Brainstorming . . . Even the word sounds a little creepy. Like there is a storm inside your brain. It sounds... It sounds sort of violent and hazardous and windy. In this podcast, we talk about the storms inside our brain and how those storms can become story ideas.

Some authors have a really hard time just getting an idea for a new story. They burn out. They can't find anything that they think is 'good enough.' They just don't know where to start and that lack of a start makes them blocked.

This is so sad! There are ways to fight it.

One Way To Storm is BY Admiring Other's Work

Think about ways that other people's stories influence you. If you're an Outlander fan, think about why. If you were to write your own kind of time travel story would it be like that? With a lot of spanking and stuff? Or something totally different. How would it be different?

Another Way to Incite a Hailstorm of Questions

Ask your self questions. It's all about 'What if?' What if Trump wasn't president in 2018? What if everyone had blue hair? What if the earth had two moons? What if dogs were really space aliens?

Pogie the Dog: Wait. You mean they aren't?

Carrie the Human: No, buddy... I mean... I don't think so?

Third Way Where the Wind Is So Strong It Pushes Images into you

Some of my best ideas have come on a treadmill watching the country music network or MTV or some random YouTube channel with the sound off and just seeing images. Eventually, an image will hit me so hard that I have to write a story about it. The happened with my story, Love (and Other Uses for Duct Tape).

Fourth Way Of Icy Understanding

Figuring things out. This is sort of like Another Way, but instead of deliberately asking yourself off-the-wall questions, ask questions about things that matter to you.

A lot of my stories are because I don't understand something. Tips on Having a Gay (Ex) Boyfriend was because I couldn't understand a hate crime that had happened. I mean, you can never understand that kind of hate, but this one incident was so bizarre that the only way I could deal with it was to write my way through it.

Fifth Way—An Emotional Blizzard

Get emotional. What is it that always makes you laugh, cry with joy, weep with anger? What are the situations that pull at your heartstrings? Think about that as story. Write.

Dog Tip for Life

Inspiration is just attention. Notice what's around you. Then ideas will come.

Writing Tip of the Pod

Once you have your seed of information and your brain has successfully stormed, don't second guess your idea. Write it down. If you are a plot-first writer, think up the questions to flesh out your idea - who is the protagonist. What is she up against? What's her goal? How is she going to get it? Write it down. Do it. Don't block yourself.

RANDOM THOUGHT LINKS

APA article NPR

The music we’ve clipped and shortened in this podcast