Generating Creative Writing Ideas

Most of the time I find myself in a bind on what to write next or I'm just plain lazy to think about what would make a good post. It helps to take a shower, or take a short walk, but I really envy those who have the gift of writing a creative story.

Gifted or not, I really believe that those with lesser talents for writing can still cultivate a right attitude towards writing and with this can still come up with good writing. Here are some tips I found on e-how to help generate creative writing ideas.

  1. Find characters in your everyday life. Create a character profile on them and keep these profiles on file. Come up with a different name, place of birth, physical description, life experiences that shaped their behavior, demeanor, talents, weaknesses, careers, hobbies, idiosyncrasies, problems and whatever else you can think of. You never know when you'll need to dip into your character file. Creating a character profile can generate a great story idea. ( I have yet to try this though people around me prefers to be anonymous haha! I could probably use aliases for them..)
  2. Go to a restaurant, bar, mall, or park and watch people. Listen discretely to their conversations and create stories behind the snippets that you hear. This method can generate many situations and story lines if you let your imagination run wild. (Hmm, good idea though it would take a bit of time and you have to perfect the art of eavesdropping Lol!)
  3. Do some writing exercises to get your creative juices flowing. You can also find some writing exercises in books on any given subject. ( I bet moms will be good at this, I mean I had to tell my daughter the story of Snow White, Rapunzel, Jack and the Beanstalk etc in at least 20 versions..)
  4. Check your local paper and the Internet to find an interesting news report. Write a story about it but put a twist on the characters and events. You can also just look at the photograph in the news and come up with your own story. (this one's nice and easy..)
  5. Brainstorm to come up with a problem that needs to be solved. Play with it to come up with solutions and characters that could be involved in the situation. (I love throwing ideas around with my hubby! It's really great if there is someone around to criticize or help you out with your ideas..)
  6. Take a creative writing course or find a group of people to write with. Writing assignments can give you a start to write about something you've never thought about before. Brainstorming in groups is also a great way to generate new ideas. (Find friends with similar passion for writing, in school, online forums..)
  7. Keep a file on your short stories or ideas either on your computer or in a notebook. Carry a notebook everywhere you go and write down things you think of immediately. You may think you'll never forget this wonderful idea you've thought of, but before you know it it'll be gone. (I've been doing this since last year and it really works. I always carry around a small notebook and take note of "sudden inspirations", ideas, to do's etc! - though be organized, the first time I tried this I could barely understand my notes ^_^).

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