The 3 Best Ways to Generate Ideas - Writing Habit (2023)

What are the three best ways to generate ideas for a writing project?

Whether you're thinking about writing your first book or can't find your eighth novel, coming up with ideas for writing projects can be difficult, but it's something everyone has to grapple with.

Luckily we have the secrets! We know the top three ways to jumpstart your creative process and get those fresh ideas onto the page.

1. Be present and observe

A great writer (contrary to popular belief) shouldn't always be in his own head, making up worlds andMagic Systemsunlike anything this terrestrial land has ever seen. No, a writer knows that all writing essentially boils down to further explaining the human condition.

To do that, a writer must first look at what it means to be human. Many ideas for books can come from observing the world around us.

See where you work, shop or spend your free time. Pay attention to how people interact. Think about how you would describe these people. Once you feel you have a solid observation, you can move on to more dream-like thinking. Ask yourself, "What if this was in outer space?" or "What if goblins suddenly started running through the halls?"

Part of observing and being present is being prepared to write down ideas as they decide to fall like manna from heaven.

For this reason, many writers carry a small notebook and pencil with them when inspiration strikes. Sure, the Notes app on your phone can do the trick, but it's easy to miss. Having a notebook completely dedicated to ideas keeps them all together and waiting for you like a pack of puppies waiting for a treat.

Idea generation can come from anywhere as long as you are present in your daily life and pay attention to things going on around you. One of the most famous authors, Ernest Hemingway, wrote:

Now is not the time to think about what you don't have. Think about what you can do with it.

The world is full of content for your new writing project; you just have to look for it (or just look at it).

2. Do your research

(Video) 3 habits that boost mental clarity

Research can be seen as boring or ineffective, but nothing could be further from the truth. We are talking about coming up with ideas and it is probably the most fun way!

Let's say you want to write a novel but feel like you're running out of ideas. You've been paying attention to the world around you, but you just can't find that gold nugget. How are you?

Researching for a writing project may seem like a number of things, but one of the most useful things you can do is read because, after all, you can't write if you can't read.

Take your favorite book and dissect it with a writer's eye. In each book there are so many ideas that have not been thoroughly analyzed or overwritten. What do you like about the book? What do you think the author would have expanded on?

Good ideas lead to good writing, which leads to good ideas, which lead to good writing. Don't be afraid to borrow some ideas from popular books. I mean, if there wasn't onepride and prejudicewe would never have onePride and prejudice and zombies.

before i wrotemistbornBrandon Sanderson did his own research. About histhe blog, he wrote:

I had looked at themlord of the rings books...and I felt that a lot of people would use this paradigm even more because of its popularity and success... So I thought, "What if the dark lord won?"

Read books, watch movies, play video games. Do the things you already love to do, but look for related ideas. Find your book idea by asking questions and digging into ideas that seem to have been left alone.

Another type of research that helps in the idea generation process is story reading. Human history is a treasure trove of stories. And they can be just that, stories. You do not need to read in-depth analysis in academic articles.

Think of the number of books related to the fall of Rome or Greek mythology. This is only a small part of what humanity has experienced.

You could write a novel based on Hannibal crossing the Alps with his elephants! You could learn about the history of a culture you are unfamiliar with and incorporate those ideas into your story.

You will soon discover that the media you consume is begging you to give it new life. He wants you to take his tried and tested ideas and reinterpret them.

3. Try to pre-write

(Video) A simple way to break a bad habit | Judson Brewer

So at this point, you've looked around your world, at your art, and you've found a few things.couldgive rise to stories

Before you even start the first sentence of your novel, try some of these pre-writing techniques. You will surely generate ideas and turn them into stories from seeds.

brain dump

This technique follows the ideas ofstream of consciousnessWrite and it should help you explore your idea. All you have to do is visualize what you want to write about and pour it onto the page.

This type of writing must be a total disaster. Just type anything that comes to mind and keep asking questions. What does this character want? What happens when these people fight? Write everything.

If you feel like you've exhausted one of your themes, try another. Then read what you wrote. There is definitely something there. Even if you don't like most of what you wrote, you can try again with the parts you do like.

If you find only one idea that you wrote down, repeat the exercise with that idea in the foreground. make it fun!

describe

Schematics aren't for everyone, but if you have a little baby idea, feeding it and letting it grow into a meaty Conan the Barbarian idea can help.

For the outline, you can go simple or in-depth. I recommend starting with Basic. Think about the general beginning, middle, and end of the story.couldand

Then develop some of those ideas. Perhaps you want to delve into your beginnings because there is something that you like a lot. Take this new idea and incorporate it into the rest of your outline.

Soon you'll have at least an outline of what your story could be, and if you don't like it, try again! The more you write, the more you think about the idea, which can only help it!

Some character work.

The latter can be very difficult for some people, but it definitely has the potential to make for great stories. This technique can also be used after the others to further develop the story.

For this exercise, take any idea you have and try to connect it to a character. Make one character embody the idea, and then create the opposite character.

Maybe these are the ancestors of your antagonist and protagonist, but imagine their interaction, write their dialogue, and see what happens.

things to remember

This is one of the best parts of writing! Don't get discouraged as this is a skill that can be learned just like anything else in the field.

If you do these three things, you will surely come up with your next great idea. Remember to check out the other resources we have here at Habit Writing to help you along the way.Diplomathis novel.

Let the creative spice flow!