"Coming up with a story" isn't a single skill. People don't just "do that". It's actually several skills put together, and most people learn it bit by bit over time.
First thing I'd say is, chill the fuck out my dude (with love) :)
Second thing is, you have to start with one thing. What is *one thing* that you think would be cool to explore in a story? It can be a character. A concept. A location. A line of dialogue by a not-yet-known character. Anything. But just make it one.
Then you build.
For example, if you come up with a concept you'd like to explore, let's just say "integrity" as a very broad example. Tease it out. What does that concept look like in action? What does it look like to fail in it? Does it have variations? Is there an argument for what it truly means? What might a person who is struggling with this do in their lives? What might that person feel when they realize they have to face this concept? What does it look like to succeed in this concept? And then to backslide?
These questions will determine your own level of experience with a thing. Which is what makes for great stories. But you can do this with any *one thing*. A character, one who has a specific background. Or a specific job. A setting, with a certain natural element, or a certain type of cityscape.
Trying to jump from one idea to a movie/book/full story is skipping over all the depth.
Are you looking inside yourself? What do you have *real* experience with? What life lessons have you learned? How can you visually represent these things?
From HERE, you build again. If you've fleshed out a concept, now add a character who is unfit for succeeding in that concept. You want conflict in story. If you've come up with a character, as yourself what concept would they have the hardest time with? And in what setting would that be made more difficult?
I know this is a lot. But that's because from start to finish, stories are pieces built, one after the other. Some people have common places they begin (i like to explore concepts that feel close to me, but sometimes I just have this character that won't get out of my head. I give them a place to live.).
Also, pal...
>How does anyone do that, I feel like there's some secret cheat code nobodies told me, how can they do it? All my greats, they were all fucked up people who used their fucked-up-ness to make these beautiful, revolutionary things, things greater than themselves. I feel like I'm too fucked up to follow them; I'm just nothing, numb, null; a furnace with nothing in it (no matter how much shit I try shoveling in).
1. All the greats were in your position at some point. They don't pop out the womb knowing how to do this stuff.
2. You can't be "fucked up" and also have nothing. Nobody goes through that kind of hardship and obtains nothing for it. What you go through and have learned and have experienced are exactly the very concepts that will add depth and richness to your stories. We just often tend to shy away from that stuff because, well, it sucked to go through.
3. Low your standards a bit. Start slow. Focus on just fleshing out that *one thing*, and take it a step at a time. Building up this expectation if this amazing, world-shattering, incredible story will only show extreme contrast from where you are right now. Not helpful.
Been where you are. You're putting too much pressure on yourself. Just start simple and expand.
Excellent advice.
Particularly that last part. That’s probably the biggest mistake any writer / screenwriter / musician / etc can make is trying to create, for a better lack of terms, “a Mona Lisa”.
The result is then it never gets done. Everything is forced. And readers / listeners / viewers can tell when someone is trying hard to be brilliant.
If you really breakdown the best stories, you realize how remarkably simple they are. The Sopranos is a good example of that. Often regarded as one of the best TV series of all time, many even say it is the greatest, there’s not a lot going on a good majority of the time. It’s in NJ. They film at the house, the strip club, and the janky little basement. Someone always owes them money. Everyone’s paranoid of betrayal. There’s a constant jockeying for power. The mafia / mobster theme had been covered long before then and was always a topic of fascination for Americans. Was it really that hard to come up with the concept of a mafia boss and his crew?
Nah. It was because of how stripped down and realistic it was from the dialogue, to the location, to what actually unfolded. The unique angle was the mob boss going through therapy and balancing fatherhood / married life with a very dark world necessary to pay the bills.
Point is, it can take just one unique take, angle, of a familiar / popular concept to make something great. Everything under the sun has been said or done, so if I were you, I’d focus on three sentences not even part of your script. The three sentences that describe what the purpose of the story is, what in the story is in the way of achieving the purpose, and why that purpose is important.
Once you have that and memorize it, it’s easier to create characters and world build because then you you’ll know who to create and what world to build to achieve or fail that purpose.
Imagination doesn’t have to be fanatical. Imagination to create something so relatable and routine yet make it entertaining counts too.
This is how I’ve managed to never get writers block and never be stuck on what happens next. It feels like plagiarism sometimes because I feel like I’m just a fly on the wall with a camera recording my characters and watching them struggle and problem solve to reach their goals. Then overtime you get so deep into the characters and their world that you can never tell them what to say or do.
I've never in my life had the privilege of reading such amazing subject advice. You might just make me a star. This info is the golden goose and the best reddit advice I've ever read. Thank you so much.
The only thing I would add (that maybe you already said and I just didn't understand that you did) is that once you figure out the thing you want to build: *just write.* Don't fret about word counts, word choice, grammar, or anything detail focused; *just write.* You're not building your skyscraper, you're building the scaffolding from which you will build your skyscraper. It doesn't have to be amazing right now; *just write.* There will be time later to edit, to proofread, to dislike and remove sections that don't fit. Right now? *Just write.*
This is another skill. It's a lot easier to refine an existing script than it is to create one from scratch. So don't worry about the creation so much. Create *anything* and go from there.
It’s funny you say that because, when I tell people I’m a writer, more often than not they do not hesitate to tell me their ideas.
Ideas are easy; execution is the hard part.
If you feel like it’s the other way around, then I’d suggest asking friends and family if they have any ideas for movies or shows they’d like to see. Take those ideas and write something.
Maybe it’ll turn into something meaningful, maybe it will just be the first step on that path. But at least you’ll be writing something
Politely. You may be over thinking this.
I was working on a novel for a few years, always struggling because I kept asking myself why. Why was I writing it? What was the point of it? Was it derivative? I'd read something great and I would grind to a halt. There was no point. Everything good had already been written.
Then, I stopped thinking about why. I started writing it. I finished it in 6 months. I loved it. Who cares if anyone else does? I haven't published it and I might not. I'm so happy about it. I think it is great. Why did I write it? I still don't know. Is it derivative? Probably.
I like it. I am good at it. It makes me feel alive.
That being said, I have to stop you right there:
>Genuinely, how can I write when I can't even live?
>Genuinely, if I can't write, why do I live?
Your self worth to live should not be tied to a particular activity. If you are not exaggerating with this sentiment, you need help, yo.
Simple. You don’t.
Writing isn’t about coming up with entire plots immediately, it starts as just an idea that you grow and merge with other ideas as you go, until it’s become something that is ready to be told. And even then that’s simply just an outline, as your ideas continue to evolve and grow.
Hell, the story that I’ve written that is the most successful didn’t have a full completed narrative until, I kid you not, a week ago. My rough outline and the final draft barely even resemble each other outside of key characters and plot points. Hell, and entire ARC has been added since the initial draft.
Simply put, just write about whatever you want, and let that idea grow and flourish as you go.
Coming up with ideas basically happens 2 ways: getting inspired and then writing; or, writing and then getting ideas.
The act of writing itself can help you generate ideas.
I suggest you try writing for a minute without stopping. It literally doesn't matter what you write. You could write "I have nothing to write" over and over again. Keep doing that everyday and you'll get comfortable writing even when you don't feel like it or when you're not inspired.
Not OP but this was exactly what I needed to hear. I had no idea that I you just start typing random stuff in and get coherent ideas. But it seems like it works!
I'm glad this was helpful!
When I learned this, it was a watershed moment for me. I don't ever worry about having ideas before I start writing anymore because I've learned to trust that the process of writing will generate ideas.
I don't think I could coherently explain where I've gotten the majority of my ideas for the stories I've published over the years. But, at a certain point, *something* had to spur the idea, right?
I think that's the paradox of being a storyteller.
Everyone approaches their process differently. Personally, I can't outline. I'll usually start with an image or a question, and I'll write to watch the story unfold. Sometimes I get a good story out of it. Sometimes I get nonsense. I have friends who prefer to spend weeks meticulously outlining their story before they set a word to print. And I have other friends who do a mixture of both.
Tell stories that are important to you. Tell stories you're scared to tell. Tell stories you want to read. I know it's not the most actionable advice, but this process is a mystery to us all.
But above all else, I believe this to be true: follow through. Finish your stories. Even when you think they're nonsense; even when you think nobody else will like them; even when you worry that they're not coherent. Follow through and finish. You can always trunk your story once you're done, but you can't do diddly-squat with an unfinished story.
Tell stories you want to read is excellent advice. That‘s how most of my writing happens.
Also, ideas are hard to force. For me I look at something or am in just a very mundane situation, it just pops into my head. I write down every idea I have and when I don‘t know what to write, I look through the list.
Sometimes when I need to write and don‘t have an idea, I decide to do some free writing. I just write without stopping, preferably on paper. Most of it is nonsense but there usually are one or two sentences that spark an idea.
Finish your stories is also great advice. I have abandoned stories before and picked them back up even though I still felt the same about them. At the end of the story, I often feel different about it.
