# Writing Exercises for Generating Ideas



## Kyle R (Feb 6, 2012)

Here are some exercises I use to come up with ideas. I built them by augmenting the advice of writing prompts I've come across into my own unique slant. I find they work well for me. Give them a try, adjust them and make them your own, if you like. Feel free to add your own exercises, too!


*Random Word Title Prompt*

Grab a book, any book. Flip through the pages and stab your finger in at random points, and jot down the word closest to your finger.

When you have a decent amount of randomly acquired words, (say, a dozen or so), mix and combine them in different combinations.

Try to make a title from them. For example, the words I just got from doing this were:

_card, level, his, show, professionally, the, point, classic, think, elements, gathering, about
_
Possible titles: "The Level Elements", "The Card Show", "Think Point", etc...

Now, aim to write about 1,000 words with this as your title. It doesn't have to be a great title, or even great writing. The purpose is just to write through the prompt. You might surprise yourself and come across an idea you'd like to explore and expand.

*
Instant Character Chaos

*Create a random character. Boy, girl, object, animal. Anything. Give your character a name. Give your character something unique about him/her/it.

Put the character in a vivid setting.

Now, what's the most unexpected thing you can think of to happen to your character at this particular moment? Throw it at your character, and make him or her fight to get out of it.

Maybe gravity suddenly stops working, and your character flies into the air. How on earth is she going to get out of this? Look! There's a hot-air balloon.. maybe if she can steer toward it..

Let your imagination run wild. Don't worry about believability. This is, again, about generating ideas. Besides, readers are used to suspending belief. The number one thing readers enjoy is: _worrying about the protagonist_. (I mean, come on. _Star Wars_? Really? Zero believability in that one. There's no such thing as "too far fetched" in my opinion)

*
Opening Line Hook

*Come up with an opening line that really zings. Something compelling and unique, one that leaves a question hanging in the air that begs to be answered. Then, write with it and see where it takes you.

One opening line I came up with in a short was, "The tent, which should have contained a fully grown Norwegian man, was empty."

Where did the Norwegian man go? Why was he supposed to be there in the first place? Unanswered questions encourage writing to explore them.

Intrigue is useful, but your line doesn't have to rely on mystery. It could be anything that spurs your own interest.


*Flip Expectations

*Most people expect a grizzled, whiskey-drinking cowboy to be rough, tough, and simple-minded. What if he was secretly a mathematical genius? How about a ballerina who excels in brutal hand-to-hand combat?

What if there's a society where war is the opposite of killing? Where societies operate as genocide factories, but to declare "war" on another culture means to go in and rescuse the civilians?

Take expectations, stereotypes, and concepts and see how much you can flip them upside down and on their heads.


*Breath-Taking Ending

*Write an ending scene that you'd like to read. Maybe two characters are fighting on the top of the world's highest sky scraper. Maybe two lovers finally beat the odds and make it into each other's arms. Maybe your character sacrifices himself to save the world.

Write that amazing ending scene. Then, come up with the story of how it got there.



Your brain is full of blockbuster ideas just waiting to be unleashed. Get to it!:encouragement:


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## Jon M (Feb 6, 2012)

In preparing the class for the adventure that is writing poetry, the first thing my instructor advised was to forget about explosions and aliens and gun-play and gruesome murders and just write about normal life. So many people, he said, think good drama means including the most sensational events, the most bizarre ideas.

The amusing thing is, my breakfast this morning has the potential to say as much about the universe and human nature as these so-called 'big ideas'.

So I don't know about these exercises. Some people are about as sensitive and perceptive as a stone, and are truly hopeless.


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## Sunny (Feb 6, 2012)

I think your ideas are great, Kyle. Do you seriously do that when looking for a title for a story? That's kind of different, and kind of cool at the same time. 

And, so what you're saying is to write the ending first? Huh, I guess that does work just as well as writing the beginning first. I guess it doesn't really matter where you start your story, as long as you get it all put together in the end. 

And a whiskey-drinkin' cowboy who's secretly a mathematician?! Awesome. Lol. Who needs a horse whisperer? 

