How to Generate New ideas and Improve Your Fiction Writing

Introduction 23 lectures 01:25:10 Welcome to Creativity Welcome to Creativity Thanks for taking this course. I'm lovin' having you here! Don't forget you can contact me me anytime about anything. Your Success is My Concern Rob Parnell The Nature of Inspiration Inspiration is not some mysterious commodity you need to wait for. Quite the opposite. The feeling of being inspired might be a good short term motivator but long term you can't rely on it - so don't get into the habit of waiting for it before you start! The Genius Kick There comes a time when we feel the need to start a project simply because it seems like a great idea and we're full of enthusiasm for it. I call this the Genius Kick. But the thing is you have to make this little bit of motivation go a long way! The kick, when used correctly, should provide you with enough perseverance to take you to the end of the project. That's how you get things done and remain productive. And wealthy! Impetus and How To Manage It Remaining focused is about realising that you can't always rely on being inspired every day. There will inevitably be times when you need to work on projects when you don't feel like it. True professionals have to deal with this feeling a lot. What you have to do is understand that it's fine to keep going when you're NOT inspired. That, in fact, this is normal! Using Junk as Inspiration To an artist, a writer, a poet, a creator of any kind, EVERYTHING is inspiring. Everything you see, do, and experience is fodder for your creative mind, even all the junk we have to deal with. What makes you unique is the way you look at the world, and the way you interact with it. Being original is having the courage to shape your views and your unique interpretations into your art. Expression then becomes pure and inspired. Using Light Bulb Moments We all have them - moments when a light bulb come on in your head. When suddenly new connections are made in the brain, when new insight is achieved, and when immediate action seems like the only course to choose. The trick is to understand what's happening to your mind and body during these light bulb moments and then try to mimic the sensations on cue. It's not as difficult as it sounds... Random Word Instructions This is a simple yet powerful lesson that will stand you in good stead your entire career. Use random words to inspire thoughts and then stories. Get used to training your mind to make imaginative leaps whenever you hear individual words - and especially when ordinarily disparate words are put together in a new way. Sometimes very simple juxtapositions of words can inspire entire stories, even novels! How to Use Fan Fiction Basically, writing fan fiction can be a great exercise. You use another author's characters in your own scenes. This takes the pressure off you having to think of your own scenarios. And you don't have to stick with book characters. Some of the best fan fiction was written for Star Trek. And some of those stories became actual TV episodes! Your main concern is copyright. You DO have to be careful NOT to make money from other author's characters because then they will sue you. And you don't want that! Listen to Other People's Conversations Seriously? You want to listen in on other people's conversations? Who does that? Writers, apparently. Sometimes - if you're not listening too closely - you can get ideas for stories - or at least get enough inspiration to take your mind in unexpected directions. Using Writing Prompts Writing prompts are a cottage industry these days. Just type "writing prompts" into Google and you'll get access to hundreds if not thousands of sites and resources that seem happy to try to inspire you with single words, phrases, whole paragraphs, even pictures and videos on Instagram and Pinterest. Remember that writing prompts are really just designed to kick start your creativity if you need a quick fix. Once you start writing, you shouldn't need further prompts to keep you going. Rely too heavily on third party prompts and you may end up getting hooked - which may not be great for your originality quotient. Inventing Histories For Strangers They do this in romantic comedies all the time - it's like a BIG cliche. The couple are in a restaurant on a date and they don't know what to say to each other so they invent little histories and back stories for the people on other tables. It's supposed to be a bonding experience. I'd call it a stressful way to spend a date... Seriously, it's a great exercise to get your creative juices flowing - but I recommend you do it alone! Invent Ten Ideas Before Breakfast This is one trick I deliberately taught myself over 20 years ago. And it's a lifesaver! All you have to do is ask your brain to make lists. Quickly, without thinking. The more you do it, the easier it becomes, until it's automatic. One you know you can rely on your brain to always think of ten topics or subjects, you'll never be uninspired again! Believe