choppy
May 28th, 2003, 06:04 PM
So you finally have some time to write. You've got music to write to in the CD player, a laptop that won't crash, and nimble fingers just aching to get to work.
But you need some inspiration - an idea - something - anything!
Why is it that the brain is full of wonderful ideas the night before a mid-term, but it can't even come up with a single sentence that doesn't sound like crap the day after finals?
Welcome to the PRIMER thread!
Here's a spot where we can all put up thoughts and ideas to inspire our fellow authors. It's not so much a place for "complete story ideas" rather, it's a spot where we can direct those little quirky bursts of inspiration to "get the ball rolling."
Is there something you've always wanted to see in speculative fiction?
Is there something you think can't be done?
Challenge us!
Have you been reading about a recent scientific discovery that fascinates you and wonder how it could affect human kind? Tell us about it.
Did you watch a documentary on Vikings and wonder how it was that they could row across an ocean without dying?
(Okay, well, hopefully you get the idea.)
Here's a few thoughts to start the thread off. Look it up from time to time if you get stuck with a writer's 3D parallelogram.
1. Stuck in the middle with you. Have you ever been caught between a rock and a hard place? Write a tale of three characters - two that can't get along and a third that needs both.
2. Unavoidable collision. Start with two completely unrelated scenes - say a murder in a butcher shop, and a brutal exam in quantum physics - how do the two evolve into one coherent story? Concentrate on a unified theme.
3. "Downloaded superpowers? What the heck? In my day we had to get super power the old fashioned way. We had to expose oursleves to potentially lethal doses of gamma radiation!"
4. How would the world change if something you do every day was suddenly made illegal?
4b. How would the world change if something currently illegal was suddenly allowed?
5. The Complete Idiot's Guide to Killing Dragons - or - Rescuing Princesses for Dummies.
6. Backwards. Start with an ending. Write a paragraph at a time working towards the best hook of your life.
7. Rip off a movie. Sure, it's all been done before. Rewrite your favourite movie, but 1) change all the characters, 2) give it a different setting, 3) add in an element of romance, and 4) have the main character make a distinctly different choice.
8. Knocking on doors. What kinds of things does the paperboy see when he goes collecting on his route?
9. As kids we usually get "Disneyfied" versions of Fairy Tales. Choose a story from your childhood and rewrite it without the "Family" rating.
10. Murder your darlings. We all have unfinished stories tucked away on our hard drives (or in our desks) with characters that we once loved, but have since forgotten about. Dig a few of them up and lock them in a room or strand them on an island (or planet). By the end of the story, only one of them lives.
But you need some inspiration - an idea - something - anything!
Why is it that the brain is full of wonderful ideas the night before a mid-term, but it can't even come up with a single sentence that doesn't sound like crap the day after finals?
Welcome to the PRIMER thread!
Here's a spot where we can all put up thoughts and ideas to inspire our fellow authors. It's not so much a place for "complete story ideas" rather, it's a spot where we can direct those little quirky bursts of inspiration to "get the ball rolling."
Is there something you've always wanted to see in speculative fiction?
Is there something you think can't be done?
Challenge us!
Have you been reading about a recent scientific discovery that fascinates you and wonder how it could affect human kind? Tell us about it.
Did you watch a documentary on Vikings and wonder how it was that they could row across an ocean without dying?
(Okay, well, hopefully you get the idea.)
Here's a few thoughts to start the thread off. Look it up from time to time if you get stuck with a writer's 3D parallelogram.
1. Stuck in the middle with you. Have you ever been caught between a rock and a hard place? Write a tale of three characters - two that can't get along and a third that needs both.
2. Unavoidable collision. Start with two completely unrelated scenes - say a murder in a butcher shop, and a brutal exam in quantum physics - how do the two evolve into one coherent story? Concentrate on a unified theme.
3. "Downloaded superpowers? What the heck? In my day we had to get super power the old fashioned way. We had to expose oursleves to potentially lethal doses of gamma radiation!"
4. How would the world change if something you do every day was suddenly made illegal?
4b. How would the world change if something currently illegal was suddenly allowed?
5. The Complete Idiot's Guide to Killing Dragons - or - Rescuing Princesses for Dummies.
6. Backwards. Start with an ending. Write a paragraph at a time working towards the best hook of your life.
7. Rip off a movie. Sure, it's all been done before. Rewrite your favourite movie, but 1) change all the characters, 2) give it a different setting, 3) add in an element of romance, and 4) have the main character make a distinctly different choice.
8. Knocking on doors. What kinds of things does the paperboy see when he goes collecting on his route?
9. As kids we usually get "Disneyfied" versions of Fairy Tales. Choose a story from your childhood and rewrite it without the "Family" rating.
10. Murder your darlings. We all have unfinished stories tucked away on our hard drives (or in our desks) with characters that we once loved, but have since forgotten about. Dig a few of them up and lock them in a room or strand them on an island (or planet). By the end of the story, only one of them lives.