You always have great ideas, and I think it's nice that you share them for the rest of us to contemplate. ;0)


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## The Backward OX (Feb 6, 2012)

Oh, goodie. Responding to this thread is another way to avoid for a while the effort of writing.

Clearly there’s a real divide between Kyle and JohnM. Much as I respect Kyle’s ideas about ideas, I’m in the JohnM camp.

If I may, let me tell you just a smidgen of what my presently-bogged down novel is about, and especially about the “way” it’s being written.

It’s set in two eras 150 years apart. In the very recent past, we have a taxi-driver and a disenchanted member of the clergy joining forces to search for a huge swag of gold that went missing after a robbery. In the distant past, we have a transported Irish convict forming a gang and carrying out this robbery.

The “way” it’s being written is creating a story that’s entirely believable. The reader will *not* be required to suspend disbelief. For example, there’ll be *no* squinty-eyed descendant of a squinty-eyed member of the robber gang wandering around today revealing secrets behind the cabbie’s back just so that readers will know stuff the cabbie doesn’t know.

Put another way, a story written in that manner doesn’t rely on “ideas” as such. It simply tells of something that might have happened. 

And I in my innocence believe that if I ever finish the story, the reading public will lap it up simply because *it could have happened just the way it was written. *


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## philistine (Feb 6, 2012)

Although this kind of thing may be useful to some, I find it absurd, frankly.

The idea that you can pick a word out of nowhere, add some inane, extraneous details and produce a story, is, of course, completely feasible-- I don't doubt it, though you certainly won't produce anything that has any real clout. Airport material, surely.

My ideas slowly cook, until they're ready to be written. Carefully thought out pieces which draw inspiration from a myriad of sources-- to many to even conceive of. Following such a blueprint for an instant story; I couldn't see it producing anything worthwhile.


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## The Backward OX (Feb 6, 2012)

philistine said:


> Although this kind of thing may be useful to some, I find it absurd, frankly.
> 
> The idea that you can pick a word out of nowhere, add some inane, extraneous details and produce a story, is, of course, completely feasible-- I don't doubt it, though you certainly won't produce anything that has any real clout. _*Airport material, surely.
> 
> *_My ideas slowly cook, until they're ready to be written. Carefully thought out pieces which draw inspiration from a myriad of sources-- to many to even conceive of. Following such a blueprint for an instant story; I couldn't see it producing anything worthwhile.



:rofl:


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## KarlR (Feb 6, 2012)

johnM said:


> In preparing the class for the adventure that is writing poetry, the first thing my instructor advised was to forget about explosions and aliens and gun-play and gruesome murders and just write about normal life. So many people, he said, think good drama means including the most sensational events, the most bizarre ideas.



You got a good poetry teacher, John.  It works for fiction as well.

We tend to overlook that the deepest (and most interesting) of dramas takes place every single day--right between our ears.

"Eggs!  Dammit, how many days do we have to go without eggs?  How hard could it possibly be to remember to pick up a carton of freaking _eggs_!"

Writers don't need to venture very far beyond the mundane to create good, believable drama.  Really good writers can create entire worlds, within which they can portray the local mundane and then squeeze out some believable drama (Ray Bradbury was a master at this).


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## Like a Fox (Feb 6, 2012)

philistine said:


> ... though you certainly won't produce anything that has any real clout.



I've always found _to each their own_ a pretty good policy. 

My novel's original concept came out of a twenty minute prompt I did in a writing class a few years ago. It 'came out of nowhere' in that I didn't cook or mull or stew it, but nothing really comes out of nowhere. The character had a strong voice, and the themes I tend to write about were apparent, because I've been stewing those my whole life. The small thing I wrote in that class hinted at a whole lot of story, and so I pushed, and found there was plenty more.

For some writers the jumping off point and first words could be anything and if they've got the chops, there's nothing to say they couldn't turn it into something great.