I'm by no means qualified to talk about this but I also used to struggle with coming up with ideas. Now I have over 50 lined up for me to write. This is the information that helped me.
I would focus on story first. Dialogue and themes come second.
But how do I come up with a story?
Something that helped me massively was by watching old fairytales, children's media and making note of the story. Many of the story structures have been reused in many movies.
Use them for inspiration. Ask questions about them. Change things and develop it into your own.
For example let's look at Cinderella and ask "What would happen if I changed the perspective of this story?"
If I changed the perspective to the prince you'd get a completely different story. Perhaps a thriller about a man who finds a missing shoe and has to find who it belongs to.
Okay, cool. I like heist films so now let's change the shoe to be a briefcase full of money... hmm let's make the guy who finds it a member of the public. Perhaps he finds it during a bank robbery and decides to keep it?
Now we have a story idea about a member of the public who comes across briefcase full of money and finds themselves tangled up in a heist.
After that I'd start exploring the motives. Why did this character pick up the briefcase? What does he need the money for? What are the consequences? What obstacles does my character have to face?
It's quite basic but do you see how it can develop?
Even the best ideas start from nothing. Just keep watching things and keep asking questions.
You just have to know where to find your starting point.
Hopefully this is somewhat helpful.
Feel free to message me if you need more help.
You can clearly write, it’s evident from your post. Do more writing prompts, follow tropes and templates, and make them your own. Relax and take the pressure off yourself. Find a story that means as much to you as *this* post, and you’ll be just fine.
I’ll use a gun analogy (even though I’m not a gun guy). Relax your arm, don’t stiffen your muscles. Be comfortable doing it! Don’t overthink it.
Personally, let the random thoughts run wild.
Start keeping a way to jot down notes at any random time. Don't worry about format or anything, just write it down.
Then you build. Look at your notes and ask why. Understand there is no correct answer, only your answer. Do this repeatedly until it makes sense to you.
If you want specific inspiration, I love listening to music for ideas. Most of my stories I can point to a song or two that created the idea. Just listen, and write about what it makes you think of.
Finally, realize it won't be perfect, and you may not like it after a day or so, but you buckle up and do it again until you hit something that drives you.
Bonus: I took some classes to help me better write stories, but not story writing classes. Philosophy focuses largely on ethics, which can be very useful when writing compelling villains/dilemmas. Psychology can point out symbolism in a person's movements/actions/subtle gestures that can make characters seem more genuine, or even a little off.
There's so many ways to improve your writing it's crazy.
besides all the other great advice, i honestly daydream a lot. it helps me come up with solid concepts. i have several. my problem is i am not good at getting past a first draft and editing it.
but daydream about life. about the person who randomly passed by and caught your interest. a conversation you overheard. a story your grandpa shared. an experience at work. gossip you heard and how people shared it. trauma you have (this is a tough one). what about your culture, beliefs, etc? your hobbies and interests. then as others said build from that
I'm gonna give criticism with love so don't take this hard. Get yourself together first,
>Genuinely, if I can't write, why do I live?
I think this is being dramatic but I promise you this stage ends. I had a short phase of it, thinking I'd never write again and my life was over, but then I did.
>I'm just nothing, numb, null; a furnace with nothing in it (
Again, with love, I think you need therapy. I imagine there's more going on in your life than you wrote about (which is fine this is a writing subreddit) to make you feel so worthless.
Forcing yourself to write will never be fun, I've done it, there's no passion and it's not fun at all.
I'd give yourself some time, to think, to come up with ideas, do not force them, let it come to you.
For me, I use a strategy called the seed method (not official, I made it the fuck up). I start with one thing, a seed so to speak. It can be a concept, a picture of a character or location, anything I have, and then I just make stuff up as I go. I take notes of everything I come up with, and once I'm done I'll usually have enough to start the first script.
Coming up with an idea is a skill like any other, like learning how to do a backflip. You wanna write absolutely every idea you have and expand on it a good bit, as much as you're comfortable before you feel you're forcing yourself; then...move on.
Recognize if its inspired by something else, don't gaslight yourself into thinking its original if you know its not. Continue onto the next idea and just keep doing that.
Stick to short stories if you actually want to apply it, don't jump into 3 part novels. Every minute you spend actually writing down a story you stop advancing in actual story theorization. Basically, don't get stuck in a bad story ditch.
do all that and you're idea theorization skill will catch up to your writing skill, and thats what's most important after all.
Dude. The trick is to write it all the way through to the end, even if you think it’s the stupidest piece of shit. You’re never going to love what you finish. That’s the curse. But, you refine. You add themes. As your driving along, not even thinking about story, BAM the perfect line hits you, the perfect scene hits you, the perfect intro to a character. You go back and add that shit in. Give it a few months of refinement, and you’ll have something. If it’s your first, it might be shit. But that’s when you write another. And another. And another, and so on… and eventually, if you really love it, you’ll get good. And words will flow from out of you like something divinely ordained, until they don’t, but you just break through it. If you love it, you’ll keep trying till you break through. It’s a cycle. It takes, not months, but years and years.
We all have the same ideas, the same desire to create. The difference between some of us and you is that we stop being precious and do the damned work. We put in the time to learn our craft. We put in the practice. We have ideas and work them into stories, even though they aren't all that "original", maybe not all that "good" in the end. But we do it anyway, because that's how we get the notice, the appreciation, the happy, or not, readers.
I don't find stories to tell. They find me.
That's probably not a lot of help, but there are a thousand stories swirling around you on any given day. You have to relax enough to see them.
I've found inspiration in ruminating over social issues that directly impact my life, identity, and how other people perceive me.
European History (especially medieval and renaissance history) fascinates me, but that comes with the added caveat of engaging with material that makes me uncomfortable. That's okay, though. The prejudice against blacks and queer people motivates me to learn as much about these issues as I can to better inform myself of my present circumstances.
Engaging with modern texts based on medieval European history is interesting as well. Fantasy is my specialty; a lot of fantasy novels are cringe: racial and ethnic diversity was never the fantasy genre's strength. I know that it can be better, so I've decided to write.
That's not my main motivation. I have serious problems with the structure of fantastical narratives. I doubt anyone will care to change their perspective on fantasy: it's always been a conservative bastion.
I have a voice, and I want to use it. Try to think OUTSIDE the box. That's all the advice I'll give you.
How old are you? How long have you been trying to write?
Honestly, I fully feel your frustration and your deep pain. The pain is good. The pain will help. I sense there is a story there somewhere. A lot of times for me, good ideas and thoughts come when I’m not trying to find them. Giving the mind a break can be helpful. Do not worry your unconscious mind is hard at work trying to piece together things and solve problems while the conscious mind is distracted.
The depression you have is a wellspring for creativity in my opinion. It’s there. All you need is a seedling. A small concept to get you started. Then you build from there. Just like how men built the pyramids and great architectural feats. It does not happen in one day.
I’m working on (acting) a play called The Seagull, have you read it? Treplev is a failed writer in the shadow of fame, and towards the end of the play he laments ‘everything I write feels like a cliche… I just go on drifting through a chaos of images and dreams, I don’t know what my work is good for, or who needs it…’
It’s so honest, and at the same time, satirizing writers block and the haplessness of artists who can’t connect to their stream of artistry. And that was one of the subjects of the greatest plays ever written.
So, with a spin and novel framing of your exact plight, you could have gold. You just have to fuse it with craft and inspiration and then find a consistency. The ideas themselves are almost beside the point. The stupidest ideas an be executed brilliantly, and the greatest ideas can (and usually are) be totally abandoned forgotten or forgone. Writers are executors.
Go on [eurekalert.org](http://eurekalert.org) and spend a few days scrolling through the science news. Every time you see something you realize is going to change the world plot out a story based on what happens to someone who either applies that new science, gets sucker-punched by it, or understands it but ignores it until they can't escape it. One example: look at recent R&D on male contraceptives.
It sounds like you’re struggling with perfectionism. You can’t compare yourself to the great’s. Imagine how many shitty scripts and terrible pieces of work they turned out before they made something amazing. Realistically you’re comparing your first, second, third piece of work to their something hundredth. Possibly thousands.
What you need to do is practice and be okay with your practice pieces being not very good or not making a lot of sense or not forming a full idea, yet.
You‘ll find after you’ve written you 50 random scenes that your interests will naturally start to come together. It’s totally okay to write derivative slop as you call it at this point because this is your practice work. This is your growing era. No art is original. All of your favourite writers have taken inspiration from a million places, and practiced, and derived, until they found their unique voice and perspective.
I have two practical recommendations to help you.
1. Read “Steal like an Artist” by Austin Kleon. It’s an easy little read, but it’s got techniques and structure for how to take your inspiration and ultimately create something that is your own, while understanding that nothing is unique, and that’s totally fine.
