Read the papers and books, watch the news, listen to the radio, all the while making notes of any interesting ideas. Can dull and boring ideas be made interesting? What if you raise the stakes, add twists, change locations? By reframing the facts, you will find the stories to want to write.
Category: Brainstorming
The Ideas Box
Find a box. Fill it with clips of text and photographs clipped from magazines and newspapers. Give your box a shake. Pull out two or more pieces. Lay out on the table and work out the connections. Start writing.
Finding Stories
Look for stories in newspapers and magazines. What grabs your attention? Look for the obstacles. What gets in the way? Many stories might seem boring and mundane. Don’t just throw them out. Play around and see if you can find a way of reframing the story to make it funny or frightening.
Story Brainstorming
Before you begin to write, spend five minutes brainstorming the story. The story world ( history, society, houses, landscapes, art and all other matters) Characters (names, descriptions, attitudes, opinions) Scenes (locations, atmosphere, senses, dialogue, characters)
Write the problem down
Write with a pen on paper. Thinking on paper brings clarity to ideas, increasing the chance of finding solutions.
Step into Character
Step into the character and experience the world as he does. What can you smell, seeing, tasting, hear? Rummage through his pockets. An old piece of string? A penknife? A snotty handkerchief? Feel the cloth of his clothes. Is it fine or rough? Bought on the high street or in Savile Row? Look at the [...]
The accused – put your protagonist in the dock
How do you know what to write? Where do you begin? You have an idea and you want to build it into a story. So, put your protagonist in the dock Start with the Opening Statements Before the prosecution and defence present evidence and witnesses, both sides have the right to give an opening statement [...]
