by L.C.

Created on: March 22, 2009

One too many times, I've been really motivated to just sit down and write, only to find that I have no ideas. A lack of inspiration leads me to create characters who are flat and boring, plots that are simple and undeveloped, and prose that is purple and unoriginal. Naturally, the obvious solution would be to write when I'm struck with good ideas, but as any writer knows, that's sometimes easier said than done. Fortunately, I've managed to find several ways to find interesting and inspirational writing ideas, and I'm very willing to share them with anyone who's having a bit of trouble in this department.

MUSIC

First and foremost, I would suggest listening to music. Try to enjoy a variety of genres: classical, metal, rap. Listen carefully to the lyrics, and try to distinguish the main message of the song. What sort of emotions do you feel when you listen to this piece? A very effective exercise is to listen to a song, especially an instrumental one, and to envision a scene in a movie that would have this song as background music. Often, I find that I'm capable of thinking up a large variety of characters and scenarios simply by listening to music that moves or inspires me.

MOVIES

Rent a movie you've never seen before, or watch one of your favourites. Do any of the characters seem especially interesting to you? Why? Are there several of them? Is there a way of combining all of their traits into a single, extremely fascinating character, whose life story you could write about? Does the plot bring up any ideas of your own? What about the location they're in? Could any other stories take place in this same location, or due to the same historical events?

BOOKS

Often, when I'm really stuck for ideas, I'll try to read a book by an author whose work I find diverse and creative. Of course, this can get a bit tricky, because it's very easy to wind up copying a writer's work, even if you didn't mean to in the first place. However, while reading, I would suggest you keep a list of what works in the story. Exotic or bizarre setting? Intriguing plot development? A character you're naturally drawn to? When you're done, look at your list, and see if you can't try to also come up with a weird location, lots of twists and turns, and an appealing protagonist or antagonist.

PERSONAL EXPERIENCES

Whether you realize it or not, your life is filled with thousands of stories, from the mundane to the exciting. In fact, your history is composed of stories both short and long, which all ultimately

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