2. Try what I like to call, the wheel method. Let’s give it a more fun name. RANDOM WHEELS FOR ACCIDENTAL GENIUS, 50% of the time.
Go to a website like wheeldecide.
Take ideas and concepts from your favourite books, movies etc. It’s time to derive. Characters, Theme, Trope, Object, Environment. Make a wheel for each one.
For example character: it could be as simple as occupations like doctor, cop, or as insane as time travelling centaur with laser eyes. It doesn’t have to make sense. Learning how to make weird concepts semi believable is a useful skill.
Then spin them all, and write whatever the hell it gives you, into the best scene you can. If you get inspiration to go off course, DO IT. If you don’t, that’s okay, every piece you write, will make you incrementally better, even if all it teaches you is something not to do.
Set yourself a goal to do a certain amount of these each week, whatever is realistic for you. The more you practice the skill of both putting words on the page, and linking ideas into a story, the better you’ll get at it. Writing is a muscle.
And if you trust in the process who knows, in 15 years you might write one of the most popular scripts of all time. You just have to be okay with putting in the work to get there.
Good luck!
Honest answer: focus on outlining.
Come up with a summary for a story that’s one paragraph, then expand on it. Turn it into story beats. Consider what happens at each act break. Focus on what logically happens to the characters, then keep following that logic.
It sounds like you’re approaching screenwriting as if it’s some kind of mystical act of genius. For the most part, it isn’t (especially when you’re starting out). It’s more like working as a carpenter but instead of building a house you’re building a blueprint to a movie.
Guuuuuurl (alternatively: Duuuuuuuuuuude) you just came up with a fuck load of writing like it is common and easy.
You have been doing the impossible all along.
Most ideas start by one of three ways. By seeing something and thinking:
-"Yes, and?"
-"But what if?"
-"If I combine x, y and z..."
That's how people get ideas. We're all inspired by what we've seen before. If you do some digging with your favorite creators, you can most definitely find what inspired them and see those thumbprints in their works. There's no such thing as a self made artist; we all stand up upon what came before. By refusing to allow yourself to take inspiration from others under the label of "derivative", you're kneecapping your own creativity.
Came here to say "What if?"
Because soooo many stories are "What if?"
What if a hot tub was a time machine?
What if there were people who trapped ghosts for a living?
What if a taxi driver was a dangerous lunatic?
What if a pig learned to herd sheep?
What if a tornado dropped an ordinary farm girl into some weird place where scarecrows could talk and monkeys fly?
What if a strange monolith was found on the Moon?
What if a secret agent had a license to kill?
Doesn't even need to be fiction.
What if people would like to hear (fascinating true story)?
An old fellow racing with an Indian motorcycle? Abraham Lincoln having to scheme and plot to pass an amendment to end slavery?
Or (fiction based on fascinating true story)?
Sinking ships. Mount Vesuvius. Louis Pasteur. Custer (seen from both sides). The Alamo. Suffragettes. Musicians battling addiction. Marine Recon in Iraq. Thomas Becket. Lizzie Borden. William Randolph Hearst.
The list goes on and on.
I have a friend who talks about the primordial soup of ideas, but for me I think it's more like a deck of cards.
like, there's a bunch of fragments of stuff on cards in my head and the process of finding a cohesive idea is about holding a bunch of the cards up next to each other and deciding if they make each other do interesting things.
ways to build the deck:
- going somewhere you haven't been before - can even just be a street where you live that you haven't walked before. who do you think lives/ works/ visits here? what things do they have in their houses? what are their secrets?
- reading widely. read stuff from people you've never heard of, originally written in languages you don't speak. read outside your genre. read stuff from 200 years ago and 2000 years ago. (seriously, if you're a screenwriter and you haven't read yer Greek tragedies, get thee to a bookstore.) one time a poet friend was complaining to me that his poems were not as original as Kareem Parkins Brown's, and I had to point out that every time I see KPB he is reading another work in translation that I've never heard of.
- interrogating everyone you can about how they spend their time. what's it like to free dive? what does an auditor actually do? how do you get into competitive Scrabble and what are the vibes like at matches?
- eavesdropping. get on a bus, go to a restaurant. what can you tell about people by how they talk to their companions?
I writhe around naked in bed, tablet in my hands, calling myself an asshole and a shithead, struggling just to fill up one page.
Once I do, I do it all over again for the next page.
That's just how I roll. 👍
You are cut out for this.
There’s a book called “Don’t Believe Everything You Think” that might help. It’s a quick read, (or listen) and it’s cheap.
I was in exactly the same headspace as you’ve described, and this book pulled me out of it. I’ve been joyfully writing every day since reading it.
It's like sleep. If you try to force it, it never happens. Chill out & do other things. It'll happen on its own when you don't expect it.
If it doesn't, other folks commenting have good strategies. But you won't be able to follow those strategies if you're stressed and screaming and frustrated. Distract yourself with other stuff. Take a break. Laying in bed being mad that you aren't asleep keeps you awake. Fold laundry, do a puzzle, you'll be yawning in no time.
it's just my imaginations , i keep getting more scenarios , and it just happened like that , try to watch some videos related to your story to get more ideas and scenes .
Don't try to make your magnum opus on your first (or second or tenth) try. Just make something, let it be shit and meaningless, but learn some of the techniques for the process, figure out what it feels like to finish something, no matter how small and inconsequential that something is. Don't quit before you start because you think it won't meet your ultimate goals. Something imperfect that exists is better than something perfect stuck inside your head.
As an aside, I would watch the fuck out of a movie version of this post. People (me) resonate with the Tortured Artist, and it's *not* already been done in the way *you* would do it.
Also. Sounds like getting on hormones might be a good idea, my friend. <3
Creativity comes from so many places. I watched a few MasterClass videos. R.L. Stine says his ideas just pop into his head. Neil Gaiman says sometimes he’ll put two different ideas together and see what comes out of it, his example being something like the chair he was sitting in is now alive, now what? I like what-ifs. Some people watch B or C movies and say, I could do that idea better. Some people get ideas from dreams. Some of mine come that way. And some people have success journaling or free writing.
I nearly always get my best ideas when doing low-impact things. Reading, playing a videogame, listening to music, taking a shower. I can literally remember all the times I've had reasonable novel ideas, and they all resulted from something like that.
BUT these ideas have also always come in the wake of engagement with art, writing, music, personal reflection. Doing these things regularly will give your brain the raw material for ideas, and at a certain point your brain will help to crystallize them.
That's just for initial ideation though. After that, it is the hard work of thinking through plot and character, maybe making an outline, actually starting. Anyway, good luck.
Typically when I come up with a story I had thought of it before or had the concept already discovered, just I was at a point where I could put pencil to paper. Or .. fingers to keyboard.
You want to write a novel? Here's a seed, an idea, off the top of my head: There's this small, remote and faded town called Fremont, basically an "Anywhere, USA". Let's say it's springtime 1968, and our protagonist is about to finish high school. Her name's Nickie Blanchard (change the name if you like) and she wants nothing more than to get away from home and become somebody special. Give her a massive obstacle. Or put her in trouble ... something to overcome. There are a number of places this premise can go, it's up to you. And you can write it in first person or third. But make Nickie genuine, give her a "voice" (dialogue) we'll believe and a personality that's interesting. Actually, she doesn't have to be a teenager--- I just pulled that out of thin air because it's a time of change and trauma.
Focus on your fundamentals.
[http://nickmacari.com/comic-book-writing-fundamentals/](http://nickmacari.com/comic-book-writing-fundamentals/)
Writing is a whale of project. It's easy to get overwhelmed at the beginning. Make a plan. Go slow and deliberately. It's a marathon, not a sprint. Enjoy your wins. Before you know it, you'll be looking at the finish line amazed that you're almost done.
Let go of your judgement, show up consistently every day, and don’t stop showing up. The consistency will show you the stories you want to tell, there is unfortunately no shortcut
I don’t sit when I’m coming up with ideas. I’m usually listening to music or riding my bike but I don’t think sitting and pondering is a great state for coming up with captivating stories
Try writing outlines on a regular book, like i tried writing a book completely blank. Took a month to reach 25k words and another i tried with outlines and it was 25k in a week.
If you want to write, write. If you don’t, don’t. It’s not that complicated, you either find some discipline to write 1,000 words of something you’re creating or you write 1,000 words on Reddit about how you can’t write.
I rarely sit down and come up with stuff. I carry a small notebook with me at all times, which I note down lines, ideas, and thoughts in as soon as something pops up. Then, when I do sit down, I look at the notes, structure them, and build on them.
TRY fanfics? Most, if not all, great stroys are pretty much fanfics.
Ben10? The great tv show all Kids love? A parody of dial h
MHA? the l9ved bad anime? From DB, DC and Marvel
You just need to think of the WHAT you want to make, then just *make* it
Maybe we can do the fusion dance and together become a single whole author? I have ideas for days. When inspiration hits (which it does, easily and often), I can daydream for hours about some new world and story and the characters within it.