and You Can Achieve Classic self help advice that works for writers: if you believe you can do something, you're RIGHT. It's just the way our minds and bodies work. They're designed that way. All you have to do is believe that too! We create the world around us to reflect our beliefs. One you understand this simple fact, you have total control over your destiny. The David Bowie Approach David Bowie was the master of many things, not least being a human chameleon who appealed to several generations of music lovers over the course of nearly fifty years - a remarkable achievement by anybody's standards. Way back in time he allegedly wrote songs the way I describe in this lecture, You should take note. If nothing else, the technique is a lot of fun - especially if your kids want to join in! Using Templates My articles and videos about templates are the most popular, I assume because many writers are looking for easy ways to aid their craft. Thing is, you don't need ready-made templates. You can always construct your own, using the following as your base:

• Start (Including the establishing of the terms of reference)
• Discussion of issues
• Development of issues
• Conclusions
• End (rounding off with a twist or a witty/profound aside)

You'll find the above template is a good starting point for any piece of writing from an article to a short story, a novel to a nonfiction work, to a letter (even an email) or a sales page. Using Templates Embrace Structure The secret to creating success is planning. You have to know what you want and make a detailed strategy for achieving whatever it is you want. This need not be difficult. Really all you have to do is to structure your days around your activities, then do what you have to - to make sure everything gets done. It's always better to embrace structure than reject it. Using Notes and Inspired Moments We all have ideas all the time but often we don't make a note of them as they happen. You must carry around a notebook, or get into the habit of recording notes vocally into your cell. Honestly, we always think we'll remember a good idea but we rarely do without help. The best thing about notebooks is that you can go back over your great ideas when ever you need one - or two or three! Writing Creates Ideas The best way to come up with ideas and feel motivated is to simply get on with writing... Many new writers get stuck in a rut where they're waiting to feel inspired before they start or they think they can't do anything good UNLESS they're inspired. Both of these ideas are false. Writing is like driving a car. No amount of thinking about driving is going to get you closer to your destination. No amount of waiting until "you feel like it" is going to get you behind the wheel with your foot on the gas. You just have to get in the car and turn on the ignition: in other words, start writing and THEN you'l be inspired and moving toward your goals. Writing Creates Ideas Don't Think, Write FAST Blocked writers can spend weeks and months and years trying to work out why they can't continue with a piece of writing or a novel. They might analyse their problem from every angle and still see no solution. This is because the answer is NEVER going to come UNLESS you get back to the writing. Silly thing is that once you start writing, you'll wonder why on Earth you were ever blocked! Take More Breaks, Get More Done This might work for you. If you're the type of person who can't sit and concentrate for long periods, don't sweat it. Take breaks, lots of them, It's okay. It's not doing any harm and you shouldn't feel guilty. I take breaks all the time, all day, and it's never stopped me from being super-productive. Actually way more productive than people who sit behind desks all day and just LOOK busy! Read Something Bad Writing teachers normally extol the virtues of great and classic writers to their students. This is actually terrifying to a student of writing. How can we possibly live up to greatness? Most great writing makes us want to crawl into a ball and hide under the bed... Far better, if we want to improve and get motivated, is to read something bad! Destroy Writer's Block Forever Finally we discover that writer's block is a total myth! As Steve Martin once said, Writer's Block was invented as an excuse for not writing by Hollywood screenwriters with no talent. Seriously, with all the ideas and inspiration you've been offered in the last 22 lessons, can you ever think you'll be blocked again? Conclusion Go forth and be inspired for the rest of your days. You now have all the tips, tricks and tactics of the seasoned professional. Never again will you be blocked or get stuck for an idea. You're now a creative dynamo. Keep Writing! Rob Parnell Anything you need, let me know Introduction. 