How to come up with NEW and UNIQUE story ideas
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 11 ก.ค. 2024
- DO YOU NEED A NEW, UNIQUE STORY IDEA? Do you feel like it’s missing some magic ingredient that makes you addicted to writing it? If so, don’t worry-you’re not alone. Lots of writers feel this way, even if they really LOVE their book and have "done everything right." If the thrill is gone… it’s time to brainstorm new ideas! In this video, I’m sharing my favorite prompts for brainstorming NEW IDEAS, guaranteed to get your creative juices flowing and give you a springboard to explore new possibilities for your book. Grab a notebook and let's brainstorm together!
GRAB THE FREE PRINTABLE OF MY BRAINSTORMING PROMPTS: eepurl.com/gFYD8z
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✨ T I M E S T A M P S ✨
00:00 Are you bored with your story?
02:32 Think like a 5 year old
05:32 Add tropes you love
07:59 Add/change POVs
08:51 Spin-offs and sequels
09:54 Turn it upside-down
11:31 Make it a retelling
12:50 Change the genre
13:37 Combining story ideas
14:46 Change the theme
15:44 Still stuck? Don’t worry.
16:46 Download the free template below!
17:20 Subscribe for writing videos every week :)
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MORE VIDEOS YOU WOULD LIKE:
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• THE SIMPLEST WAY TO OU...
→ MY "STORY SMOOTHIE" METHOD FOR BRAINSTORM NEW STORY IDEAS
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→ HOW TO BRAINSTORM A STORY IDEA
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→ A PANTSER'S GUIDE TO PLOTTING
• Plotting a Story (for ...
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✨ A B O U T ✨
My name is Abbie Emmons I teach writers how to make their stories matter by harnessing the power and psychology of storytelling, transforming their ideas into a masterpiece, and creating a lifestyle that makes their author dreams come true.
Story isn’t about “what happens” - it’s about how what happens affects and transforms the characters. I believe that there is an exact science (a recipe, if you will) behind a perfect story. And if you know what ingredients you need, you can create your own perfect story with ease and confidence. That’s what we talk about every week on this channel - and if it’s something you’re into, be sure to subscribe and join this community!
![คุณอาเรียโต๊ะข้างๆ พูดรัสเซียหวานใส่ซะหัวใจจะวาย ตอนที่ 2 [ซับไทย] 【Ani-One Thailand】](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/kbbfYakMY8k/mqdefault.jpg)
That research explains a lot to me. When I was 5 years old I was told I had the intelligence of a 10 year old. When I was 10 I was told I had the intelligence of a 10 year old. Thirty years on, I still have the intelligence of a 10 year old. Some things never change...
🤣🤣
Me too. When I was young I could think of the most awsome and original ideas. It's time for me to tap into that mindset and go for it.
Plz 😭😭😭
😆😂🤣😂
I’m currently still living in my childish tendencies and I don’t know how. 😂 Love how other people also do that too. It makes everything so fun.
Some other things I think sometimes that could help:
⭐ "Remember that story you enjoyed so much but that specific part could've been so much better?" Do it for your story;
⭐ Think of a character you love, the best things about them and how fun it would be if you could put this character in your story. Change the character's name and appearance and now you can put them in your story;
⭐ Brainstorm for something outside of your story and then imagine bringing it to your story. Ex: As a Pokémon fan I made a creativity exercise of creating titles for Pokémon movies for not so special pokémon. There are Pokémon movies called "Zoroark: Master of Illusions" and "Volcanion and the Mechanical Marvel". There's a pokémon family that seems to be kinda slow-thinking and oblivious, they're not considered special enough for a movie, but if they were, there could be a movie called "Slowbro and the Oblivion Island". If I ever bring the concept of an oblivion island to my story, part of my joy for pokémon would come along.
Perfect, just what I needed.
I’m gonna screenshot this
Is it bad that the first thing that jumped into my head for the first prompt was “50 shades of Hannibal Lecter and Clarice Starling, here we go”? xD
How to find my genre
I love your guideline, it is very wise and cool. Maybe this could help me, what other tips do you have? I am struggling with my story because I am confused about the part where Abbie said to make a list of our addictive, attractive qualities that we see in our favourite stories. Would you mind explaining it to me please? It would be much appreciated.
Abbie!! I know everyone says this but HOW do you have the most perfect timing??? 😭 I’ve been so frustrated with writing lately because I’m just so bored with all the old ideas I had. I’ve been a subscriber for years and you have been one of my main inspirations and teachers all along! I recommend you to every writer I talk with. You’re a blessing, and a lovely soul. Thank you! 🥹💕 (btw I love your background! always so clean, tidy, and colorful.)
