Most of you know I teach art. The most daunting thing you can do to a student is hand them a blank piece of paper and tell them to draw. Most will just stare at that paper for a week before attempting a solution. Writing is no different. Blank white paper is down right scary.
With art, I always give my students a prompt. It relieves some of the pressure to produce. I have to rely on my muse for that prompt, that spark of an idea. I also take my cues from real life. We just returned from visiting family and I'm still tickled over my dumpster-diving relatives. I have to use them in a scene somewhere but later.
But what happens when the muse is on vacation or that blank paper stares you in the face for days? I drafted a worksheet I call the idea generator for my art students and I'm thinking it would also work great for stimulating words as well.
- Make up a phrase that includes totally unrelated words. For example, Pencil Train en route to Gatty Town or Fly House in Hand. The images from this exercise are crazy and fun. So for writing, perhaps fix three small containers. Make a list of professions, unique places, and an action verb. Cut it up and place all the professions in one, places in another and verbs in the third. When stuck, draw one of each and you have the makings of one character.
- Similies are great for sparking an idea. Comparing two unlike ideas can often lead to a plot idea.
- Brainstorming with the spider. Start with one word and let that word lead to the next and so on. Example. If I start with shoe, that idea leads me to feet, feet to ruler, ruler to king, king to chess, chess to pawn, pawn to shop, shop to ..... and so forth. Now I have a king in need of special shoes and a cobbler who becomes a pawn in a game to overthrow the current regime. Wicked ugh?
I'm sure their are more ways to give your muse a nudge. Does anyone else have something they'd like to share?
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