How to get story ideas for writing fiction By Cliff Daigle Updated December 16, 2014. By far the most common question asked of professional writers is where they get their ideas. The truth is that you have more great ideas than you could ever write. Where to Start? Every how-to book on writing will tell you that you need to start with a solid premise, or story idea. Beginning writers believe that creating a work of fiction starts with a single event - a sudden burst of inspiration that pops a fully-formed story idea into their minds. The Secret to Endless Ideas The secret to generating ideas is the same "secret" that solves every writing problem: writing itself. continue reading below our video Play Video Sitting in front of a blank page and waiting for inspiration to strike is not a recipe for success as a professional writer. But if you don't yet have that great story idea, what do you write about? You actually need very little inspiration to start writing. When you later sit down to write, start with these nuggets. How it Works
The Psychology of What Makes a Great Story “Stories,” Neil Gaiman asserted in his wonderful lecture on what makes stories last, “are genuinely symbiotic organisms that we live with, that allow human beings to advance.” But what is the natural selection of these organisms — what makes the ones that endure fit for survival? What, in other words, makes a great story? That’s what the great Harvard psychologist Jerome Bruner (October 1, 1915–June 6, 2016), who revolutionized cognitive psychology and pioneered the modern study of creativity in the 1960s, explores in his 1986 essay collection Actual Minds, Possible Worlds (public library). In an immensely insightful piece titled “Two Modes of Thought,” Bruner writes: There are two modes of cognitive functioning, two modes of thought, each providing distinctive ways of ordering experience, of constructing reality. Bruner calls these two contrasting modes the paradigmatic or logico-scientific, characterized by a mathematical framework of analysis and explanation, and the narrative.
Neil Gaiman | Cool Stuff | Essays | Essays By Neil | Where do you get your ideas? The question authors fear most ... Neil tackles it here. Every profession has its pitfalls. In the beginning, I used to tell people the not very funny answers, the flip ones: 'From the Idea-of-the-Month Club,' I'd say, or 'From a little ideas shop in Bognor Regis,' 'From a dusty old book full of ideas in my basement,' or even 'From Pete Atkins.' Then I got tired of the not very funny answers, and these days I tell people the truth: 'I make them up,' I tell them. People don't like this answer. And of course I'm not. Every published writer has had it - the people who come up to you and tell you that they've Got An Idea. I'm reasonably gracious with these people. The Ideas aren't the hard bit. But still, it's the question people want to know. My daughter Holly, who is seven years of age, persuaded me to come in to give a talk to her class. They sat on the floor, I had a chair, fifty seven-year-old-eyes gazed up at me. And eventually one of them asked it. 'Where do you get your ideas?'
Collaborative writing activities Collaborative writing Some teachers tend to avoid writing in class, perhaps feeling that as it is something which learners do individually and in silence, it is better done for homework. However, when writing is done as a collaborative activity, it can have many of the same benefits of a group speaking activity: Discussing the writing process obviously provides more opportunities for learners to interact in English, a benefit in itself. It can also help learners to develop their communicative competence by forcing the negotiation of meaning. According to Vygostsky’s theory of ZPD (zone of proximal development), working with others can provide the opportunity for learners to work at a level slightly above their usual capacity, as co-operating with others who know a little more can boost achievement. Collaborative writing has been shown to lower anxiety and foster self-confidence, compared with completing tasks individually (Johnson and Johnson 1998) Planning collaboratively Like this:
11 Plot Pitfalls - And How to Rescue Your Story From Them We’ve all been there: basking in the glow of a finished manuscript, only to read it over and realize something is wrong with the plot. Finding ourselves unable to identify the problem only makes matters worse. But take heart! Here are some common plot gaffes and sensible ways to revise without starting over. 1. THE PLOT ISN’T ORIGINAL ENOUGH. 2. 5. “Why does she do that? 7. 8. Only subplots that are so vital that you could not remove them without destroying your novel get to stick around. Something about these scenes tricked you the first time. 10. See where you might make the stakes higher, the characters more emotional, the setting more a part of the overall plot. 11. Not sure if your story structure is strong enough to woo an agent? Become a WD VIP and Save 10%: Get a 1-year pass to WritersMarket.com, a 1-year subscription to Writer’s Digest magazine and 10% off all WritersDigestShop.com orders! You might also like:
Creative writing in the classroom: five top tips for teachers | Teacher Network 1. The rules of writing I always tell students that there are no set rules for writing and they can write whatever they like. I don't subscribe to the notion that all good stories must have, for example, an attention-grabbing opening, a turning point, a twist at the end and an extended metaphor. Incorporating these into writing doesn't automatically mean a story works, and you will read wonderful writing follows none of these rules. That said, there are two rules of writing that I encourage them to follow. For "show, don't tell", I display a selection of sentences that tell the reader something and ask the pupils to rewrite them in a way that shows the same information. When teaching "all adverbs must die", I concentrate on the importance of giving the power to the verb. 2. Not the most original method I'll wager, but this is tried and tested. 3. There's something a bit weird about the idea of being a writer; it's a vague, wishy-washy concept for students. 4. 5.