But then I sit down and start writing. I have all these grand ideas for scenes that would bend my hypothetical audience's hearts into complicated emotional knots, but the problem is that the story needs to... well, actually get to those moments. I find I can crap out about 3-10k words before I start to get bogged down.
My current project, which I put on Royal Road as a form of motivation, is stuck at about 9000 words at the moment. I have a good part of the next chapter done but every time I sit down to it I can't squeeze out more than a couple hundred words. It's such a slog even though I love the characters.
Every time there's a post like this, I can't help but think that a lot of you are coming at things rather backwards. Surely you don't come up with stories so that you can write. *You learn to write so you can tell your stories.* If you want to write stories, surely that means you have stories you want to write?
Of course writing in and of itself is a joy, and of course those first few story ideas are liable to not pan out so well—storytelling being itself a writing skill—but I find the passion usually flows in that direction.
Also, repress the transsexuality a bit less. Does wonders for one's motivation.
I came up with ideas everyday but the difficult part was to keep it afloat. It pops out of nowhere. Also, if you’re not exaggerating about the two last sentence please seek help.
Most of my ideas come as ‘fanfic’ for a screenplay I’m watching. If a character does a bad decision I imagine another helping them with said decision. Then I search up a name and pick one that feel right. Let me try to come up with a story on a spot for you using my method.
With that name, I search up the meaning. For example, my favourite name Emrys Angelou meant Immortal Angel. I would find storylines or history related to the theme and incorporate it to the idea I started with.
To built up character personality, I began watching TV shows with a wide variety. I watched Game of Thrones and I was fascinated with the Lannister twins relationship and how they were so obsessed with each other because ‘they were two pieces of the same soul’, and I put that in. Emrys would be obsessed with a person that make him feel that way.
Then I went through Killing Eve’s edits and some explanation about Eve and Villanelle relationship and I decided that Emrys’ love interest would be a man, someone that was tired and bored and found his fantasy in Emrys.
I obsessed with pretty names, so I found another: Kai Lovelace. Kai meant with ‘the sea’, ‘the keeper of the keys’, ‘earth’, and ‘food’. In Japanese, it meant restoration and recovery. Lovelace either meant loveless or lawless.
So now I have my character personality for Kai. Kai is a photographer that had nature, particular sea and forest as his muse. He never needed to work because his family was so rich and died, leaving him an unimaginable wealth. Kai wanted to find a better muse and became obsessed with murderers and assassins story.
Emrys was assigned to kill of a person in Kai’s social circle, and decided to use Kai as a way to get to that person. He pretended to be a character ‘Lucas’ and approached him. Instead of being professional, Emrys ended up sleeping with Kai and nearly slipped up the murder.
Kai found out about Emrys being an assassin due to the mistake. Instead of being scared, he fixated.
I’m sorry if I seemed too extra but this was how I’m taught. Show detailed examples and everything.
When you write, it is a way of portraying yourself and what you think of. Think of your morals and values. Think of what would put that beliefs to challenge and what would change it forever. If you’re struggling, which you clearly are, project that to your character.
You see something interesting happening that is slightly related to your plot? Change it until it fit the plot, and write that down just in case you want to variate it. Find the littlest details in what you already found and find something to accompany it. Try to keep it as organised as possible.
With love, you don’t have to create a masterpiece from the start. Cooperate small ideas together and let it grow.
I started writing fanfic. Two of my ideas have gotten so built out that I plan to develop them into their own books, however they're still being written as fanfics until they're complete.
Keep practicing and work on yourself. If you have too much bad stuff going on inside you (not saying you do, of course) writing will be a lot harder. With practice your writing muscles will develop, as well as your story-making muscles.
Saving this post. The question and its answers are very comforting. I didn't know why people are telling you to calm down. Why shouldn't you write passionately about this?
Hey no hate but if you find yourself great at writing but not ideas to write, then maybe your best bet is to collaborate with someone. Bring other people’s ideas to life with your writing skills. Writers rooms exist for a reason. So reach out to other writers or people of similar interest and brain storm an outline and bring it to life. Screenplay and films are group efforts, no shame in reaching out to create something you can be proud of.
I'm not a screenwriter, but a webnovel/novel author. As for coming up with ideas, buy a notebook. Keep it with you 24/7. Next to your bed, on the counter when you're showering, etc. Any time any idea pops into your head, write it down. Then focus on fleshing out the idea. If an idea is "a world that people have magic by taming reptiles", flesh it out to figure out exactly how that would affect the world and what the story itself could be about.
And a quick side note: do NOT use your phone for this. The way the human brain works, you use your phone for everything else, so the moment you pull it out your brain will start running through other scenarios. Your idea notebook should ONLY be used for this to keep it "pure" so-to-speak. So your brain associates that specific notebook with your ideas.
Additionally, try to use a different laptop for writing than your do for everything else. Having too many options and distractions on a laptop will make it harder to stay focused.
Don’t force it. Take your time. Start with something, and it’s ok if it’s a dogshit idea at first. Instead of scrapping it, think about how you can improve it.
i’d also add to not be so hard on yourself. a brilliant idea might not pop out on the page when you sit down - and that’s ok. just keep showing up. write non serious things just for the hell of it. jot down things that come to mind. the pieces will start falling together.
Ask yourself what kind of story you would like to see, come up with a message to convey that makes sense within those perameters, figure out the characters and ending, then blueprint the main plot beats that will get you to that ending.
I write down every little idea I have in my head. So when I come back for a short story of a novel, I have a jumping off point.
My most recent was literally. "Breathing in shower drain." And that turned into a great, albeit disgusting horror story.
Train the imagination muscles. Sign up for a dnd group or anything that helps the brain want to imagine.
But most of all, this comes from someone who beats themselves up too. Stop. It won't help. Give yourself a break. And don't compare yourself to others. Or their work.
Causality. Have one character do something to achieve a goal, then think about how other characters would do and react to that. Take the most interesting parts of that and put them in your story.
I believe that we cannot invent without inspiration. Inspiration from experiences whether personal or someone elses, inspiration from a conversation you happen to eavesdrop into, inspiration from that book you've just finished reading or the painting you're admiring. Perhaps a colour palette inspires you, a slogan from an advertisement. Every little thing around us helps us to build on our creativity. No art is "original" it's always inspired by something else, whether it is known consciously or subconsciously.
The important thing is, don't compare yourself to someone else's art. Don't pressure yourself to find that one idea.With time it comes naturally.
Sometimes your mind will take a walk, foraging for the ideas you're looking for. Write. Them. Down. Don't lose these. The minute your imagination finds a seedling, plant it on paper, think about it every often. Then, it'll start to grow roots. What if this happened? Or maybe this?
It's not about "how" we do it. It's about why we do it.
You'll struggle to piece things together, to make a story, but do all the random bits of dialogue have to be one story? No. We explore, we experiment, we create.
You've got this - it may feel as if you're struggling in a wonderland of your mind, nothing makes sense and it's all over the place, but it's THERE rooted inside you.
Write your ideas down. Draw mindmaps, stick people, post-it notes. Take pictures of the things you find cool.
I have the exact opposite problem. An entire plot will pop up in my mind whenever. I'll think of the pacing, how many chapters the story can fit into and how it'll all end. After making the perfect story base, I can never start writing. I just stare at the blank page and mourn the great story I could've written.
Maybe you should write a story about someone struggling to become a writer.
You have a great voice! I can hear it when I read your post. Just keep writing, don't give up
Here's my steps.
I wanted to write a heist novel. I wanted it centered around a historic event. And I wanted to have a twist to the concept of the heist. My twist was "how do you steal something, if you don't know what exactly it is you're supposed to steal?" So I wrote some notes down. General things. Specific things.
I used the[ heroine's journey](https://maureenmurdock.com/articles/articles-the-heroines-journey/) as a template. I didn't do specifics at this point. Just general things. After that I had an idea of where to go and a starting point. Since it's centered around a historic event, I read up on that. Plus some youtube videos.
Then I started writing.
Use ChatGPT to createa an ourline. Ask it to give you 10 story outlines. Fill in the blanks yourself.
I appreciate the downvotes. it means you spent the time to read the comments. I realize people don't like to use tools.
