In July, I told of a way I’d found to escape writers block. For me, escape is found in simple things. I have toys, bookshelves, a globe, and previously, a jar full of buttons. These things allow me to destress. There is a part of the human psyche that finds comfort in kneading and molding playdough.
Today, I will go beyond the notion of destressing and into the formulation of ideas.
You have to challenge your mind.
If you’ve never thought to enter short story contests, there is no time like the present. These contests often give a topic or suggest some lines to be included. They have time limits and word counts. From there you are free to meander in the gardens of your imagination.
For some, the idea of contests creates more fear and stress. Here, being the nerd I am, I point out the Bene Gesserit litany from Dune, "I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me.”
I understand the anxiety that comes with uncertainty. But contests are more for the writer than the audience.
I used to ask my wife to choose three random words. I would write a poem based on her words, then she would tell me if it was good or if it was crap. The reason for this wasn’t to say “Look what I did”, it was for the challenge. Writing has to become a habit, but is often easier if we’re given a topic(s).
Many pundits say to keep an index box of ideas for times of need. Pull a card or two and start writing. I will go one further. Wherever you are in the next few days, give yourself a challenge. Choose a random person, whether shopping, driving, or simply the third person who passes the doorway. Pay attention to the way they’re dressed and their expression.
If you are a romance writer, consider what love or hurt caused that expression. Are they going to, coming from, or have just discovered an affair? Imagine them being with someone – first date, first intimacy – and imagine these things through your “that’s how it was for me” or your “I wish it’d been this way for me” eyes.
For suspense and thriller writers, what secret lies around the next corner? What did they do that brought them past your door? What is about to be done to them? How about their family? What about them is different?
Writers call upon the world around them for ideas. An example of this can be found in Stephen King’s self-proclaimed inspiration for Pet Semetary. At one time, his family lived near a busy road where neighborhood pets were victims of passing motorists. Add a child mourning the loss of a pet, a magical graveyard, a helping of evil Juju, and you have a good beginning. Add a father mourning the loss of a child killed on that same road and you have a terrifying story.
Sometimes you have to call upon the ideas of others and add a twist. How many book series in today’s market deal with vampires? The idea for the living dead didn’t originate with Bram Stoker, either.
Ideas are often found by blending the mundane and the absurd. The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button is a perfect example. If we had our lifetime of experience when we were young…
Everything in life has a backstory. Don’t overthink it. Look at life around you and put yourself in the place of another to feel and see through their eyes. Use your actual experiences to imagine yourself in their place. Use the experiences you might have wished were yours to expand the idea. Then back away. Take those emotions and thoughts and write. Many readers will have the same thoughts. They will connect with your words.
Smells, sounds, sights, so many things elicit memories. And often, the best writing come from using those memories as a springboard. Challenge yourself. Go out and find your inspiration. And, whatever you do, keep writing.
The Click Here selection from last week dealt with a murder. It was spliced from three sections in the chapter. As such, the transitions might have been a bit rough.
Today’s selection is a first introduction of the Brettinger city and Rayburn County police. Another body has been found and the county commissioner’s wife is being detained for questioning as to her involvement. Doug Levy, a reporter for the Brettinger Bugle, is unaware of the events, but has always suspected a cover-up involving the county commissioner, He has followed and waits outside Millennium Hall. Doug believes a huge event has taken place and he wants the exclusive story. I hope you enjoy.