BRAINSTORMING LIKE A BOSS - Techniques and Tools

A Writing Craft Workshop from RWA Conference 2019

Falguni Kothari and Nisha Sharma

What is brainstorming?

·       The process of generating creative ideas and solutions through intensive and freewheeling group discussions

·       The process can be as holistic or logical as you want it to be

·       Ideal will be to have a group to bounce ideas off, which is why critique groups and writer communities play such an important role in a writer’s career

Why is brainstorming important to writing?

·       Whether you’re writing your first manuscript or your 200^th book, every writer needs to come up with ideas

·        You need to have your brain firing on all cylinders at will because DEADLINES

·       You must have an idea of where to start, what comes in the middle and what happens at the end

·       Even if you’re pantsing, you must have rudimentary knowledge about your story, characters and setting, and of course, the plot

But what if you don’t have access yet to such groups, or have the time to reach out? How do you brainstorm when you’re alone?

Exercises (solo)

-        Write a letter to your main character

-        Interview a character in your story

-        Create a fight scene between your antagonist and protagonist without any dialog

-        Create your character’s genealogy

-        Start a Pinterest board that includes setting, character descriptions/clothing, and images that represent elements of conflict

-        Ask the question game. What if? Finish each ‘what if’ sentence with the opposite of what your character would want

-        Freewriting and Galumphing with a list of random words (noun, adjective, verb)

-        Read a poem and write a narrative that goes along with it

-        Occupy yourself with mindless activities like washing vessels, walking, showering and let your mind gallop free with ideas

Exercises (partner)

-        Write down a theme, a character, and a setting (thirty seconds), then switch with a partner. Free write using those elements for 5 minutes. Share your work

-        Pretend you are your character, going to a therapy session. Have your friend be the therapist and ask questions about your choices

-        Grab a packet of post its, and after sharing each other’s premises, write whatever words come to mind. Take turns writing on post its, going back and forth, and sticking them to a wall (or each other!) When you run out of words, gather them up, and use your post it pile as prompts

Technology Resources for Brainstorming

-        Scapple- an app by the creators of Scrivener

-        The Brainstormer- provides trigger words/situations/scenarios to help you get ‘unstuck’

-        Mindnode- a mind-mapping tool

-        Lists for writers- provides writer prompts and lists for brainstorming elements of a story

-        A novel idea- A place to write your ideas if you’re stuck in an inconvenient location

Printed Resources for Brainstorming

-        Fool-proof Outline- Christopher Downing

-        Ultimate Novel Planning Workbook- Worksheets for Writers

-        Writing the Breakout Novel- Workbook

-        GMC- Deb Dixon : a book for plotting and for elements of a novel, but can also be used to understand story (use this in tandem with the List for Writers app for best results!)

-        Fire up your writing Brain - Susan Reynolds

Falguni and Nisha’s Tips

-        Start with a character. Develop a character completely before writing a story. Free character guides are available online if you want to use a template (Google: ‘character sketch/template for novels’ to find the one that suits your needs)

-        Start with a setting. Google Maps, Pinterest again for bucket list locations, or local news

-        Start with the title. This one is a bit more organic that has to do with the concept you’re dreaming about

-        If you’re stuck in the middle of the story, back up 30 pages. You got off track 30 pages or less before the point of disaster. Rewriting from an earlier point will help you get control of your novel again

-        If you’re stuck halfway through, it’s also a good idea to remind yourself what your character’s goal, motivation, and conflict is. Create a Punnett square (or Google a GMC grid) and take some time to reflect on where you’d like to go

-        It’s also a good idea to think about what your character is most afraid of, or what would be the worst thing to happen to the couple in your story, and make that happen

-        Each heroine should have a strength and a weakness, and each hero should be some form of/embodiment of that weakness, and vice versa

-        Read outside your genre for inspiration: this includes memoir, non-fiction, screenplays and poetry

-        Write out of order! Scrivener is a great tool that can help you reorganize your book using the index card function, if you’re tech savvy and want to try this method

 

Nisha Sharma

-        Twitter/Instagram: @nishawrites

-        Website

-        ‘The Takeover Effect’- Avon Books

-        ‘My So-Called Bollywood Life’- Crown Books for Young Readers

Falguni Kothari

-        Twitter/Instagram: @AuthorFalguni

-        Website

OBJECTS OF POWER

In mythology, Objects of Power hold a lot of...well, POWER! 
-They can be used to spearhead a quest of discovery. 
-They can be used to bring about change.
-They can be used for magic.
-Or, as a weapon of annihilation, both temporary and permanent.

From gemstones to Excalibur to Aladdin's Lamp to Pandora's Box to the Soul Catcher in Soul Warrior, Objects of Power or Talismans have added pizzazz to the story being told. They serve as both decorative embellishment in the hands of the hero or heroine as well as a marker to drive the narrative forward. 

Objects of Power usually have their own backstories...just like a living, breathing character, which is what makes them so fascinating.