You're right
@elizabethgracw9092 when that happens step away and turn off your mind and just let it come. You may end up trashing lot of it but you getting words down.
Oh my god. Same. Saw this video just days after I was trying figure out why I couldn't write this one specific story.
Your so right, I've been just throwing away and keeping ideas😅😮
One brainstorming technique I’ve been using my whole life is “20 Answers.” You basically pose a question and then brainstorm around 10 answers to start. They can range from straightforward and logical to utterly silly and ridiculous. (If you easily get over 10 without breaking a sweat, then maybe the question is too open-ended. OTOH, if you find it impossible to come up with 5-6, even after sleeping on it, then the question might be too specific.) Once you get to around 10, review those answers and twist/distort them to make new answers, even to the point of being completely contrarian. Somewhere along the line, the perfect answer is bound to jump out. This has gotten me out of many a jam, from debugging computer code, to social relationships, to writing.
Here’s a recent question I posed to myself: “To illustrate just how evil the Big Bad Enchantress is, an early scene could show her torturing a good guy. Why?”
1. He done her wrong in the past and she wants revenge, torturing him to death.
2. Actually, killing is too good for him; she means to break him, instead.
3. It’s an interrogation for strategic or tactical info.
4. She thinks he’s an impostor, a shapeshifter, or some other kind of doppelganger, and she is trying to get him to reveal himself.
5. She respects him in a creepy sort of way and she desperately needs confirmation of his approval to justify her actions.
6. Committing torture is just to prove a point to her associates (peers or underlings) to keep them in line.
7. She wants to test his resolve, and perhaps turn him to the dark side.
8. It’s a ritual sacrifice to a demon.
9. No reason at all, just a purely random act of violence. It’s what evil enchantresses do.
And then the permutations kick in…
10. He done her wrong in the past, but it was by proxy and he is unaware that it happened.
11. She mistakenly believes that he done her wrong in the past, but it wasn’t him at all.
12. She’s committing the torture reluctantly. A partner, peer, or superior is putting her up to it.
13. Her need to torture is the result of a self-inflicted curse.
14. Her need to torture is the only way she can release pent-up negative energies that would otherwise eat her alive.
15. Her need to torture is a Dorian Gray fountain-of-youth ritual.
16. It’s a reverse interrogation. She’s actually spilling the beans to the "victim" by the questions she asks. (Maybe this variation shows up in a future scene, once we’ve established her penchant for interrogation through torture.)
17. She needs to break him for a tactical reason other than intelligence gathering such as to brainwash him.
18. … or to ruin his psychic powers.
19. … or to burden his loved ones and take them out of the game.
I’m liking how that last one - taking his loved ones out of the game - might fit in to my story. The reverse interrogation also looks like fun, but that necessitates establishing the first scene as a standard interrogation. OTOH, the loved one aspect could be thrown in at the end of the first scene as an afterthought. Hmmm, definitely enough to work with.
I first learned of this technique as a software engineering student. I was helping a family friend generate some reports for his photography business. He wanted a summary on page one, but the report generator program I had available couldn’t do two passes. It could only print a summary at the end. So I posed my question, “How do I print the summary page first?” I brainstormed a good 15 possible answers, all of which seemed inelegant and overkill. Then I got contrarian and my 16th answer was “I don’t.” My ultimate solution, therefore, was to print the summary page at the end as usual and tell my friend to simply move the last sheet to the front before mailing it off. Doh! Sometimes that blinding flash of the obvious takes a while to arrive.
This is so awesome, I’m definitely gonna use this
At the risk of George Lucas coming after me, I now refer to you as Abbie-Wan! You truly are that mentor that beginners like me need! Thank you for all you do. Your success is much deserved.
Something I’ve been exploring recently is “summoning” my story the very second I start to wake up in the morning. I find that for about half an hour while in that barely awake state, my creativity feeds me ideas, solutions to plotting and even dialogue.
It’s tricky to remember it all without coming awake enough to write it down. But as I inevitably shift more and more into the waking brain wave state, I go ahead and reach for my pad and pen.
I’m happy to say I’m nowhere near bored. This is all still so brand new and exciting for me. Your guidance and the way you approach story has made a huge impression on me. I’ve always loved writing but never actually tried to write a comprehensive work before - only random “pants-ed” stand- alone scenes 😂😂
I’m not sure if I’ll ever try to publish. I’m writing for ME first. Then we’ll see. I lost my Dad a year and almost five months ago. Maybe I’m writing now a little for him too. It will be the realization of a long neglected dream to complete a novel. He was always my biggest cheerleader for anything I did.