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## philistine (Feb 6, 2012)

Like a Fox said:


> I've always found _to each their own_ a pretty good policy.
> 
> My novel's original concept came out of a twenty minute prompt I did in a writing class a few years ago. It 'came out of nowhere' in that I didn't cook or mull or stew it, but nothing really comes out of nowhere. The character had a strong voice, and the themes I tend to write about were apparent, because I've been stewing those my whole life. The small thing I wrote in that class hinted at a whole lot of story, and so I pushed, and found there was plenty more.
> 
> For some writers the jumping off point and first words could be anything and if they've got the chops, there's nothing to say they couldn't turn it into something great.



There are exceptions to everything, of course. I just personally view such an exercise in the same light as a public speaker blurting the first thing that comes into his head. It _could_ be profound and have a great impact, though in all likelihood, it's going to be crap.


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## JosephB (Feb 6, 2012)

There are those who speak very well extemporaneously, because they’re articulate and know the subject matter – or as Fox says, if they have the chops.


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## Like a Fox (Feb 6, 2012)

philistine said:


> There are exceptions to everything, of course. I just personally view such an exercise in the same light as a public speaker blurting the first thing that comes into his head. It _could_ be profound and have a great impact, though in all likelihood, it's going to be crap.




Except writers have the luxury of not having to show anyone their writing until/unless they're happy with it. Not a perfect analogy. 

Maybe _A Staggering Work of Heartbreaking Genius_ was originally called _Think Point. _Maybe Jane Austen threw Elizabeth Bennet up in the air and had her swimming towards a hot air balloon before realising that the hot air balloon should maybe be a husband, and she should probably be swimming away from it instead. You don't know.


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## JosephB (Feb 6, 2012)

I don’t really buy all the all the exercises in the OP. On the other hand, it’s silly to assume that a good story – or a great one -- can’t come from an idea that simply pops into an authors head, rather than something they’ve ruminated over or that's been “slowly cooked.” I know some of my better stories have been written following a flash of inspiration – rather than after some protracted stewing period. It really depends.


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## philistine (Feb 6, 2012)

Like a Fox said:


> Except writers have the luxury of not having to show anyone their writing until/unless they're happy with it. Not a perfect analogy.
> 
> Maybe _A Staggering Work of Heartbreaking Genius_ was originally called _Think Point. _Maybe Jane Austen threw Elizabeth Bennet up in the air and had her swimming towards a hot air balloon before realising that the hot air balloon should maybe be a husband, and she should probably be swimming away from it instead. You don't know.



It's the same in the sense that there is a spontaneity in the process.


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## JosephB (Feb 6, 2012)

Not really -- because the "spontaneity" is followed by a period of evaluation. Sorry, but it's a lame analogy.


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## philistine (Feb 6, 2012)

JosephB said:


> Not really -- because the "spontaneity" is followed by a period of evaluation. Sorry, but it's a lame analogy.



I'm sorry, you can't polish a turd. It makes sense, because it makes sense, because it makes sense.

If that isn't enough to sate you, I'll stick with saying the following: it's a crap method.


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## JosephB (Feb 6, 2012)

philistine said:


> I'm sorry, you can't polish a turd. It makes sense, because it makes sense, because it makes sense.
> 
> If that isn't enough to sate you, I'll stick with saying the following: it's a crap method.



So you somehow know that any idea that comes from a more spontaneous process or an exercise is going to be a turd – or that's it's something that can’t be refined? And if it isn’t -- it has to be some kind of “exception?”

I love it when people assume the way they do it -- or imagine others do -- it is the only way.


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## philistine (Feb 6, 2012)

JosephB said:


> So you somehow know that any idea that comes from a more spontaneous process or an exercise is going to be a turd – or that's it's something that can’t be refined? And if it isn’t -- it has to be some kind of “exception?”
> 
> I love it when people assume the way they do it -- or imagine others do -- it is the only way.





> ...though in all likelihood, it's going to be crap.





> The idea that you can pick a word out of nowhere, add some inane, extraneous details and produce a story, is, of course, completely feasible-- I don't doubt it..



If I were to fling paint arbitrarily at a canvas, it'd likely be a complete cow pat. Of course, there does exist Pollock, Still and Hodgkin.


