Telling A Story Nobody Has Told Before
One day you're walking down the block and an idea pops into your head. You think to yourself 'Wouldn't that be a great scene in a story?' But by the time you get home you realize you have nothing else to go off.
You know you have something great but how do you make the rest of the story shine just as bright?
That's when brainstorming comes in. Brainstorming is key when coming up with new ideas or ways to solve problems. Once one great idea sparks then the next idea will come with ease and so on and so forth. Before you know it, you have a novel to write.
So how do you start? Here are 6 ways to brainstorm your next story.
6 Ways to Brainstorm Your Next Story
Here are some simple, fast, and easy ways to brainstorm your next novel.
Write What You Have
The best place to start is to write down any ideas you already have. If it's part of a scene, write it down. If it's only one sentence, write it down. Sometimes the best ideas start to flow once you get in the groove of writing. I know I've gone from one simple idea to a whole story just by writing the first few ideas down.
Do Research
You have an idea in mind but where do you go from there? Google, or your local library, will be your next stop. Research if something similar to your idea has been written and if so, what to avoid. You don't want to be writing the same thing everyone else has written about.
If you have a location in mind, read as much as possible about the place. The surrounding areas could lead to additional scenes or character arches in your novel. From there, your story will start to form.
Post It Note Method
You have your idea for your next story, but you don't know what else to add to it. Next time you leave the house carry a post it note pad with you. As you go through your day write down anything that might catch your interest.
At the end of the day place those notes in a basket. Repeat this every day until the basket is full. When you have some free time, sit down and go through all your notes. What still seems interesting to you? Anything that jumps out to you set aside and start thinking about how you can incorporate those ideas into your writing. You story will practically write itself.
Get with a Group of Friends or Writers
There's no better way to brainstorm than with people who think similarly to you. If you're having a hard time expanding on ideas get together with some close friends or writers in your community. It makes it easier to sort out the bad ideas while also confirming great ones to include in your novel.
I once had an idea who I told to one of my team members. By the end of the day, we had an entire book mapped out.
Go to Reddit
You might be wondering why you need to go to Reddit. Scroll through some of the pages and you'll find hundreds of ideas to include in your next story as people often mention that they want someone to write a story including certain elements. It's free and you can get some really amazing ideas to start plotting your story.
Find Different Ways to Get Inspired
Inspiration can come from anywhere. When you are inspired brainstorming your next few ideas comes easier and easier. Check out this post on how and where to get your next inspiration.
Final Thoughts
Brainstorming can be easy when you have the right tools and methods. Your story will start to unfold the more and more you do. It's fun and a creative process that makes the writing process a breeze.
Tell me in the comments below how you brainstorm your stories. I'm interested to see if any will work for me!