It’s amazing how I’ll write something for my protagonist but then I’ll realize a parallel with my own life’s journey. I’ve found that the ability to write creatively is the gift that keeps on giving every time I sit down to unwrap it and put fingertips to keys.
Focusing on writing a full blown “proper” novel has been a healing process. The structure along with the detailed explanations you give made it all suddenly seem possible for ME to achieve! I guess the saying is true that when the student is ready, the master will appear. That would be you, Abbie-Wan 😂.
Please don’t ever stop sharing yourself with the world. YOU MATTER to a whole lot of people like me who needed that inspirational spark to get them off the sidelines and realize it’s never too late to humor your dreams.
Continued success to you AND your sister! You both rock!
Having a child-like mindset is so beneficial in so many creative practices. When I'm feeling like this, I love listening to music that reminds me of my story or characters and just thinking deeply about it to get some ideas out. The music helps me to be less judgemental of my ideas and lets my mind truly wander (and I allow myself to get distracted) because it feels like I'm just having fun rather than strictly writing - not that the writing isn't fun, rather it adds an extra layer of excitement.
I’m finding music is a huge benefit to my thought process but only certain music. For instance I listened to Abbie’s immersive writing video with the cottage by the sea setting. The music instantly became the soundtrack for a scene in my sequence list.
As I listened to the music the scene I envisioned changed to one in which the male protagonist is composing a song inspired by the woman he is falling in love with. She walks in and hears it
It starts a conversation that leads to a specific revelation about the male protagonist that proves to be something the female protagonist can connect with. She’s being wooed but is fighting it per her internal conflict’s orders 😂. But the events of this scene get another chunk of that wall to crumble away.
I will of course have the immersive video on when I write that scene! It’s just one more reason for me to thank Abbie 😉💯
True, I made a playlist for each one of them, it's a habit
I was wondering, what does landscaping my day mean?
Interesting research and it makes so much sense. When I was 10 years old, I could write a whole story without much thought. Now at 41, I struggle just writing a story outline. Therefore, great advice Abbie. So basically, I should go back (mentally) about 30-35 years! 😂😂
My granddaughter came up with a sequel to Snow White when she was 6 that I wrote down for her because if Disney ever stops being stupid she can sell it to them for millions
For me, sometimes a story idea can come about by messing with words and their meanings.
Example: I got stuck on the word "origins" so much that "oranges" didn't sound normal anymore.
I ended up with a poem 😊
My favorite why to brainstorm ideas is to watch shows and movies. Sometimes when I watch a show or movie and I love the trip or plot point so much I get a spark of Genius asking myself, “What if I put something like that into my story?”
Abbie once again thanks for your help! Due to life and college I felt a bit unmoderated and down to write my fan-fiction. I always think of ideas but noticed myself say, “That been done before that not original!!!” And it make me feel kinda down. But thanks to you and your writing genius I go it back! I Hugh of ideas I never though before and plots i never even concerned.
Thanks for your help! I hope you have a great day writing friend! 😁
The spinoff idea is excellent, and something that I decided to do around two years ago. It resulted in a trilogy. The first book (prequel) ended up being from the POV of my original protagonist's mother. The 2nd and 3rd books are the original series. Turning out really interesting that way.
Yes! Release your inner child. We've been taught to lock up the child inside. It also helps with self healing, releasing that inner child. It reminds us to stop and look at the world with wonder; ya know, instead of focusing on all the negative and problems all the time.
Some of these points are things I'm trying right now, (Combining story Ideas, add different characters). One thing I love to do to get ideas is listen to music from my favorite movies and games that I grew up with and use them to think of scenarios that would happen in my story and when I was younger I could come up with some crazy things while doing that. (I.e. I came up with a disasterous battle/planetary invasion sequence that takes place in my story with music from the soundtrack from Titanic of all things.) I really miss those days sometimes.
I was wondering, how can I landscape my day by writing down everything I do and the times I do them for progress?
My favorite "5-year-old" thinkers who knew how to be truly unique and out-of-the-box:
-- L. Frank Baum (The Oz Books)
-- Sid Krofft (various really wildly imaginative children's TV shows)
-- Roald Dahl (Willy Wonka, Matilda, et. al.)