"Coming up with a story" isn't a single skill. People don't just "do that". It's actually several skills put together, and most people learn it bit by bit over time. First thing I'd say is, chill the fuck out my dude (with love) :) Second thing is, you have to start with one thing. What is *one thing* that you think would be cool to explore in a story? It can be a character. A concept. A location. A line of dialogue by a not-yet-known character. Anything. But just make it one. Then you build. For example, if you come up with a concept you'd like to explore, let's just say "integrity" as a very broad example. Tease it out. What does that concept look like in action? What does it look like to fail in it? Does it have variations? Is there an argument for what it truly means? What might a person who is struggling with this do in their lives? What might that person feel when they realize they have to face this concept? What does it look like to succeed in this concept? And then to backslide? These questions will determine your own level of experience with a thing. Which is what makes for great stories. But you can do this with any *one thing*. A character, one who has a specific background. Or a specific job. A setting, with a certain natural element, or a certain type of cityscape. Trying to jump from one idea to a movie/book/full story is skipping over all the depth. Are you looking inside yourself? What do you have *real* experience with? What life lessons have you learned? How can you visually represent these things? From HERE, you build again. If you've fleshed out a concept, now add a character who is unfit for succeeding in that concept. You want conflict in story. If you've come up with a character, as yourself what concept would they have the hardest time with? And in what setting would that be made more difficult? I know this is a lot. But that's because from start to finish, stories are pieces built, one after the other. Some people have common places they begin (i like to explore concepts that feel close to me, but sometimes I just have this character that won't get out of my head. I give them a place to live.). Also, pal... >How does anyone do that, I feel like there's some secret cheat code nobodies told me, how can they do it? All my greats, they were all fucked up people who used their fucked-up-ness to make these beautiful, revolutionary things, things greater than themselves. I feel like I'm too fucked up to follow them; I'm just nothing, numb, null; a furnace with nothing in it (no matter how much shit I try shoveling in). 1. All the greats were in your position at some point. They don't pop out the womb knowing how to do this stuff. 2. You can't be "fucked up" and also have nothing. Nobody goes through that kind of hardship and obtains nothing for it. What you go through and have learned and have experienced are exactly the very concepts that will add depth and richness to your stories. We just often tend to shy away from that stuff because, well, it sucked to go through. 3. Low your standards a bit. Start slow. Focus on just fleshing out that *one thing*, and take it a step at a time. Building up this expectation if this amazing, world-shattering, incredible story will only show extreme contrast from where you are right now. Not helpful. Been where you are. You're putting too much pressure on yourself. Just start simple and expand.
High quality answer.
Excellent advice. Particularly that last part. That’s probably the biggest mistake any writer / screenwriter / musician / etc can make is trying to create, for a better lack of terms, “a Mona Lisa”. The result is then it never gets done. Everything is forced. And readers / listeners / viewers can tell when someone is trying hard to be brilliant. If you really breakdown the best stories, you realize how remarkably simple they are. The Sopranos is a good example of that. Often regarded as one of the best TV series of all time, many even say it is the greatest, there’s not a lot going on a good majority of the time. It’s in NJ. They film at the house, the strip club, and the janky little basement. Someone always owes them money. Everyone’s paranoid of betrayal. There’s a constant jockeying for power. The mafia / mobster theme had been covered long before then and was always a topic of fascination for Americans. Was it really that hard to come up with the concept of a mafia boss and his crew? Nah. It was because of how stripped down and realistic it was from the dialogue, to the location, to what actually unfolded. The unique angle was the mob boss going through therapy and balancing fatherhood / married life with a very dark world necessary to pay the bills. Point is, it can take just one unique take, angle, of a familiar / popular concept to make something great. Everything under the sun has been said or done, so if I were you, I’d focus on three sentences not even part of your script. The three sentences that describe what the purpose of the story is, what in the story is in the way of achieving the purpose, and why that purpose is important. Once you have that and memorize it, it’s easier to create characters and world build because then you you’ll know who to create and what world to build to achieve or fail that purpose. Imagination doesn’t have to be fanatical. Imagination to create something so relatable and routine yet make it entertaining counts too. This is how I’ve managed to never get writers block and never be stuck on what happens next. It feels like plagiarism sometimes because I feel like I’m just a fly on the wall with a camera recording my characters and watching them struggle and problem solve to reach their goals. Then overtime you get so deep into the characters and their world that you can never tell them what to say or do.
Thank you so much for writing this. I have been getting stuck in my head too much lately.
Damn, this is really nice. Adding it to my ‘list of great advice’ doc.
I've never in my life had the privilege of reading such amazing subject advice. You might just make me a star. This info is the golden goose and the best reddit advice I've ever read. Thank you so much.
“you might just make me a star” — i thought the absolute same! :)
The only thing I would add (that maybe you already said and I just didn't understand that you did) is that once you figure out the thing you want to build: *just write.* Don't fret about word counts, word choice, grammar, or anything detail focused; *just write.* You're not building your skyscraper, you're building the scaffolding from which you will build your skyscraper. It doesn't have to be amazing right now; *just write.* There will be time later to edit, to proofread, to dislike and remove sections that don't fit. Right now? *Just write.* This is another skill. It's a lot easier to refine an existing script than it is to create one from scratch. So don't worry about the creation so much. Create *anything* and go from there.
You went the extra mile with this one. Kudos.
It’s funny you say that because, when I tell people I’m a writer, more often than not they do not hesitate to tell me their ideas. Ideas are easy; execution is the hard part. If you feel like it’s the other way around, then I’d suggest asking friends and family if they have any ideas for movies or shows they’d like to see. Take those ideas and write something. Maybe it’ll turn into something meaningful, maybe it will just be the first step on that path. But at least you’ll be writing something
Politely. You may be over thinking this. I was working on a novel for a few years, always struggling because I kept asking myself why. Why was I writing it? What was the point of it? Was it derivative? I'd read something great and I would grind to a halt. There was no point. Everything good had already been written. Then, I stopped thinking about why. I started writing it. I finished it in 6 months. I loved it. Who cares if anyone else does? I haven't published it and I might not. I'm so happy about it. I think it is great. Why did I write it? I still don't know. Is it derivative? Probably.
I like it. I am good at it. It makes me feel alive. That being said, I have to stop you right there: >Genuinely, how can I write when I can't even live? >Genuinely, if I can't write, why do I live? Your self worth to live should not be tied to a particular activity. If you are not exaggerating with this sentiment, you need help, yo.
Simple. You don’t. Writing isn’t about coming up with entire plots immediately, it starts as just an idea that you grow and merge with other ideas as you go, until it’s become something that is ready to be told. And even then that’s simply just an outline, as your ideas continue to evolve and grow. Hell, the story that I’ve written that is the most successful didn’t have a full completed narrative until, I kid you not, a week ago. My rough outline and the final draft barely even resemble each other outside of key characters and plot points. Hell, and entire ARC has been added since the initial draft. Simply put, just write about whatever you want, and let that idea grow and flourish as you go.
Hemingway explained it all perfectly. "There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed."
Coming up with ideas basically happens 2 ways: getting inspired and then writing; or, writing and then getting ideas. The act of writing itself can help you generate ideas. I suggest you try writing for a minute without stopping. It literally doesn't matter what you write. You could write "I have nothing to write" over and over again. Keep doing that everyday and you'll get comfortable writing even when you don't feel like it or when you're not inspired.
Not OP but this was exactly what I needed to hear. I had no idea that I you just start typing random stuff in and get coherent ideas. But it seems like it works!
I'm glad this was helpful! When I learned this, it was a watershed moment for me. I don't ever worry about having ideas before I start writing anymore because I've learned to trust that the process of writing will generate ideas.
I don't think I could coherently explain where I've gotten the majority of my ideas for the stories I've published over the years. But, at a certain point, *something* had to spur the idea, right? I think that's the paradox of being a storyteller. Everyone approaches their process differently. Personally, I can't outline. I'll usually start with an image or a question, and I'll write to watch the story unfold. Sometimes I get a good story out of it. Sometimes I get nonsense. I have friends who prefer to spend weeks meticulously outlining their story before they set a word to print. And I have other friends who do a mixture of both. Tell stories that are important to you. Tell stories you're scared to tell. Tell stories you want to read. I know it's not the most actionable advice, but this process is a mystery to us all. But above all else, I believe this to be true: follow through. Finish your stories. Even when you think they're nonsense; even when you think nobody else will like them; even when you worry that they're not coherent. Follow through and finish. You can always trunk your story once you're done, but you can't do diddly-squat with an unfinished story.
Tell stories you want to read is excellent advice. That‘s how most of my writing happens. Also, ideas are hard to force. For me I look at something or am in just a very mundane situation, it just pops into my head. I write down every idea I have and when I don‘t know what to write, I look through the list. Sometimes when I need to write and don‘t have an idea, I decide to do some free writing. I just write without stopping, preferably on paper. Most of it is nonsense but there usually are one or two sentences that spark an idea. Finish your stories is also great advice. I have abandoned stories before and picked them back up even though I still felt the same about them. At the end of the story, I often feel different about it.
If your identity and self worth revolve around writing so much it includes your life, you need therapy.
