How to Brainstorm a New Direction

Brainstorming is an important tool for any author. Whenever you are stuck, when you're struggling with your characters, their actions, motivations, or goals, brainstorming can be a great way to get out of that stagnant loop. Or at least get to the bottom of what the problem might be.

As an author, I don’t do a ton of brainstorming. For me, when I’m struggling, writing more is usually the answer for me.  But sometimes, no matter how much you push, no matter how much you try to fight through it, you need to take a break from your regular process to find a new solution.

Here are a few techniques I use to find that new direction the story needs. Or really any time I feel stuck and unable to figure out how to get to that next turn.

1.  Take a walk. This might sound counter intuitive, but its works. I’m always amazed by how many ideas I get while walking. Every time in my life I have been especially creative have always been consistently walking. I’m sure there is a neurological reason for it, extra oxygen pumping to the brain or something like that, but I think it has something to do with your mind having the space to work while the rest of your body is occupied with another tasks. I’ve heard other authors talk about cooking or doing household cleaning to have the same effect. And of course, there is the best idea generator in the world – the shower. I don’t know a single author that hasn’t gotten a dozen great ideas in the shower and wish for oil-based pencils to be able to jot them all down.

2.  Take a nap. Another one that might not sound like the best way to get new ideas, but there is something about letting your subconscious take over for a little while that can create some of the best ideas. Often your brain knows the solution, even if you don’t know it yet. And allowing your subconscious to take a turn at the wheel can open up a whole new world of possibilities.

3.  Ask a friend for help. Another writing friend, or even a friend that reads a lot or watches a lot of movies, can be a great source to get new ideas. Being outside your story and the world you’ve created, they can come up with something you might never have thought of on your own. Also, talking about your ideas out loud, instead of writing them down or just thinking about them, also allows a different part of your brain to enter into the action—just like reading a story out loud allows you to hear and see it differently—and that alone can be enough to start your brain down a different path than before.

4.  Do some stream of consciousness writing. Constantly trying to push an idea to come can only make it harder to find the right solution. Just sitting down and writing whatever comes to mind can unearth ideas you didn’t even realize was hanging out in the back of your consciousness.

5.  Make list of all possibilities without any filter. If you are struggling with a specific plot point or character issue, sitting down to make a list of all the possible ways to solve this problem can be enlightening. Throwing out every possible idea, no matter how crazy or illogical can sometimes lead to ideas you never would have considered before. When we are writing, we often place an unconscious filter on ourselves, limiting the ideas we should consider by what we think is needed or what we think works. But taking the top off our creativity and letting our writing freak flag fly, you’d be amazed by some of the jewels you find.

6.  List the questions you are have. If I’m struggling with a scene, I will list out all the questions I have. What I need to know to move to the next scene. What is making it difficult for me to move on to the next scene. Sometimes writing down my concerns, being very clear about where my difficulty lies, can make it easier to figure out what you need to do to fix it. Having the problem clearly defined, makes it easier to find the solution you need.

7.  Write down what you do know. More often than not you know more about your characters or your story than you realize. When trying to force an idea to form it can be easy to get into the rut of what you don’t know, the questions you are having, fixating on what you are struggling with, but when you start to list out everything you do know it can be surprising the answers you already have. Some you probably knew but needed to be reminded of, but some you probably didn’t even realize. And possibly even a few tidbits that have the answers you need right before you.

8.  Do a tarot card reading. This one might sound a little out there, but I know a lot of authors that use this method to get out of a bind. The randomness of pulling a tarot card and having no idea where it might direct you, can offer up a new idea that you might never have come up with on your own. The idea is just to get the creative juices flowing, and bring in some new out of the box thinking, that might just solve your problem. You can do this with your own deck of tarot cards (which probably makes sense to buy if you use this method a lot) or there are several websites or apps that allow you to do a small tarot card reading digitally. When you are really stuck, sometimes you need an out of the box solution, to find an out of the box idea that just might be perfect for your story.

These are just a few of the ideas I’ve come across over my years of writing on how to brainstorm through a hard spot. I’m sure there are many other strategies, ones I haven’t heard about, but these are few that I have used. And so far, they haven’t steered me wrong.

If you have any other techniques for brainstorming new ideas, I’d love to hear them in the comments below. There is no such thing as too many ways to build the perfect story.