-- Lee Minoff and Al Brodax (Chief Screenwriters for "Yellow Submarine")
-- Norton Juster (The Phantom Tollbooth)
What wouldn't I give to be as free and uninhibited in my creativity as they are!
i’m so excited to get back into my book, this is gonna be so helpful!
Abbie, thank you for everything you have taught us over the years
I'm a teen writer and I have been having trouble with my writing. I'm just not feeling the spark when I write it, but I have recently subscribed to your channel and I have been improving a lot! You are the best Abbie! Thank you so much!
Hey what's your age
I once mixed an idea of a fantasy world from middle ages with scenes from a draft I've written that took place in the modern world, and boom it couldn't be better, they fitted together way more than I could have imagined and each one of them became essential for the progress of the other one, this was one of my favorite story ideas that I've came up with
Hold up- that actually sounds interesting 👀👀👀 what is it about?
*Change/add a POV:* My book I'm writing started off with 53 named characters chasing one demon, and I've added POVs from all of them (some much more than others). Currently, 22 are still alive, three of which definitely won't make it to the end.
*Spin-off:* I am hoping that I can make a spin-off with the surviving characters (both good and bad).
*Turn it upside-down:* The MC dies and the villain lives.
*Make it a retelling:* I have future plans to do that with a story or two by the Brothers Grimm.
*Changing the genre:* I have had ideas for that with 'Disney Classic' stories.
*Combining stories:* I would like to; however, my current story is a division of the story I originally wanted to tell. (A world & pantheon origins, a Romanesque civilization collapse, and pursing a demon. The demon was originally going to be involved in all three aspects.)
*Changing the theme:* The current book's theme is 'Actions have Consequences,' both good and bad.
*Favorite brainstorming:* Reading older books (Phantom of the Opera, The Three Musketeers, Great Expectations, H.P. Lovecraft, Elric of Melnibone) and historical books (military history, slavery world-wide, tribal and individuals).
THANK YOU!
Abbie, this was amazing! I love seeing how this all plays out. I can get way too critical of my ideas and scold myself "Don't do it, it's a trope" "You can't have the MC be in pain, ppl won't like it" "No one likes reading a sensitive character voice" etc. This opened my eyes to see that I can actually ENJOY my story. I can write the parts that I would want to read over and over again just for the sensation of reading them!
Thanks! I used these ideas to actually start with creating a story idea, and I am STOKED for this project! I've fallen in love with the ideas I have! You're a lifesaver!!!
I've another video suggestion.
But firstly, Abbie this was really helpful. Thank you so much for going beyond conventional video ideas and helping us with questions we can't really describe.
So, the suggestion is, please make a video regarding how to stay organized in the initial process. I've had many ideas come to me as I start working, sometimes it's a scene, sometimes a charcter, sometimes I think I want to add another POV.
As I move ahead in process. I start rewriting these scenes. Changing the dialogues and settings etc. And sometimes I'll have 4 versions of the same scene. And then it gets overwhelming. The thing is I can't think linearly for a story, and I've observed most writers don't. And so, I don't use one document to write but use notes to write bits and pieces of ideas as they come to me. The problem is I can't find a way to organize them.
I know you're a master organizer. Please guide us how we can stay organised with just systems, like tagging or labeling on Google Notes. Something that everyone can use and not just a software like Scrivener. Something purely on strategic planning and management that can save our lives.
Hope you'll make a video on it. And thanks always for making us Rock on.🤘
So it wasn’t my imagination! I really did come up with more stories when I was younger! Thanks for the great advice Abbie. Not just in this video, but in all of them. You’re a lifesaver!!!
13:37 I’ve used this technique a lot. I call it recycling story bits. Like how I wanted to write Disney retellings in the contemporary genre, but later switched to fantasy. Or more recently, where I used an old idea of characters and their arcs (but with no plot)+ two beloved side characters and a theme (but still no overarching plot)= a loved cast of main characters and arcs but still no plot….(hopefully I can come up with something using these tips!). Loved the vid, Abbie!
My brainstorming comes from journaling my life, both retrospective and current. I love this week's video. I should be proud of myself for thinking of some of these same concepts. One thing that rebooted my writing (besides your amazing energy!) was thinking "how would I make this a movie?" A friend helping edit the first draft of my first book told me it read like a diary. I thought, of course it does. It's a story. I decided a screenplay would start the story in the middle and flashback to critical earlier scenes. I'm currently re-writing it with that perspective. It's a challenge to work old scenes into flashbacks and I will drop some earlier scenes, which will help cut some weight. But then I'm already thinking about new scenes to write. My energy is sparked!