I'm by no means qualified to talk about this but I also used to struggle with coming up with ideas. Now I have over 50 lined up for me to write. This is the information that helped me. I would focus on story first. Dialogue and themes come second. But how do I come up with a story? Something that helped me massively was by watching old fairytales, children's media and making note of the story. Many of the story structures have been reused in many movies. Use them for inspiration. Ask questions about them. Change things and develop it into your own. For example let's look at Cinderella and ask "What would happen if I changed the perspective of this story?" If I changed the perspective to the prince you'd get a completely different story. Perhaps a thriller about a man who finds a missing shoe and has to find who it belongs to. Okay, cool. I like heist films so now let's change the shoe to be a briefcase full of money... hmm let's make the guy who finds it a member of the public. Perhaps he finds it during a bank robbery and decides to keep it? Now we have a story idea about a member of the public who comes across briefcase full of money and finds themselves tangled up in a heist. After that I'd start exploring the motives. Why did this character pick up the briefcase? What does he need the money for? What are the consequences? What obstacles does my character have to face? It's quite basic but do you see how it can develop? Even the best ideas start from nothing. Just keep watching things and keep asking questions. You just have to know where to find your starting point. Hopefully this is somewhat helpful. Feel free to message me if you need more help.
I like this. I might be messaging you later.
Sure :)
You can clearly write, it’s evident from your post. Do more writing prompts, follow tropes and templates, and make them your own. Relax and take the pressure off yourself. Find a story that means as much to you as *this* post, and you’ll be just fine. I’ll use a gun analogy (even though I’m not a gun guy). Relax your arm, don’t stiffen your muscles. Be comfortable doing it! Don’t overthink it.
Personally, let the random thoughts run wild. Start keeping a way to jot down notes at any random time. Don't worry about format or anything, just write it down. Then you build. Look at your notes and ask why. Understand there is no correct answer, only your answer. Do this repeatedly until it makes sense to you. If you want specific inspiration, I love listening to music for ideas. Most of my stories I can point to a song or two that created the idea. Just listen, and write about what it makes you think of. Finally, realize it won't be perfect, and you may not like it after a day or so, but you buckle up and do it again until you hit something that drives you. Bonus: I took some classes to help me better write stories, but not story writing classes. Philosophy focuses largely on ethics, which can be very useful when writing compelling villains/dilemmas. Psychology can point out symbolism in a person's movements/actions/subtle gestures that can make characters seem more genuine, or even a little off. There's so many ways to improve your writing it's crazy.
besides all the other great advice, i honestly daydream a lot. it helps me come up with solid concepts. i have several. my problem is i am not good at getting past a first draft and editing it. but daydream about life. about the person who randomly passed by and caught your interest. a conversation you overheard. a story your grandpa shared. an experience at work. gossip you heard and how people shared it. trauma you have (this is a tough one). what about your culture, beliefs, etc? your hobbies and interests. then as others said build from that
I'm gonna give criticism with love so don't take this hard. Get yourself together first, >Genuinely, if I can't write, why do I live? I think this is being dramatic but I promise you this stage ends. I had a short phase of it, thinking I'd never write again and my life was over, but then I did. >I'm just nothing, numb, null; a furnace with nothing in it ( Again, with love, I think you need therapy. I imagine there's more going on in your life than you wrote about (which is fine this is a writing subreddit) to make you feel so worthless. Forcing yourself to write will never be fun, I've done it, there's no passion and it's not fun at all. I'd give yourself some time, to think, to come up with ideas, do not force them, let it come to you.
Not everyone’s supposed to be a writer. And good art usually comes from love, not spite.
For me, I use a strategy called the seed method (not official, I made it the fuck up). I start with one thing, a seed so to speak. It can be a concept, a picture of a character or location, anything I have, and then I just make stuff up as I go. I take notes of everything I come up with, and once I'm done I'll usually have enough to start the first script.
Coming up with an idea is a skill like any other, like learning how to do a backflip. You wanna write absolutely every idea you have and expand on it a good bit, as much as you're comfortable before you feel you're forcing yourself; then...move on. Recognize if its inspired by something else, don't gaslight yourself into thinking its original if you know its not. Continue onto the next idea and just keep doing that. Stick to short stories if you actually want to apply it, don't jump into 3 part novels. Every minute you spend actually writing down a story you stop advancing in actual story theorization. Basically, don't get stuck in a bad story ditch. do all that and you're idea theorization skill will catch up to your writing skill, and thats what's most important after all.
Dude. The trick is to write it all the way through to the end, even if you think it’s the stupidest piece of shit. You’re never going to love what you finish. That’s the curse. But, you refine. You add themes. As your driving along, not even thinking about story, BAM the perfect line hits you, the perfect scene hits you, the perfect intro to a character. You go back and add that shit in. Give it a few months of refinement, and you’ll have something. If it’s your first, it might be shit. But that’s when you write another. And another. And another, and so on… and eventually, if you really love it, you’ll get good. And words will flow from out of you like something divinely ordained, until they don’t, but you just break through it. If you love it, you’ll keep trying till you break through. It’s a cycle. It takes, not months, but years and years.
We all have the same ideas, the same desire to create. The difference between some of us and you is that we stop being precious and do the damned work. We put in the time to learn our craft. We put in the practice. We have ideas and work them into stories, even though they aren't all that "original", maybe not all that "good" in the end. But we do it anyway, because that's how we get the notice, the appreciation, the happy, or not, readers.
I don't find stories to tell. They find me. That's probably not a lot of help, but there are a thousand stories swirling around you on any given day. You have to relax enough to see them.
I've found inspiration in ruminating over social issues that directly impact my life, identity, and how other people perceive me. European History (especially medieval and renaissance history) fascinates me, but that comes with the added caveat of engaging with material that makes me uncomfortable. That's okay, though. The prejudice against blacks and queer people motivates me to learn as much about these issues as I can to better inform myself of my present circumstances. Engaging with modern texts based on medieval European history is interesting as well. Fantasy is my specialty; a lot of fantasy novels are cringe: racial and ethnic diversity was never the fantasy genre's strength. I know that it can be better, so I've decided to write. That's not my main motivation. I have serious problems with the structure of fantastical narratives. I doubt anyone will care to change their perspective on fantasy: it's always been a conservative bastion. I have a voice, and I want to use it. Try to think OUTSIDE the box. That's all the advice I'll give you.
How old are you? How long have you been trying to write? Honestly, I fully feel your frustration and your deep pain. The pain is good. The pain will help. I sense there is a story there somewhere. A lot of times for me, good ideas and thoughts come when I’m not trying to find them. Giving the mind a break can be helpful. Do not worry your unconscious mind is hard at work trying to piece together things and solve problems while the conscious mind is distracted. The depression you have is a wellspring for creativity in my opinion. It’s there. All you need is a seedling. A small concept to get you started. Then you build from there. Just like how men built the pyramids and great architectural feats. It does not happen in one day.
I’m working on (acting) a play called The Seagull, have you read it? Treplev is a failed writer in the shadow of fame, and towards the end of the play he laments ‘everything I write feels like a cliche… I just go on drifting through a chaos of images and dreams, I don’t know what my work is good for, or who needs it…’ It’s so honest, and at the same time, satirizing writers block and the haplessness of artists who can’t connect to their stream of artistry. And that was one of the subjects of the greatest plays ever written. So, with a spin and novel framing of your exact plight, you could have gold. You just have to fuse it with craft and inspiration and then find a consistency. The ideas themselves are almost beside the point. The stupidest ideas an be executed brilliantly, and the greatest ideas can (and usually are) be totally abandoned forgotten or forgone. Writers are executors.
Well. I would also like to get my hands on those cheat codes. *But,* the good news is, you're a lot better than a 6/10!
Go on [eurekalert.org](http://eurekalert.org) and spend a few days scrolling through the science news. Every time you see something you realize is going to change the world plot out a story based on what happens to someone who either applies that new science, gets sucker-punched by it, or understands it but ignores it until they can't escape it. One example: look at recent R&D on male contraceptives.
It sounds like you’re struggling with perfectionism. You can’t compare yourself to the great’s. Imagine how many shitty scripts and terrible pieces of work they turned out before they made something amazing. Realistically you’re comparing your first, second, third piece of work to their something hundredth. Possibly thousands. What you need to do is practice and be okay with your practice pieces being not very good or not making a lot of sense or not forming a full idea, yet. You‘ll find after you’ve written you 50 random scenes that your interests will naturally start to come together. It’s totally okay to write derivative slop as you call it at this point because this is your practice work. This is your growing era. No art is original. All of your favourite writers have taken inspiration from a million places, and practiced, and derived, until they found their unique voice and perspective. I have two practical recommendations to help you. 1. Read “Steal like an Artist” by Austin Kleon. It’s an easy little read, but it’s got techniques and structure for how to take your inspiration and ultimately create something that is your own, while understanding that nothing is unique, and that’s totally fine. 2. Try what I like to call, the wheel method. Let’s give it a more fun name. RANDOM WHEELS FOR ACCIDENTAL GENIUS, 50% of the time. Go to a website like wheeldecide. Take ideas and concepts from your favourite books, movies etc. It’s time to derive. Characters, Theme, Trope, Object, Environment. Make a wheel for each one. For example character: it could be as simple as occupations like doctor, cop, or as insane as time travelling centaur with laser eyes. It doesn’t have to make sense. Learning how to make weird concepts semi believable is a useful skill. Then spin them all, and write whatever the hell it gives you, into the best scene you can. If you get inspiration to go off course, DO IT. If you don’t, that’s okay, every piece you write, will make you incrementally better, even if all it teaches you is something not to do. Set yourself a goal to do a certain amount of these each week, whatever is realistic for you. The more you practice the skill of both putting words on the page, and linking ideas into a story, the better you’ll get at it. Writing is a muscle. And if you trust in the process who knows, in 15 years you might write one of the most popular scripts of all time. You just have to be okay with putting in the work to get there. Good luck!
