A Short Thought on Ideas

Brainstorming is far more important than most writers realize.

Is every idea going to be golden?

No.

And thank heavens, that’s an awesome thing to understand.

You need to get the bad ideas out so clever ideas can sift through your subconscious. Let them all out and see what happens.

It’s definitely the correct choice when faced with a plethora of options.

Writing is almost like dreaming out loud, with words flowing through the brain and to the paper in a most promising rhythm. Keeping to the pace of our creative side means we’re in step with the art we’re supposed to produce. Sometimes the writing we produce leads to nowhere, and a full rewrite or two is the secret to making things work.

At other times, we have unlimited potential in the creative well. A small plot beat here, a strong character arc there.

Whatever the case may be, brainstorming ideas is the first step. Now, that doesn’t mean we have to do this on paper, or even in a dedicated document that is 100% for brainstorming.

Sometimes, a writer brainstorms while writing the story. Exploring the different paths the story might take, leading to destinations one never thought possible.

In other cases, the first step is scribbling away at ideas until something sticks to the artistic dartboard. It might be a haphazard way of doing things, but getting the ideas out is the salient factor in creating a story.

Mixing different ideas is often a prime ground for creating new intellectual properties. You might use a TV guide and take the name of a show and then mix it with a completely random name a few steps down to create your title, for example. Or you might come up with your title from the back of your mind, then form the story from that title.

There’s no right way to do things.

If you must evoke some kind of inspiration from unrelated concepts colliding, then that’s what works for you. If you must title your story after having written it, that’s no less valuable than any other method.

Putting the ideas out there transcends keeping them inside. Ideas that are locked away stagnate, though the best ones never leave your head. Following that writerly instinct about an idea that won’t let you go is likely the best way forward in the first stages of a story. If you’ve had the idea for seven years and it hasn’t lost its grip on you, then that’s likely a story you’ll want to explore and follow through with.

It’s much like a cloud. Eventually, the mind gets so heavy that you can’t help but let it rain.