I am all for fairytale retellings, and I have good ideas:
-A retelling of Little Red Riding Hood in which the female protagonist is the huntress older sister of Little Red, and the ‘Big Bad Wolf’ is actually a shapeshifter.
-A Cinderella story set after the happily ever after and told in the POV of the older stepsister, who finds her own true love.
-A Snow White retelling where Snow White actually dies and her younger half-sister suddenly becomes the heir to the throne.
-A dark fantasy thriller anime rendition of Snow White, and the story begins at its climax: the crown princess falls into a coma after being poisoned; the evil queen is betrayed by her own son, the grand duke; the grand duke becomes the regent, taking advantage of his older sister’s out-of-commission state. The grand duke actually brings the female MC into his world via the magic mirror, and the story cuts to hours before this happens.
-A Cinderella story where Cinderella is secretly a super rich duchess, the fairy godmother is her witty, sassy great-grandmother, and her Prince Charming is actually her personal gardener and her secret arranged fiancé who owns a horticultural empire.
-A crossover of Little Red Riding Hood and The Old Woman in the Woods. Little Red is a young baroness who inherits the old wagon of her deceased grandmother, who she discovers has been practicing eldritch magic.
-A Cinderella story in which the Cinderella character goes to the ball and avoids the prince only to catch the eye of the villain.
Every time I feel like I'm in a writing rut, watching any of your videos motivates me. You are my inspiration, Abbie. The professional quality of your videos, your photos, and your books--I aspire to be just as good as you on all these fronts. Thank you for being amazing
My suggestions:
Before writing, drink water and walk around a bit. It will help trust me.
Make something random up! Just draw a sweet potato with a face and a dark past or something and you may begin to add its elements to your story
Don’t be afraid to write relaxed scenes. If you can’t think of any crazy things to do with your book then maybe that’s because you should make a quiet scene, a scene that may add a new detail to your characters.
I was wondering, how do you make a list of tropes or story elements that make you laugh, swoon, annotate and stay up to the wee hours of the morning reading. Can you please explain how to do that?
Omg yasss that would work so well
Abbie, I can't tell you how much this video means to me. The book I've been trying writing for 3 years now is just sorta getting.... eh. I'm not excited about it anymore. I feel like I've lost a part of my identity because I'm not writing anymore.
This has finally made my creative wheels turn again! Thank you.
ABBIE! You don't know how much this has helped me oh my god. Like- Literally just had breakthroughs with two of my stories which had left me in a rut for so many years now. They're the ones most precious to me because I started them when I was way younger. They've evolved a lot over the years, and most of that evolution is thanks to all of your great writing advices. I have followed you for a quite long while now, but this video in particular worked wonders for me. Reminds me of that documentary we watched in our art class about the importance of bringing out our inner child in the pursuit of something creative. I think everything's coming together now 😭 Thank you so much! All the love 💛
I've brainstormed ideas and scenes inspirations with chatGPT for the last few days and it probably saved me weeks if not months of work at the library. Such a useful tool. (Not planning on copy/pasting AI descriptions; it's not great prose; you still have to write the story. But as an inspiration for ideas, it works very well. Not flawless (in a long chat, it can confuse characters and plotlines), but overall, so useful to find inspiration. Basically, you tell chat GPT your story ideas and ask it to help you come up with more ideas for scenes or ways to develop them, and to brainstorm backstories and personalities for the characters.
I'm vehemently against AI, due to the possibilities of it stealing the arts away from us, so when I tried using ChatGPT to brainstorm some ideas for a scene I admit I felt conflicted. I got weird, cringy scenes first time I used it, safe to say I did not take on any of those ideas. Today I tried it for a short speech since I truly had no idea how to start one, and surprisingly I got good results I could get inspired by. I'm still wary of this new technology, if it wasn't hurting artists by money-hungry sharks I wouldn't have such opinion about it, AI Can be used for inspiration, but only ethically, I don't want future humans to become soulless robots while the actual machines are creating fulfilling works.
Hello Abbie! I started watching almost all of your videos a few days ago. Thank you so much on inspiring me to become a better writer. It’s so hard to find advice without a teacher(bc I’m homeschooled lol). So everytime I do my LA, I watch one of your videos as if you are my teacher. Thank you for helping be a better writer
This was so awesome! I resonated with all of it!