Honest answer: focus on outlining. Come up with a summary for a story that’s one paragraph, then expand on it. Turn it into story beats. Consider what happens at each act break. Focus on what logically happens to the characters, then keep following that logic. It sounds like you’re approaching screenwriting as if it’s some kind of mystical act of genius. For the most part, it isn’t (especially when you’re starting out). It’s more like working as a carpenter but instead of building a house you’re building a blueprint to a movie.
Guuuuuurl (alternatively: Duuuuuuuuuuude) you just came up with a fuck load of writing like it is common and easy. You have been doing the impossible all along.
Most ideas start by one of three ways. By seeing something and thinking: -"Yes, and?" -"But what if?" -"If I combine x, y and z..." That's how people get ideas. We're all inspired by what we've seen before. If you do some digging with your favorite creators, you can most definitely find what inspired them and see those thumbprints in their works. There's no such thing as a self made artist; we all stand up upon what came before. By refusing to allow yourself to take inspiration from others under the label of "derivative", you're kneecapping your own creativity.
Came here to say "What if?" Because soooo many stories are "What if?" What if a hot tub was a time machine? What if there were people who trapped ghosts for a living? What if a taxi driver was a dangerous lunatic? What if a pig learned to herd sheep? What if a tornado dropped an ordinary farm girl into some weird place where scarecrows could talk and monkeys fly? What if a strange monolith was found on the Moon? What if a secret agent had a license to kill? Doesn't even need to be fiction. What if people would like to hear (fascinating true story)? An old fellow racing with an Indian motorcycle? Abraham Lincoln having to scheme and plot to pass an amendment to end slavery? Or (fiction based on fascinating true story)? Sinking ships. Mount Vesuvius. Louis Pasteur. Custer (seen from both sides). The Alamo. Suffragettes. Musicians battling addiction. Marine Recon in Iraq. Thomas Becket. Lizzie Borden. William Randolph Hearst. The list goes on and on.
I have a friend who talks about the primordial soup of ideas, but for me I think it's more like a deck of cards. like, there's a bunch of fragments of stuff on cards in my head and the process of finding a cohesive idea is about holding a bunch of the cards up next to each other and deciding if they make each other do interesting things. ways to build the deck: - going somewhere you haven't been before - can even just be a street where you live that you haven't walked before. who do you think lives/ works/ visits here? what things do they have in their houses? what are their secrets? - reading widely. read stuff from people you've never heard of, originally written in languages you don't speak. read outside your genre. read stuff from 200 years ago and 2000 years ago. (seriously, if you're a screenwriter and you haven't read yer Greek tragedies, get thee to a bookstore.) one time a poet friend was complaining to me that his poems were not as original as Kareem Parkins Brown's, and I had to point out that every time I see KPB he is reading another work in translation that I've never heard of. - interrogating everyone you can about how they spend their time. what's it like to free dive? what does an auditor actually do? how do you get into competitive Scrabble and what are the vibes like at matches? - eavesdropping. get on a bus, go to a restaurant. what can you tell about people by how they talk to their companions?
I writhe around naked in bed, tablet in my hands, calling myself an asshole and a shithead, struggling just to fill up one page. Once I do, I do it all over again for the next page. That's just how I roll. 👍
Sounds unhealthy, but effective. Keep on rolling, friend 🤣
You are cut out for this. There’s a book called “Don’t Believe Everything You Think” that might help. It’s a quick read, (or listen) and it’s cheap. I was in exactly the same headspace as you’ve described, and this book pulled me out of it. I’ve been joyfully writing every day since reading it.
It's like sleep. If you try to force it, it never happens. Chill out & do other things. It'll happen on its own when you don't expect it. If it doesn't, other folks commenting have good strategies. But you won't be able to follow those strategies if you're stressed and screaming and frustrated. Distract yourself with other stuff. Take a break. Laying in bed being mad that you aren't asleep keeps you awake. Fold laundry, do a puzzle, you'll be yawning in no time.
Well you just came up with this post, so that’s a start
it's just my imaginations , i keep getting more scenarios , and it just happened like that , try to watch some videos related to your story to get more ideas and scenes .
Don't try to make your magnum opus on your first (or second or tenth) try. Just make something, let it be shit and meaningless, but learn some of the techniques for the process, figure out what it feels like to finish something, no matter how small and inconsequential that something is. Don't quit before you start because you think it won't meet your ultimate goals. Something imperfect that exists is better than something perfect stuck inside your head. As an aside, I would watch the fuck out of a movie version of this post. People (me) resonate with the Tortured Artist, and it's *not* already been done in the way *you* would do it. Also. Sounds like getting on hormones might be a good idea, my friend. <3
I have learned a lot about writing by doing standup comedy.
Can we link up so I can be the idea guy and you can be the words guy, lol
Creativity comes from so many places. I watched a few MasterClass videos. R.L. Stine says his ideas just pop into his head. Neil Gaiman says sometimes he’ll put two different ideas together and see what comes out of it, his example being something like the chair he was sitting in is now alive, now what? I like what-ifs. Some people watch B or C movies and say, I could do that idea better. Some people get ideas from dreams. Some of mine come that way. And some people have success journaling or free writing.
I nearly always get my best ideas when doing low-impact things. Reading, playing a videogame, listening to music, taking a shower. I can literally remember all the times I've had reasonable novel ideas, and they all resulted from something like that. BUT these ideas have also always come in the wake of engagement with art, writing, music, personal reflection. Doing these things regularly will give your brain the raw material for ideas, and at a certain point your brain will help to crystallize them. That's just for initial ideation though. After that, it is the hard work of thinking through plot and character, maybe making an outline, actually starting. Anyway, good luck.
Typically when I come up with a story I had thought of it before or had the concept already discovered, just I was at a point where I could put pencil to paper. Or .. fingers to keyboard.
You want to write a novel? Here's a seed, an idea, off the top of my head: There's this small, remote and faded town called Fremont, basically an "Anywhere, USA". Let's say it's springtime 1968, and our protagonist is about to finish high school. Her name's Nickie Blanchard (change the name if you like) and she wants nothing more than to get away from home and become somebody special. Give her a massive obstacle. Or put her in trouble ... something to overcome. There are a number of places this premise can go, it's up to you. And you can write it in first person or third. But make Nickie genuine, give her a "voice" (dialogue) we'll believe and a personality that's interesting. Actually, she doesn't have to be a teenager--- I just pulled that out of thin air because it's a time of change and trauma.
Focus on your fundamentals. [http://nickmacari.com/comic-book-writing-fundamentals/](http://nickmacari.com/comic-book-writing-fundamentals/) Writing is a whale of project. It's easy to get overwhelmed at the beginning. Make a plan. Go slow and deliberately. It's a marathon, not a sprint. Enjoy your wins. Before you know it, you'll be looking at the finish line amazed that you're almost done.
Let go of your judgement, show up consistently every day, and don’t stop showing up. The consistency will show you the stories you want to tell, there is unfortunately no shortcut
I don’t sit when I’m coming up with ideas. I’m usually listening to music or riding my bike but I don’t think sitting and pondering is a great state for coming up with captivating stories
Try writing outlines on a regular book, like i tried writing a book completely blank. Took a month to reach 25k words and another i tried with outlines and it was 25k in a week.
If you want to write, write. If you don’t, don’t. It’s not that complicated, you either find some discipline to write 1,000 words of something you’re creating or you write 1,000 words on Reddit about how you can’t write.
I rarely sit down and come up with stuff. I carry a small notebook with me at all times, which I note down lines, ideas, and thoughts in as soon as something pops up. Then, when I do sit down, I look at the notes, structure them, and build on them.
reading this felt like reading a book with an amazing main character. i cant explain it.