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## Like a Fox (Feb 6, 2012)

The idea that you can't improve your writing once it's on the page is completely retarded. 
In this instance comparing a piece of writing to a speech or a painting is ill fitting. Paintings are a one draft thing. Speeches happen live. Writing gets redrafted and edited. Polishing is a huge part of it.


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## JosephB (Feb 6, 2012)

philistine said:


> If I were to fling paint arbitrarily at a canvas, it'd likely be a complete cow pat. Of course, there does exist Pollock, Still and Hodgkin.



I appreciate that you’ve couched your opinion with those qualifiers – that’s a given if you don’t want to come off as a know-it-all. (Although it doesn’t always work.)

Regardless, you’re dismissing something based entirely on your own guesswork.


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## philistine (Feb 6, 2012)

Like a Fox said:


> The idea that you can't improve your writing once it's on the page is completely retarded.
> In this instance comparing a piece of writing to a speech or a painting is ill fitting. *Paintings are a one draft thing.* Speeches happen live. Writing gets redrafted and edited. Polishing is a huge part of it.



If only you could see my face right now. :kiwi-fruit:

Also, there are ideas, as you must surely know (surely...) that even if rewritten a million times, would still be very much average in composition. This obviously resides on a sliding scale though, as I'm unsure as to what you consider a 'good piece of work'. 



JosephB said:


> I appreciate that you’ve couched your opinion with those qualifiers – that’s a given if you don’t want to come off as a know-it-all. (Although it doesn’t always work.)
> 
> Regardless, you’re dismissing something based entirely on your own guesswork.



I think everyone has a special spot for some ignorance. Leave it be man.


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## Hawke (Feb 6, 2012)

Hey Kyle, thank you for posting. These could jump-start the blocked writer, similar to the LM prompts. And really, why not give them a go? Some can 'cook' and create a mess. Others can experiment and create a masterpiece.


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## Sunny (Feb 6, 2012)

I'm pretty sure we all have our own ways of writing our stories, and how we get through the process is different for everyone. 

I sure wouldn't assume that my way is better than anyone else's just because it works for me. I think it takes a pretty closed minded person to presume that their way is the only way, and anything else would produce garbage, or I suppose a turd. 

I like hearing all ideas. What any one writer does, and what works for them. I think every writer, no matter who you are or how many books you've got published, I think you can always improve. Keeping an open mind to new ideas will always help you become that much better.

No one way is the right way. What ever works for one person may not for another, and just because you took different roads to get your story out... doesn't mean one is better than the other.


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## Like a Fox (Feb 6, 2012)

philistine said:


> Also, there are ideas, as you must surely know (surely...) that even if rewritten a million times, would still be very much average in composition. This obviously resides on a sliding scale though, as I'm unsure as to what you consider a 'good piece of work'.



I probably don't know what I'm talking about with paintings. I'm no painter. Maybe paintings are just like like writing, in which case I believe you could start a painting within parameters, only using blue and your fingers, say, and then maybe inspiration strikes and it grows and changes and eventually it doesn't resemble a blue fingerpainting anymore, but that was where it began. In that case, I'd say it's a lot like writing, and in that case, then great, whatever it takes to create the finished piece. Everything doesn't have to be mulled over for days, weeks. A blank canvas stared at for hours. The assumption is that a writer or artist has the talent in them, so their decent ideas could well be brought out by silly-seeming prompts.


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## Kyle R (Feb 7, 2012)

Wow, this thread certainly took an interesting direction. I feel some clarification is needed, because the debate seems to be hinged upon whether or not these prompts can lead to good stories. While, I feel that's not the purpose of the prompts. They're to generate ideas specifically. And _ideas_ are distinct from _stories_.

Just as these are writing _exercises_. Not to be confused with the writing _process_.

It's a catalyst for creative exploration. These aren't to be used as a method to begin writing a piece (though, if a writer likes what they've come up with enough, it certain could end up being a piece).

The reason the prompts are "big" and extravagant is not to imply that stories require wild extravagance, but because extravagent prompts are generally fun to work with.

