“Are you talking about writing a novel? You sound like two friends gossiping,” my host Joan exclaimed when I emerged from my vintage RV following a phone session with one of my writing coach clients about her latest book.
“We are in a way,” I replied. “She’s still cranking out her rough draft. So we talk about her characters and whether their actions make sense. Then we brainstorm what could happen instead. It’s so much fun!”
That’s right. Fun.
I know. That’s not a word that authors often bandy about when talking about writing a novel. But it could be.
The hardest part about writing almost anything is figuring out what you’re going to say or, in the case of a novel, what’s going to happen. If you can brainstorm some of that with someone you trust, the process turns from problematic to pleasurable.
This week, I’ve bandied around plot ideas with two novelists. I didn’t start either writing coach session with any kind of set notion. Indeed, I didn’t even expect that we would talk about plot possibilities. The conversations just turned in that direction, and before I knew it, our brainstorming had yielded the creative results it almost always does.
You just can’t beat that kind of spontaneous conversation during which each participants hops from idea to idea, climbing in directions neither one would have come up with on their own. I just love it. Fortunately, my clients seem to love it as much as I do.
If no one will indulge you with some constructive brainstorming and you don’t have a writing coach you can count on, you’re going to have to rely on yourself.
As some of you already know, I’m a huge sloppy copy fan. Indeed, I ask most of my clients to craft a Sloppy Letter to Linden at the start of a project and whenever they get stuck. Think of this as written free association, suspend any and all judgment and let the words fly like untethered balloons.
Research provides another way not only to gather details that will bring your book to life but to spark your imagination. Whether you opt to dive into online research or dive into books, just remember to read actively and make notes rather than getting sucked in. Interviewing people, either in person or on the phone, will also provide you with unexpected perspectives.
However you get your inspiration, give it a whirl and see what happens. Just remember to have a little fun along the way.
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