Some of the Objects of Power used in Soul Warrior:

-The Soul Catcher: a blood-orange gemstone from prehistoric times that has the power to absorb souls when opened.

-The Asi: a blade gifted to Karna by his sire, Lord Surya. It has the power to be summoned by its owner/ wielder.

-Kalika's ashes: Ashes/ bone dust of one of the ancient avatars of Goddess Kali that, when consumed, can give the consumer the powers of a million demons.

-Amrita: the elixir of healing.

-Silver shackles and key: these bind the shackled soul to the one holding the key.

-Black metallic goo: the Stone Demon's secret weapon whose powers are yet-to-be determined.

-Blood: the most common Object of Power as it holds your ancestry hostage as well as your descendents.

And last but not least,

-Baby: the Soul Warrior's computer which has been modified (with magic) to perform "unearthly" tasks.

And that's it (I think) for Soul Warrior's Objects of Power. (Let me know if I've missed any.) And, be sure to stay tuned for more daring and dashing and darling talismans in BOOK 2!

AMAZON LINK: GetBook.at/SoulWarrior

What are some of your favorite Objects of Power in mythology or in fiction?

PLAYLIST for TMCRA

Like plenty of authors, I too have mood music that goes with my prose. (*cough*) All rhymes purely unintentional. 
TMCRA has a romantic suspense plot and so these are the songs I've chosen to get me back in the write frame of mind. If you have any suggestions to add to this list, I'd love to expand it.

Now, while the heroine of TMCRA will never go out of her way to "look good" for a man or "appearances" she learns to compromise with couture for the greater good.

This is not so much the song, but the video just makes me grin.

Everyone needs a cheerleader. And both my LONER protags will learn how to lean on each other.

The girl should not get hurt.

LOVE is a satire.

I can't NOT have Maroon 5 on a list...any list.

And don't even ask about the death toll in this book.

I'll have a Bollywood list up soon. :)

A WRITER'S YELLOW BRICK ROAD to DEPRESSION

Recently, I came across this article featuring Jhumpa Lahiri, best known for her novel, the Namesake. 

WHY PULITZER-PRIZE WINNER JHUMPA LAHIRI QUIT THE US FOR ITALY.

Expecting some great life-affirming truths the author wished to impart on the world (which in a way, she did), I was shocked by what the article did clarify for me. Truth: I am not a fan of Lahiri's work. I think she's a brilliant writer, and has written brilliant books. But, I am a happy-ending kind of reader and I find her stories a bit too melancholy...actually I find them depressing.

Even before I started writing, when I looked at novels purely from a reader's perspective, I found something missing in her stories. I've read only two: the Namesake and Unaccustomed Earth. What I found missing was sunshine. Happiness. A meaning to the sadness within her characters and stories. For me, there has to be one. It's fine to write about the sadder truths of life, but there must be a reason for it. In fiction especially, I want to see the light at the end of the tunnel. I want to be left with that glimmer of a rainbow. And I don't get that from Lahiri's works. I understand that others might. But I don't, at all.

So, the article about her move to Italy and back validated some things I'd always thought about her. That she's uncomfortable with her lot in life. She feels misplaced in most surroundings. Mainly, she's a depressive personality. And maybe the reason why her work reflects that. She could've chosen to paint the article in a positive light about experiencing a new culture or broadening the horizons of her family, but she chose to focus on her inner displacement and non-fulfillment issues.

What I don't understand is if she doesn't feel like an "expert" then why teach Creative Writing at Princeton? Those students enrolled in that class expect an expert teacher. If being a writer feels "fraudulent" in some way then find another way to fulfill your creative side. The world has many, many options, you know. Find one that appeals to you, speaks to you. Don't beat the same door, if it doesn't make you happy. Some people don't have a choice and are stuck in professions that don't fulfill them. Lahiri does have a choice (after several bestsellers and a pulitzer, you bet she does) and yet is choosing to be stuck. Why?

Which brings me to this article: WHY WRITER'S ARE PRONE TO DEPRESSION The gist:

~ some writers feel the need to FEEL all what their characters feel. If the character is suffering or is miserable, well then, the writer is screwed. (Bloody hell, Hemingway!)

~ it's a solitary occupation. Writers tend not to interact much with the outside world, especially while writing. 

~ that leads to feelings of loneliness and of being misunderstood. 

~ sometimes writing leads to lack of exercise, lack of basking in the sunshine and/or people-bonding, which are recipes for depression.

The article gives some great advice on how to combat the Writer Syndrome...or at least try to voluntarily or by force. Get exercise. Go look at the sun, flowers, water or forest. Socialize. Get those endorphins chugging. 

The only point I sort of disagree with is about joining writer groups. While it may be a necessary beast to tackle, I think if you're not a group sort of person, then it's not for you. Though for a beginner writer writing groups can be the boost you need to push forward. 

So, long story short, this is what I picked up from the two articles: Every writer must follow his/her own Yellow Brick Road home. A writer's journey is individual and personal, there isn't a ONE SIZE FITS ALL Dorothy Shoe. I am a happy writer. :)