“Idea generation is about quantity, not quality. Multiplication, not subtraction. Editing comes later. The goal of brainstorming is to walk out with buckets of ideas, not one precious idea perched on a pillow.”
― Sam Harrison, Creative Zing! Spark Your Creativity & Powerfully Present Your ideas
Dear Writers,
Friends: I am in that exciting place known as the discovery zone!
This week, everywhere I look, my story is talking to me. FINALLY! I’ve been waiting for this feeling.
What got me there?
Listening.
Banishing the doubt.
Writing something else.
And….
talking about it.
Let’s talk about that.
I know a lot of people don’t like to talk about their WIPS. They are afraid they will lose their enthusiasm for discovery.
But for me, brainstorming works.
This week, while talking to a writer friend, I took the chance to describe the new WIP–the one that feels a little bit difficult to find. I talked about what I loved about the story and where in my heart it came from. By the end of that, I said, “Is there anything I’m overlooking?” I asked my friend to ask me questions. And once we were done, I understood what I wanted to write–and why. I knew how I could say what I wanted to say. I had found a way in.
That’s the power of brainstorming.
The power of trust.
The power of being asked questions. Not given the answers.
Have you tried brainstorming lately?
When you don’t know (YET) what will happen in a book, the best thing (for me) is to HAVE to have is to be asked a whole bunch of questions. As my friends ask questions, both easy and hard, I am forced to answer. Sometimes, I have nothing. Nothing YET. But sometimes, the question makes a bell go off in my head. Sometimes, those questions help me find the way forward. That’s when the writing begins to happen.
(What never works for me: when everyone starts trying to solve my problems for me.) Even when they are right.
Brainstorming isn’t about someone else figuring out the puzzle of the story. It’s about the writer finding those answers. It’s about having the confidence to move forward, and that of course, takes trust…and maybe something to reach for. When our friends are stuck, our job is to prod. And query. And listen. Our job is to listen. To help the writer see outside the boundaries they were working with. By asking questions, we push the writer to become their own hero, to come up with their own answers. That is a more exciting and meaningful way to work on a draft.
Are you ready to stretch? Reach? Groan? Embrace the power of play?
How to help someone else (or yourself):
Start with the writer. What do they want to say? What do they love about their book? What are they still grappling with?
With those things in mind, read a page or two. Get a sense of the MC and the voice. And then start asking questions. Start with the big ones: what do these characters want and why? What do they fear? And then go deeper: what just happened? How will this character change? What is the worst thing that could happen? What happens at the very middle? When everything has changed and the protagonist needs some new direction?
Not all questions will land. But some will. Some will inspire. Some will puzzle. Some might need discussion or weeks of deep thinking. Some will lead you to new scenes and ideas and maybe characters, too. This kind of conversation isn’t exactly feedback. It’s brain work. It’s play. And if you can keep at it, it will help you and the rest of your group find new ideas that will strengthen the story and make it more exciting.
And when you are finished, keep your notebook close. Even if you are busy and have only fifteen minutes a day to write, you can jot down the quantity of ideas that are going to flow. Finding stories sometimes feels like a chain reaction.
I hope you had a wonderful Father’s Day Weekend.
If you will be at Litapalooza or ALA, I hope to see you there!
Have a great writing week!
Sarah