The 5 Essential Story Ingredients Like Steven James’ advice? Then you’ll love his book, Story Trumps StructureOrder now >> Imagine that I’m telling you about my day and I say, “I woke up. I ate breakfast. Is that a story? Well, actually, no. It’s not. —By Steven James My description of what I did this morning—while it may meet those commonly accepted criteria—contains no crisis, no struggle, no discovery, no transformation in the life of the main character. Over the years as I’ve taught at writing conferences around the world, you should see some of the looks I’ve gotten when I tell people to stop thinking of a story in terms of its structure. So then, what is a story? Centuries ago, Aristotle noted in his book Poetics that while a story does have a beginning, a middle and an ending, the beginning is not simply the first event in a series of three, but rather the emotionally engaging originating event. In other words, stories have an origination, an escalation of conflict, and a resolution. George gets fired.
Story Starters Teaching Guide Overview Ready to get students excited about writing? Scholastic Story Starters activity serves up hundreds of creative combinations that take the writer's block out of creative writing for students. Set young writers loose with prompts that explore the themes of Adventure, Fantasy, or Sci-Fi. Animated Help Guide For a step-by-step view of how Scholastic Story Starters works, click the help button on the activity home page. Objectives Students will: Discuss and identify what makes a story compelling. Scholastic Story Starters is a flexible teaching tool that can be used in a variety of ways to fit your classroom schedule and teaching style. Morning Activity Have Story Starters ready to go when students arrive in your classroom in the morning. Computer Lab Story Starters is an ideal computer lab activity because it can be easily modified to fit a short amount of time or a longer period, is highly engaging for students, and sharpens essential student writing skills. Writing Time
How to find your writing voice When you’re a writer or a blogger, you’re putting your voice out there. It’s a lot like standing on stage singing your heart out for all the world to see. But figuring out your writing voice isn’t easy. It’s especially hard for new writers to find their writing voice, because they already feel awkward having their work in the spotlight and subject to public approval. Maybe you’ve struggled with finding your writing voice yourself. This doesn’t feel right. Let’s start at the beginning: What is Writing Voice? That’s a good question. People can “hear” your writing voice subconsciously as they read your text through a process called sub-vocalization. Your writing voice is important, no doubt about it. Why We Struggle to Find our Voice Writers worry. We worry people might think we don’t sound professional, or smart, or expert, or friendly. One of the problems is that writers write in ways that fit our beliefs, not the reality. Why Are We Writing in the First Place? Forget that. Enjoy yourself.
Why History Matters We use cookies, just to track visits to our website, we store no personal details. ACCEPT COOKIES What are cookies? Why History Matters Why does history matter? Examining the past to better understand the present? History connects the past with the present History develops a sense of respectful empathy History as a discipline History and informed leadership History and informed and active citizenship Winston Churchill In The Second World War, Churchill at the microphone in the Cabinet Office making his 'VE Day' broadcast to the nation that the war with Germany had been won, 8 May 1945.
The top /r/fantasy novels of all time, RESULTS THREAD! : Fantasy Get the School Year Off to a Good Start Every teacher has a different approach to the first few days of school. Whatever your approach, Education World has an activity for you! Included: Thirteen activities to help teachers get to know student strengths, set the classroom tone, observe student interaction, or just provide a little fun! What are your goals for the first days of school? Some teachers use the time for informal activities designed to help students get to know one another. Other teachers introduce class rules or establish new routines. Whatever your goals for the first days of school, the 13 activities in today's Education World article will help get the year off to a great start! The 13 activities are divided into four categories: Getting to Know Student Strengths and Skills Setting the Tone Discovering How They Work Together Having Fun! Following directions. Learning styles survey. A world of change. Time capsule. A video keepsake. Sticks and stones ... Illustrated student reflections. I Wish I Were a Butterfly.