I used the _Opening Line Hook_ exercise and came up with a silly short story. It wasn't very good. But I wrote it to fulfill the exercise. Fortunately, I fell in love with a supporting character from that story. Now that character has become my protagonist in a novel-length piece.

Without that exercise I wouldn't have met her. So I consider that exercise to have been a success.

If you feel these exercises have no merit, that's cool. I posted it because I saw some people complaining about not having ideas, or not being able to come up with any.

 I went through my pile of books and looked for writing prompts suggested. I found these, and adjusted them a bit to make them a little more user friendly (The Character Chaos prompt originally stated to write the WORST THING you could think of that could happen to your character. I thought "Well, that might not help some who could only think of death as the worst thing," so I changed it to MOST UNEXPECTED THING)

Not everyone will find value in these. But for those who might, they're there for ya. One way to attempt to tackle that writer's block problem, and get back to writing swiftly. nthego:


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## ppsage (Feb 7, 2012)

Writing exercises are a staple of writing classes and how to-ing, and there's probably as many different ones as there are things I should've said but didn't remember in time. I always kind of enjoyed timed writing on incongruous prompts; I'm pretty good at it and occasionally one would get elaborated and polished. I also liked character development exercises; the kind where you answer a bunch of questions about what they say in a situation or what they aspire to at different times in their life and so on. It helped me remember all the things that need to go into a character, which I was prone not to even consider. When one's in the groove and the project is cooking, an exercise isn't indicated. When one's stalled or between jobs, probably can't hurt to try. For me, a lot of the exercises I've seen, like about finding suitable imagery, try to make my imagination more practical, composition-wise, rather than wilder. Writing exercises, just like any kind of practicing, are about habituating self-disciplie and control and technique, for which some people have less natural inclination than others. Some of us probably don't need much practice but I'm personally just too indolent to be bothered, even though I'd likely benefit.


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## Tiamat (Feb 7, 2012)

Wow, a lot of people knocking the good old-fashioned from-the-seat-of-your-pants writing.  I happen to think there are some fun-sounding exercises in Kyle's list.  And even if I write 100 of them and 99 of them are crap, at least it was time spent writing, and not wasting that time arguing about how someone else should be writing instead.

I'd say I'm in what seems to be the 1% of writers on this site that rarely come up with ideas to write, and when I do come up with one, it usually stems from some of the methods described in the damn list.  One of my best stories started out with a really good first line that I decided to expand on and see where it took me.  Another came from a character with an odd quirk.  Yet another came from imitating the writing style of a story I saw published in GUD.

Sure, a lot of the stories I write in those ways (and many others) turn out to be crap.  However, I'm sure for every beautifully crafted story some of the best writers _on this site_ post, they have a whole folder dedicated to those stories that just didn't turn out right.  I know I have my "Crap" folder, and it's quite a bit heftier than my "Acceptable" folder.

Point is, we all write crap, and some of us write it more frequently than others.  But don't knock the creative process when you've mucked it up every bit as much as every other aspiring writer out there.


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## The Backward OX (Feb 7, 2012)

Tiamat10 said:


> I'd say I'm in what seems to be the 1% of writers on this site that rarely come up with ideas to write, and when I do come up with one, it usually stems from some of the methods described in the damn list. One of my best stories started out with a really good first line that I decided to expand on and see where it took me. Another came from a character with an odd quirk. Yet another came from imitating the writing style of a story I saw published in GUD.



I dunno what your definition of the word "idea" is, but I saw three of them in the paragraph above.


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## Tiamat (Feb 8, 2012)

I fail to see your point.  I didn't say I never come up with ideas.  I said rarely, which therefore means that I'm allowed to come up with three of them, even more if I can, over the last few years.


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## The Backward OX (Feb 8, 2012)

My point is that the second and third sentences of the quoted parargraph appear to imply that three stories had as their catalyst "things" that were not ideas.


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## Tiamat (Feb 9, 2012)

I don't see how that's implied, but in any event, that wasn't my intent.


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