it takes time to find the heart of your story. Sometimes it's a character that won't leave you alone. Don't ever count anything as waste, you never know what will occur to you later!
Great things to think about Lisa whether you're stuck or you want to make your story more unique. Thanks for sharing the tips.
ReplyDeleteI've never had this problem, though I know a few writers who have struggled.
ReplyDeleteI love your suggestions, Lisa, especially #3.
I've never struggled with finding what to write next but I will have ideas that I can't seem to get right. I usually let them sit for a bit and wait for my brain to do the work!
ReplyDeleteFun ideas!
ReplyDelete"Sometimes it takes time to find the heart of your story." <-- YES! Love that.
ReplyDeleteI have pages and pages of ideas. Are all of the worthy of a book? No. But at least they're available to me if I need them.
ReplyDeleteI spend lots of time marinating on ideas. My next book has been simmering in my head for a few months now, even though I won't write it for a while. That's the way that works best for me.
Approaching it from a side character's point of view is a great idea, I hadn't thought of that! I have an idea I'm excited about for NaNoWriMo this year, but I was just wondering how I could flip it or twist it to make it more original!
ReplyDeleteFlipping things around in one way or another is one of the best ways to get my brain working! Great tips :)
ReplyDeleteOoh, I love the idea of looking at it from another character's POV. At the very least, that gives depth to your original concept. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteGreat tips! I have a story idea I've been trying to figure out for a while now; I'll have to see if these techniques might spark something.
ReplyDeleteI was in the middle of writing a book I'd wanted to write for years, but then decided it would be a good time to try my hand at something totally different. All I had was a one sentence premise and a goal to write 1000 words a day and see where it leads me. Each day more details about the story seem to surface. I like your suggestion to twist things around. I'll give it whirl.
ReplyDeleteGreat suggestions for making sure your idea is the best (and most interesting) it can be. I used to go with the first idea I had right out of the box. Then I had the good fortune to meet talented professionals and learn how they approached their stories. They always threw away their first idea, and the ones that followed they put through a mill of transformational tests (such as the ones you describe) that resulted in extraordinary results.
ReplyDeleteLove these ideas for helping a spark turn into a flame. Thanks, Lisa.
ReplyDeleteI love brainstorming. It's so important to push it to come up w/ something fresh, just like you showed!
ReplyDeleteYou're so right. Nothing is ever wasted. I treat everything as practice for something else. I just don't know what that something else is until I meet it.
ReplyDeleteI like the idea of shifting or flipping. That can open so many possibilities for your next story.
Wonderful suggestions. It seems like I always start with tired ideas, but brainstorming helps me go deeper and sometimes find something unique. And it's so true that every moment at the keyboard is a step ahead.
ReplyDeleteHi Lisa! :)
ReplyDeleteThis advice: "Don't ever count anything as waste, you never know what will occur to you later!" <-is great.
I wrote a great chapter one opening to a ms that went nowhere. So I filed it. A couple of years later, I pulled it out and the piece made a great chapter ten opening to my WIP. :)
You never know!
Oh, and to add to your list: change up the gender of an important secondary character, but keep most of the action the same. Not my original idea - someone else came up with it (maybe Elizabeth Craig?). I thought that was an interesting idea!
Happy Friday!