23 lectures 01:25:10 Welcome to Creativity Welcome to Creativity Thanks for taking this course. I'm lovin' having you here! Don't forget you can contact me me anytime about anything. Your Success is My Concern Rob Parnell The Nature of Inspiration Inspiration is not some mysterious commodity you need to wait for. Quite the opposite. The feeling of being inspired might be a good short term motivator but long term you can't rely on it - so don't get into the habit of waiting for it before you start! The Genius Kick There comes a time when we feel the need to start a project simply because it seems like a great idea and we're full of enthusiasm for it. I call this the Genius Kick. But the thing is you have to make this little bit of motivation go a long way! The kick, when used correctly, should provide you with enough perseverance to take you to the end of the project. That's how you get things done and remain productive. And wealthy! Impetus and How To Manage It Remaining focused is about realising that you can't always rely on being inspired every day. There will inevitably be times when you need to work on projects when you don't feel like it. True professionals have to deal with this feeling a lot. What you have to do is understand that it's fine to keep going when you're NOT inspired. That, in fact, this is normal! Using Junk as Inspiration To an artist, a writer, a poet, a creator of any kind, EVERYTHING is inspiring. Everything you see, do, and experience is fodder for your creative mind, even all the junk we have to deal with. What makes you unique is the way you look at the world, and the way you interact with it. Being original is having the courage to shape your views and your unique interpretations into your art. Expression then becomes pure and inspired. Using Light Bulb Moments We all have them - moments when a light bulb come on in your head. When suddenly new connections are made in the brain, when new insight is achieved, and when immediate action seems like the only course to choose. The trick is to understand what's happening to your mind and body during these light bulb moments and then try to mimic the sensations on cue. It's not as difficult as it sounds... Random Word Instructions This is a simple yet powerful lesson that will stand you in good stead your entire career. Use random words to inspire thoughts and then stories. Get used to training your mind to make imaginative leaps whenever you hear individual words - and especially when ordinarily disparate words are put together in a new way. Sometimes very simple juxtapositions of words can inspire entire stories, even novels! How to Use Fan Fiction Basically, writing fan fiction can be a great exercise. You use another author's characters in your own scenes. This takes the pressure off you having to think of your own scenarios. And you don't have to stick with book characters. Some of the best fan fiction was written for Star Trek. And some of those stories became actual TV episodes! Your main concern is copyright. You DO have to be careful NOT to make money from other author's characters because then they will sue you. And you don't want that! Listen to Other People's Conversations Seriously? You want to listen in on other people's conversations? Who does that? Writers, apparently. Sometimes - if you're not listening too closely - you can get ideas for stories - or at least get enough inspiration to take your mind in unexpected directions. Using Writing Prompts Writing prompts are a cottage industry these days. Just type "writing prompts" into Google and you'll get access to hundreds if not thousands of sites and resources that seem happy to try to inspire you with single words, phrases, whole paragraphs, even pictures and videos on Instagram and Pinterest. Remember that writing prompts are really just designed to kick start your creativity if you need a quick fix. Once you start writing, you shouldn't need further prompts to keep you going. Rely too heavily on third party prompts and you may end up getting hooked - which may not be great for your originality quotient. Inventing Histories For Strangers They do this in romantic comedies all the time - it's like a BIG cliche. The couple are in a restaurant on a date and they don't know what to say to each other so they invent little histories and back stories for the people on other tables. It's supposed to be a bonding experience. I'd call it a stressful way to spend a date... Seriously, it's a great exercise to get your creative juices flowing - but I recommend you do it alone! Invent Ten Ideas Before Breakfast This is one trick I deliberately taught myself over 20 years ago. And it's a lifesaver! All you have to do is ask your brain to make lists. Quickly, without thinking. The more you do it, the easier it becomes, until it's automatic. One you know you can rely on your brain to always think of ten topics or subjects, you'll never be uninspired again! Believe and You Can Achieve Classic self help advice that works for writers: if you believe you can do something, you're RIGHT. It's just the way our minds and bodies work. They're designed that way. All you have to do is believe that too! We create the world around us to reflect our beliefs nd remain productive. And...