Jun 16, 2010

Break out the Umbrella, I'm having a Brain Storm!

I've hit a wall ... OUCH! (That reminds me of a good joke. A guy walks int a bar ... Ouch! ... Oh come on...my dad loves that one!)

Ok, so this wall that I've hit is made of all sorts of "You've done what you could on this book, now you must sit back and wait for what others think." Not my favorite kind of wall, I think I'd rather come into contact with a big fat brick wall.

So now what do I do?

Time to find a new idea!!!

*cowers into a corner*

But none of my ideas have sounded good enough yet!

*gets dragged out of corner*

FINE! I suppose I'll brainstorm.

*thunder*

*lightning*

So I've been looking up tactics online, as well as creating a few of my own. Still haven't come up with the next best seller though.

So you tell me, what are your best brainstorming techniques? How do you get your juices going? (Does anyone have a brain juicer? ... oh dear ... mental picture ... I take that request back!)

How did you think up your latest idea? Share your secrets with me. I'm nice, I won't spread them around! I promise!

6 comments:

Janna Leadbetter said...

It helps me to get out and live life. But I don't mean in some grand way, though. You've just got to pay attention to and be mindful of the everyday life around you. Sometimes the best ideas come from the simplest of circumstances.

Stina said...

I keep my eyes and ears open and it's amazing the ideas I come up with.

A few months ago, I was preparing to do a presentation for my fourth grader's class about writing fiction. I was at the library and picked up an issue of Sports Illustrated for Kids. I hadn't planned to pick up the issue. I was there to grab a magazine as an example of where you can get ideas (I had to borrow a different one since that one couldn't leave the library). As I flipped through it, an article caught my attention. I stored the topic away in my brain.

During the presentation, I ask for some suggestions of TV shows. One kids mentioned a reality show, and wham! the idea for my new project hit.

I've combined the idea from the magazine and the totally unrelated TV show, and came up with a unique idea for my YA novel (which I just finished outlining).

See how simple it was? :D

Wendy Paine Miller said...

I go somewhere I can do some hard core people watching. That seems to throw things right in gear.
~ Wendy

Shannon O'Donnell said...

My best ideas usually come from the brain of my husband! LOL! :-)

Kathi Oram Peterson said...

Take a well-deserved break and then get busy on your next book. I know that sounds too simple, but it works for me. :)

Natalie said...

My ideas have to come out of the blue. Most of the time I get them when I'm still writing something else (which is problematic because then I can't wait to start something new, even though I'm still trying to finish something old). Whenever I try to intentionally make up a new idea it doesn't work.