A way I brainstorm is to listen to music and movies in my favorite genre's or trying a new song or tv show/movie
...then insparation just falls to me💕
Really liked the video. My last novel incorporated a few of your suggestions as I got stuck along the way. I'm a pantser and when I get stuck, I usually step away for a while until I can come at the story from a different angle. Along the way, I changed the POV from third person to first person. I changed the genre from romance to dystopian (but kept the happy ending). i incorporated story elements from a previous novel that crashed and burned. Eventually, things fell into place.
Back when I was a kid, I used to write stories in literal paper, like you cannot edit or anything but from start to end my book looks amazing even though my wrist would hurt from writing for hours. Now that I am typing I still can' find that joy and satisfaction my younger self had. I mean my younger self was really good at writing theological thrillers and amazing genuine characters with actual flaws. Just a few grammar and spelling mistakes and now! I feel like I had disappointed my childhoodself and became an awful writer. Thank You, Abbie! You are such a lifesaver❤❤❤❤
This video was perfect for me. I'm writing three different stories right now. One of them, I've been writing for five years and I love it beyond belief and the other two are kind of in the background and I don't care about them as much. When I saw this video, I realized that I had done ALL of these things for the story that I've been writing for five years. (I started writing that story when I was only eight years old!) And so I realized that all I have to do is do that again for my two other stories to make them exciting and fun!
Thank you Abbie! You are a life saver! 😄
You’ve done it again, my genius friend Abbie. Was feeling lackluster about my novel, then finished watching this segment, and I’ve been able to do something weird and awesome with my current story. I’m incorporating some of my other book ‘romance’ into my current book! So good, different almost divergent, I’m a more average thinker, but I like working hard and loveeee writing!!! Thanks so much, you got it going on beautiful lady.
The retelling part helped me a week ago for coming up with the story idea that I finally, truly loved. All this time, I've always struggled with being original so I wouldn't feel like a thief :,) but after rewatching one piece's skypiea arc, it shot me that I want to tell my own version of the arc itself for my middle grade novel. so to some writers out there who are still facing the same problem, u can still use the same idea that millions have already thought of but the way u execute the idea, how u tell the story is what matters.
I am half way through this video and one of my favorites so far! Sooooo much confirmation, I want to cry for joy! I am traveling through airport from a funeral right now and I want to prepare myself to get out of a slump! Thank you so much! When you cannot put a name on something and you been having these feelings, turn on an Abbie video! #rockon
I'm jealous of the way you think and can articulate your thoughts. I have an entire reference page from your videos. Having ADHD and severe processing issues due to a brain injury, my memory has me questioning all that I do. I will finish my novel even it takes a year! I hope the crying, quitting, restarting, and screaming in the mirror pays off. Having these tropes as a reference point has really helped - off course written down or they would be forgotten minutes later. -
The perfect trigger for brainstorming and getting rid of writers block. Best of all its free. Thanks a lot. Adding it to my walktime playlist to hear repeatedly ,for inspiration.
Dude, I had literally given up on my most recent story ages ago and this video brought my motivation back out of nowhere and made me realize just how many more things are on the table than I had ever realized. Tysm for this!!! Also, the part about almost all of people losing their creative genius by the time they were thirty literally had me in tears 😭
Just watch lots of movies, TV shows and video games. That always works for me
I borrowed a lot of my story ideas from Assassin's Creed
Thank you so much for this! The reason I started writing was to make the stories I would have read as a kid, so this helped me remember that. You're amazing, Abbie! :)
Excellent advice. I've used a technique related to this for a while. I've always called it "twisting," and what it involves in coming up with a story, plain or extravagant, and then once I've figured out most of the details I take one detail and change it in a significant way. Not like changing the main character's hair color, but often it's switching a heroic character to a villain, although it doesn't have to be that and shouldn't always be the same thing. Maybe instead of a character losing their mother at a young age they instead are involved in a horrific accident. The main point of it is to change that one detail and nothing else. What this does is make a story that isn't pre-planned or that fits nicely, and it raises a bunch of questions that I have to figure out the answers to. It takes me out of my box of comfort and makes me think about the story in a very different way. More details may change as I go along, but it's important to start with just one detail, and it may take a few attempts to find the right detail.
This began after I had discovery written a couple of chapters for a novel. My heroes were brothers, and they were tasked with helping stop some mysterious creatures who had been invading the kingdom. One of the brothers immediately volunteered but the other did not and asked what was in it for them. Then the creatures attacked and the second brother came around, but as I analyzed that sequence I couldn't figure out why the second brother refused at first. I thought of him as equally heroic to the first brother, but my subconscious had brought about the refusal, as mild as it may have been. Then it hit me: he wasn't supposed to be a hero, but rather a villain. I kept the sequence of events the same, at least at first, and tried to figure out why he would do these things if he were the bad guy (the creatures were separate villains from him) and that led to a remarkable mental exercise that became a much richer and less cliched story for me.
