3 Quick and Easy Ways to Generate Story Ideas

There are many ways you can generate ideas you can use for your stories, articles and other creative pieces. Start with the three ways given below:

1. Put Your 5 Senses to Work

A simple but effective way to generate fresh ideas from a single concept, idea or object is to describe or illustrate it using the 5 senses -- sight, smell, touch, taste, sound.

For you to do: Generate 5 specific images or concrete examples (one example for each sense) for the following:

• vindication (what's the smell of vindication? how does it taste? how does it sound? what does it look like? how does it feel?)

• hesitation

• celebration

2. Take Advantage of Your Conflicts

Conflict is a part of life. It's also a source of creativity. You only need to look at yourself and examine your experiences to come up with ideas based on conflicts.

For you to do: What's stopping you from doing something? Who is in the way of you getting what you want? What's stopping you from taking a career leap? Brainstorm for conflicts in your life and come up with at least 15 in your list.

3. It's OK to Call People Names

Generate nicknames or terms that capture the lifestyles, attitudes or characteristics of certain groups of people.

For example, the nicknames I came up for the kind of people I encountered on the bus when I used to commute to work and back were: space-hog, slumper, fidgeter and refined. The terms described how the people on the bus behaved as they sat. [They were useful because I was able to avoid the space-hogs and the fidgeters when choosing a seat. Sitting beside a slumper was all right, since most slumpers kept their slumps within their space ;o)]

For you to do: Generate nicknames or terms for the following groups of people:

• cashiers

• waiters

• teachers

• employees

• actors

Begin using these 3 simple ways of generating ideas today. Before long, you'll be churning out one idea after another with ease. That's creativity at work!

About The Author

Copyright (c) 2004 Shery Ma Belle Arrieta-Russ

Shery is the developer of creative, motivating and fun e-mail courses for writers. Sign up and take an e-mail course today...free! http://writingbliss.com

---

Water to Swim In

Not long ago, I took stock of my unrealized desire... Read More

Writers Block - Melting the Ice

What does one do as a writer who loves writing... Read More

The Daily Rite

If you want to be a writer, then you must... Read More

The Spectre Hound

And a dreadful thing from the cliff did spring, and... Read More

Nobody Likes A Rambler

We all know people who ramble. They include every boring... Read More

How To Write Your Way To A Fortune

We've all seen those ads that grab our attention and... Read More

Publication Road

The journey to having my first novel for children published... Read More

Recommendation Letters Demystified

There is a lot of confusion about recommendation letters.Recommendation letters... Read More

Screenwriting ? Five Golden Insights

Originality emerges from structure. Once you have a story idea,... Read More

How to Break In and Succeed as a Screenwriter

Screenwriting is a competitive trade. To distinguish yourself as a... Read More

The Power of Punctuation

Punctuation, when used creatively, is powerful. Note, however, that when... Read More

Get Rich Writing With Your Computer Word Processor

Your computer is a writing machine, a word processor, a... Read More

10 Tips To Help You Pack More Power Into Your Business Writing

1. Before you write anything down define not what you... Read More

Italics Part 1 - Do You Need to Use Italics?

Next time you're tempted to use italics for emphasis... STOP!"Why?"... Read More

Apotheosis - the Seminal Insight of the Hero for Screenwriting

Every hero has a seminal insight - the apotheosis. Once... Read More

How to Write Funny -- Its All About Timing

My Dad has this old joke that goes, "What's the... Read More

Learn How To Write Poetry!

A poet isn't born; you must work at crafting your... Read More

Amazing Ways Writing Articles Can Improve Your Business

How to get a lot of traffic to your website... Read More

You Can Be An Author

"You should write a book." For years, I had been... Read More

Is The Theme Running Throughout The Story?

Creative Writing Tips ?It's no use coming up with a... Read More

Are You a Freelance Writer? - Then You Need a Website

As a freelance writer, it is important to present yourself... Read More

How to Write Words Worth a Thousand Pictures

Our Image-Driven SocietyWe live in a new image-driven society. It... Read More

Do You Know How To Write English For Global Audiences?

When you write for international audiences, mainly directly in English,... Read More

Getting the Story Down

Questions and answers on writing life experiences for ourselves and... Read More

What You May Not Learn In College... (Part Two)

If you become a writer for any publication, private business,... Read More

Hero?s Journey ? The First Threshold

Beyond three and four act story structure, lies the Hero's... Read More

Greatness

[When I was a nineteen-year-old high school student and budding... Read More

Message to Online Writers: Dont Give Up On A Good Idea

The writing community is a strong one, with many new... Read More

Starting a Freelance Writing Career (or Thoughts About Taking the Plunge)

Nike's ad has taken on new meaning for me of... Read More

Writing Your Best-Selling Non-Fiction Book Title

Your struggling to sell just a few copies of your... Read More

Ten Ways to Get Cheap (and Free) Magazine Samples

1 - Join a reading or writing group. Ask members... Read More

Screenwriting, Screenplays, Screenwriters ? Incremental Productivity

When attempting to understand Creativity and Innovation, it pays to... Read More

Becoming the Total Package

Being a great writer is no longer enough if you... Read More