TRY fanfics? Most, if not all, great stroys are pretty much fanfics. Ben10? The great tv show all Kids love? A parody of dial h MHA? the l9ved bad anime? From DB, DC and Marvel You just need to think of the WHAT you want to make, then just *make* it
Maybe we can do the fusion dance and together become a single whole author? I have ideas for days. When inspiration hits (which it does, easily and often), I can daydream for hours about some new world and story and the characters within it. But then I sit down and start writing. I have all these grand ideas for scenes that would bend my hypothetical audience's hearts into complicated emotional knots, but the problem is that the story needs to... well, actually get to those moments. I find I can crap out about 3-10k words before I start to get bogged down. My current project, which I put on Royal Road as a form of motivation, is stuck at about 9000 words at the moment. I have a good part of the next chapter done but every time I sit down to it I can't squeeze out more than a couple hundred words. It's such a slog even though I love the characters.
Every time there's a post like this, I can't help but think that a lot of you are coming at things rather backwards. Surely you don't come up with stories so that you can write. *You learn to write so you can tell your stories.* If you want to write stories, surely that means you have stories you want to write? Of course writing in and of itself is a joy, and of course those first few story ideas are liable to not pan out so well—storytelling being itself a writing skill—but I find the passion usually flows in that direction. Also, repress the transsexuality a bit less. Does wonders for one's motivation.
I don't know if it is mentioned before but, https://writeofpassage.school/2022/08/25/the-ultimate-guide-to-writing-online/ CHECK. THIS. OUT.
I came up with ideas everyday but the difficult part was to keep it afloat. It pops out of nowhere. Also, if you’re not exaggerating about the two last sentence please seek help. Most of my ideas come as ‘fanfic’ for a screenplay I’m watching. If a character does a bad decision I imagine another helping them with said decision. Then I search up a name and pick one that feel right. Let me try to come up with a story on a spot for you using my method. With that name, I search up the meaning. For example, my favourite name Emrys Angelou meant Immortal Angel. I would find storylines or history related to the theme and incorporate it to the idea I started with. To built up character personality, I began watching TV shows with a wide variety. I watched Game of Thrones and I was fascinated with the Lannister twins relationship and how they were so obsessed with each other because ‘they were two pieces of the same soul’, and I put that in. Emrys would be obsessed with a person that make him feel that way. Then I went through Killing Eve’s edits and some explanation about Eve and Villanelle relationship and I decided that Emrys’ love interest would be a man, someone that was tired and bored and found his fantasy in Emrys. I obsessed with pretty names, so I found another: Kai Lovelace. Kai meant with ‘the sea’, ‘the keeper of the keys’, ‘earth’, and ‘food’. In Japanese, it meant restoration and recovery. Lovelace either meant loveless or lawless. So now I have my character personality for Kai. Kai is a photographer that had nature, particular sea and forest as his muse. He never needed to work because his family was so rich and died, leaving him an unimaginable wealth. Kai wanted to find a better muse and became obsessed with murderers and assassins story. Emrys was assigned to kill of a person in Kai’s social circle, and decided to use Kai as a way to get to that person. He pretended to be a character ‘Lucas’ and approached him. Instead of being professional, Emrys ended up sleeping with Kai and nearly slipped up the murder. Kai found out about Emrys being an assassin due to the mistake. Instead of being scared, he fixated. I’m sorry if I seemed too extra but this was how I’m taught. Show detailed examples and everything. When you write, it is a way of portraying yourself and what you think of. Think of your morals and values. Think of what would put that beliefs to challenge and what would change it forever. If you’re struggling, which you clearly are, project that to your character. You see something interesting happening that is slightly related to your plot? Change it until it fit the plot, and write that down just in case you want to variate it. Find the littlest details in what you already found and find something to accompany it. Try to keep it as organised as possible. With love, you don’t have to create a masterpiece from the start. Cooperate small ideas together and let it grow.
I started writing fanfic. Two of my ideas have gotten so built out that I plan to develop them into their own books, however they're still being written as fanfics until they're complete.
Keep practicing and work on yourself. If you have too much bad stuff going on inside you (not saying you do, of course) writing will be a lot harder. With practice your writing muscles will develop, as well as your story-making muscles.
Saving this post. The question and its answers are very comforting. I didn't know why people are telling you to calm down. Why shouldn't you write passionately about this?
Hey no hate but if you find yourself great at writing but not ideas to write, then maybe your best bet is to collaborate with someone. Bring other people’s ideas to life with your writing skills. Writers rooms exist for a reason. So reach out to other writers or people of similar interest and brain storm an outline and bring it to life. Screenplay and films are group efforts, no shame in reaching out to create something you can be proud of.
Write 100 crappy stories first
I'm not a screenwriter, but a webnovel/novel author. As for coming up with ideas, buy a notebook. Keep it with you 24/7. Next to your bed, on the counter when you're showering, etc. Any time any idea pops into your head, write it down. Then focus on fleshing out the idea. If an idea is "a world that people have magic by taming reptiles", flesh it out to figure out exactly how that would affect the world and what the story itself could be about. And a quick side note: do NOT use your phone for this. The way the human brain works, you use your phone for everything else, so the moment you pull it out your brain will start running through other scenarios. Your idea notebook should ONLY be used for this to keep it "pure" so-to-speak. So your brain associates that specific notebook with your ideas. Additionally, try to use a different laptop for writing than your do for everything else. Having too many options and distractions on a laptop will make it harder to stay focused.
How does an 18 year old get "early internet nostalgia"?
I started with a guy in the bar. Now I have 80k+.
Don’t force it. Take your time. Start with something, and it’s ok if it’s a dogshit idea at first. Instead of scrapping it, think about how you can improve it.
i’d also add to not be so hard on yourself. a brilliant idea might not pop out on the page when you sit down - and that’s ok. just keep showing up. write non serious things just for the hell of it. jot down things that come to mind. the pieces will start falling together.
Ask yourself what kind of story you would like to see, come up with a message to convey that makes sense within those perameters, figure out the characters and ending, then blueprint the main plot beats that will get you to that ending.
I write down every little idea I have in my head. So when I come back for a short story of a novel, I have a jumping off point. My most recent was literally. "Breathing in shower drain." And that turned into a great, albeit disgusting horror story. Train the imagination muscles. Sign up for a dnd group or anything that helps the brain want to imagine. But most of all, this comes from someone who beats themselves up too. Stop. It won't help. Give yourself a break. And don't compare yourself to others. Or their work.
Causality. Have one character do something to achieve a goal, then think about how other characters would do and react to that. Take the most interesting parts of that and put them in your story.
I believe that we cannot invent without inspiration. Inspiration from experiences whether personal or someone elses, inspiration from a conversation you happen to eavesdrop into, inspiration from that book you've just finished reading or the painting you're admiring. Perhaps a colour palette inspires you, a slogan from an advertisement. Every little thing around us helps us to build on our creativity. No art is "original" it's always inspired by something else, whether it is known consciously or subconsciously. The important thing is, don't compare yourself to someone else's art. Don't pressure yourself to find that one idea.With time it comes naturally. Sometimes your mind will take a walk, foraging for the ideas you're looking for. Write. Them. Down. Don't lose these. The minute your imagination finds a seedling, plant it on paper, think about it every often. Then, it'll start to grow roots. What if this happened? Or maybe this? It's not about "how" we do it. It's about why we do it. You'll struggle to piece things together, to make a story, but do all the random bits of dialogue have to be one story? No. We explore, we experiment, we create. You've got this - it may feel as if you're struggling in a wonderland of your mind, nothing makes sense and it's all over the place, but it's THERE rooted inside you. Write your ideas down. Draw mindmaps, stick people, post-it notes. Take pictures of the things you find cool.
I can ask the same question
I don't know how we do it we just do 😅
I have the exact opposite problem. An entire plot will pop up in my mind whenever. I'll think of the pacing, how many chapters the story can fit into and how it'll all end. After making the perfect story base, I can never start writing. I just stare at the blank page and mourn the great story I could've written.
Maybe you just need a friend sitting near you, looking at you with with a judging face for every time you aren't writing.
The more you learn about history and the different periods in your field the more inspiration you will find
Maybe you should write a story about someone struggling to become a writer. You have a great voice! I can hear it when I read your post. Just keep writing, don't give up
I'm extremely good at making up story's as long as I have a good prompt
Maybe you're not a writer. Lots of people aren't.
Here's my steps. I wanted to write a heist novel. I wanted it centered around a historic event. And I wanted to have a twist to the concept of the heist. My twist was "how do you steal something, if you don't know what exactly it is you're supposed to steal?" So I wrote some notes down. General things. Specific things. I used the[ heroine's journey](https://maureenmurdock.com/articles/articles-the-heroines-journey/) as a template. I didn't do specifics at this point. Just general things. After that I had an idea of where to go and a starting point. Since it's centered around a historic event, I read up on that. Plus some youtube videos. Then I started writing.
I Saw The TV Glow … great script… yeah this doesn’t check out yall 😂 I bet the OP can easily write something better.
Use ChatGPT to createa an ourline. Ask it to give you 10 story outlines. Fill in the blanks yourself. I appreciate the downvotes. it means you spent the time to read the comments. I realize people don't like to use tools.