Lately I have discovered a writing prompt aid called the Story Engine, a set of cards with various prompts in various categories that a person can combine to formulate the basis of a plotline. While I wouldn't say this is essential since the decks cost money, it's a very useful tool. More interesting to me is that each square shaped card has multiple entries, either two or four depending on the type of card it is, that can be rotated if you don't like the one that's right-side up upon dealing. Of course, you can draw new cards if you can't make those fit, but I follow a different method. I draw what comes out of the shuffled decks, randomly determine the rotation, and go with it. This leads to some rather ridiculous combinations, especially if you use the various booster packs for different genres, but I try to make it work anyway. If something doesn't fit the genre, I replace it with something that would be roughly equivalent but that would actually work in the genre (a golem instead of a robot, for example), or if I've drawn a rather underwhelming sequence I change the boring prompts to something that's basically the same but not as dull as the original in order to spice it up a bit, or draw additional cards to add to it. I feel it is important to keep the prompt random so it's not conforming to my pre-conceived ideas and tastes but forces me into a mindset of figuring out how to make it work. It may be radically different from what I had in mind at first, but like the discovery writing example above it is likely to vastly improve the idea. It can also, of course, be used to augment an existing idea.
I have been stuck with my story for ages, never too happy with how it went even if I liked it. Watching your video gave me ideas and I started writing on it again after years. I changed where the story starts, made it a bit darker and now ideas are flowing and I am finally excited about my story again!
Finally, something new and promising.
I have two stories with great ideas, most of the conditions are met,, but they feel boring to finish writing now, especially that they have been on hold for months.
Thanks. This has been most educative.
Just in time, Abbie!! It's really interesting that our trope lists actually kinda match.... :)
I was wondering how would you make a list of your favourite tropes or story elements that make you laugh, swoon, annotate and stay up till the wee hours of the morning reading, could you please explain how to do this?
These are fantastic brainstorming questions, the tropes one really had my brain flooding with trope after trope, writing is gonna be so fun!!!
Thank you a lot for helping me get my creativity flowing once again!
Abbie thank you for what you do for us, your videos have definitely helped me get better at my writing. You're awesome!!!
So, so, so helpful - thank you Abbie ❤❤
Abbie I can't believe it!
I never knew I could do this, thank you so much!
I love these prompts! Thanks you for sharing, Abbie.
Can't wait to use all these tips! Btw, NO, 100DOS without Weston POV's is unthinkable. I am SO glad it's got both
This is so so good and it came at the exact time i needed it. You literally are a life saver. I had a big exam and had a huge disconnect of over a month with my story and then I sat down, and the spark was... Missing. So yeah, I really really needed this right now.
There's this new story I'm coming up with, and I love watching your videos and your ideas there so much help!❤ thank you Abbie❤🙏.
you always amaze me! the way you always link psychology to writing is immensely mesmerizing. You are a genius, Abbie. I consider you, my official Writing coach, you saved my writing life when I just entered this fantastic world. always Rock on!!!
Oooo! I feel this topic. I've started books that I eventually decided I didn't want to write. I don't mind scrapping it all and going back to the drawing board to brainstorm the ideas that I DO want to write. My latest book came out of this process. Too good. Thank you, Abbie!
I was wondering, how do I landscape my day by writing down everything I do and the times I do them in to monitor my growth?
I adore these ideas. THANK YOU, Abbie.
Thank you for the reminder to have fun! 🎉
Shout out to the production value of this video! Editing is amazing.
I like creating visual novels. And it is such a hard thing to come up with story ideas. Not only because you need a story itself. But because everything has to be thought about extra so that everything is connected and so that canon events and plots in a visual novel will be in context. It's even worse when you're doing prequels or sequels.
And it's especially annoying when you have to change up a whole bunch of already existing text because one change you plan for the whole plot just needs so much changes from the earlier stuff... So I'm glad this helps a little!
It's nice that she speaks so clearly so I can watch in 3X speed with no issue
Thank you so much Miss Abbie. It helped me a lot in finding new ways to make my story more fascinating.
I’m not sure how you manage to solve my problems with such simple solutions. These videos are literally a lifesaver
Thank you, Abbie. You're the best writing coach ;) ROCK ON!
