THINKING OUTSIDE THE BOX
By
Linda Ford
Do you feel like everything you write is generic? Same old. Same old. Are you stuck trying to come up with something fresh? I have good news and I have bad news. The bad news is there is nothing new under the sun. The good news is you can look at the old things in a new way. Here are a series of exercises to help you do that.
Read the newspaper. Is there a situation that you could turn into a conflict in a story? Or a crisis for your characters to face? Or a backstory for a character? Can you put several stories together to create a unique situation? Reading a story about abducted children and a column of how traumatic incidents often destroy a marriage formed the basis of one of my stories.
Listen to music. I can never listen to an hour of the radio without getting an idea. Pick a station that plays music with good lyrics. Listen to the words. Let them fall together in fresh ways. Listen to songs for half an hour, or an hour, combining the words and twisting the phrases in a new direction. Feel the emotion. Some people go so far as to tape the songs that give them the emotional responses they want, creating theme songs for each book. Sometimes the title of a song can become the theme for your story. A word of warning—don't try and fit things into your search. Instead, listen with an open mind. The song Unchained Melody seemed to have the right emotions and formed the basis for the title for my book, Unchained Hearts.
Read headlines in a magazine or titles in sales brochures. Just the headlines. They are usually provocative and/or have a little twist that helps me think outside the box. Or they are so generic I want to twist them. Here are some samples from a brochure advertising jewelry. 'A Gift He'll Remember,' Some Things Are Worth Waiting For,' 'Reaching for the Sun.' What images spring to mind with these phrases? Do you see a character doing something? Do you feel the stirrings of a story
Make lists. Lists of possible scenes, possible disasters, possible complications, impossible possibilities. Don't try and be sensible. Forget reason and let your mind play.
Mine your memories. We each have a rich background of information. Think of milestones in your life—first day of school, first kiss, first dance, first holiday alone, etc. What special memories do you have of your father, your mother, your sister, and your best friend? Again, lists might help. How many picnics can you remember? List flowers and try and find a memory connected to each. Do the same for food, for items of clothing, for books, for...anything. Dig deep and then try and connect these to your characters, their situation, or an idea. Don't push. Let your brain play. The connections often come when least expected and in the most unusual way.
Read the TV guide—those little blurbs about movies—grab one that would appeal to you and think how you would develop it into a story. Combine two or several and come up with something new and fresh.
Watch a movie with your hero and heroine in mind—doesn't have to have a similar story line. Pay attention to how the characters attack and solve their problems and look for fresh ideas sifting through your brain into your story. Be sure to keep a pencil and paper handy to write down the ideas. I am always surprised and sometimes shocked at the connections my brain makes. Like I have short circuits upstairs, if you know what I mean. Like a mad professor. Scary.
Interview people with similar careers, or business interests. You might discover interesting bits that could either add convincing detail to your scenes or give you an idea for a scenario. Talk to people who have similar experiences as your characters. Your heroine has a difficult mother-in-law? Among your friends and acquaintances, find someone who is willing to talk to you about their m-i-l from h-e-double hockey sticks.
Make a scrapbook. Not with your own photos unless they fit your story but go through magazines and create a mini photo album for your character. Favorite places, important events, highlights of their day, choose the clothing they would wear for a variety of occasions. Create a collage if you like. But seek to create a visual of your character and get to know about her. As you pick out your heroine's clothes you notice she always wears shades of white. Why? You turn the magazine page and see a dog and suddenly realize she has a dog in her life. Is it current or past and what significance does it have? There are hundreds of recipes in the magazine and you are drawn to the muffin pictures. Why? Is your character destined to buy a muffin shop? Bake muffins for a sick friend?
Take any of these methods and mix and match. For instance, take the memory mining exercise and wed it to the checking the TV guide one. What people from your past would you pick to star in one of these movies? Where from your background, would you set it? What events from your life could be used to move these characters into this story in this setting?
Or listen to music and pick a song to match the headlines you've found. Take it a step further and pick a color to go with it.
The possibilities are endless just as are the ways of thinking outside the box. Have fun
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