Hey Abbie! Thank you for this video. I have been on this one story idea for over a year now since I started writing it and I just couldn't bring myself to write anything because I felt bored with it. This certainly gave me some new creative ideas so thank you so much!
I love this! I remember learning about that research when I was in school to be a teacher. I have two little creative geniuses running around and I now see how true that data is!
Your tips on how to come up with new and unique story ideas helped me a lot, thank you very much Abbie!
Thank you, Abbie! This video is a gem. I am stuck, with zero inspiration. I trust these ideas will help me a lot!
Thank you for making writing fun. ❤
I’ve always wanted to write a book, but would freeze up once I got to the laptop. Your videos have truly helped. Your course on Scrivener was amazing too.
Hi from Tasmania, Australia. I LOVE you Abbie. I know that sounds creepy - what I mean is I love your content. I see you as my own writing coach. Your videos are (in my opinion) the BEST on the net. Thank you for your warm, encouraging style and for being so generous with your tools and tips. Watching your content makes me feel happy and inspired. Thank you, lovely human.
thank you abbie ! you help us so much !!!!!!!!!!!
Thank goodness for you!! Thank you so much for being the ultimate resource
All of the tropes you wrote down remind me of my favourite story called after school lessons for unripe apples. It’s an unfinished webtoon still receiving updates but it’s amazing and I think everyone should read it!
I just downloaded the story guides u gave us and will try it soon! Thank you so much❤!
Omg thank you so much for this video, Abbie!!!
My brainstorming method is soaking in my environment and imagining the possible fictional stories I could tell in it, this helps if you're not yet experienced with world building as the world comes pre-built and you can change it to your taste
Oooh! This is what I’ve been needing! Gonna sit down with this video when I have my lunch break!
These ideas are fantastic! Thank you for sharing your creativity and your humor. I'm going to take these thoughts with me as I head into my next writing project.
Got over halfway through my novel (first person, present tense) and realized a specific event that happens would be really cool from a front line perspective. That led to various special one-off PoV chapters spread out throughout the story.
Thanks, Abbie... I mean, I did get basic ideas for this series I'm writing, but I might actually brainstorm and get new ideas for this one... the ideas for the major parts of the series just struck me, and everyone loves it... however, I don't have many ideas for this book, so thanks!
I was so happy that I had actually come up with a few of these on my own to help me get re-inspired a couple times
What I find hilarious is that I've done most of these prompts on my own before. ^^ One of my recent problem stories was resolved by changing it from third to first person. The story just flowed after that. :) My 20+ year struggle of trying to make two hot tempered, independent and stubborn characters fall in love was resolved last year by tweaking the MC's perspective just a little. She made an allowance to accept help, therefore making an ally and... need I say more? ;)
I was wondering, how do you make a list of your favourite tropes or story elements that make you laugh, swoon, annotate and stay up till the wee hours of the morning reading, can you please explain how to do this please?
I’ve been in a bind with my creativity lately. This video was helpful. Thank you
Thanks, I needed this video a lot! Now I have renewed energy to work on my project!
This video reached me just when I needed it
Thank you❤
You just SAVED my life, Abbie , THANK YOU SO MUCH😁
Thank you for your videos! They are always so uplifting and helpful! I was feeling very stuck creatively, and your video was perfect for helping me get ideas going. I think I was caught up in these imaginary expectations of what I thought my novel should be, but I want to write what I like to read and what will keep me engaged and interested. Thank you so much for helping me figure out what that is!
You always manage me to get motivated to write stuff. Thank you
Thank you for this, Abbie! This video came at the perfect time
Just found your channel, your ideas are genius! Thank you so much for making these videos.
I FRICKIN LOVE THIS!!!
I have been having writer’s block for the past like hour. I have a story idea now! I have no idea whether I will finish this story, but if I do, I will try to come back and tell you.
your advice about writing the scene from another POV helped me a lot with my current chapter! It's much more interesting to read this way! Thanks!
The trope thing makes sense for my story. Thank you!
All the videos you make are great, but this one is just amazing. I feel so inspired again! Thank you very much :)
You come out with perfect videos at the right time. Thank you for that ♥
my entire book changed because of this video. I put the last chapter in the beginning and it turned out amazing. Thank you Abbie
Thanks abbie! What you said about adding more POVs made my brain go crazy like a 5 year old. It really gave my some ideas 💡
Abbie you are helping me so much with my story. I'm writing a Dipcifica fanfiction book and your videos is helping a huge ton
Girl I just Love you
Really! Thank you!
Wow, this is super helpful! Thank you!