How to develop an original story for a fiction when you're out of inspiration ...

A lot of amateur writers decide to write a fiction because they already have a story or a concept in mind.

However, there are some other peoples who would like to write, but who don't know what to write. They have the motivation, but not yet the inspiration.

This tutorial is for them.
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Step 1: The seed ...

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Exactly like giant trees grow out of a little seed, your fiction needs something to start from.

This seed could be a simple sentence, a simple idea involving someone, a concept.

If even for the seed you're out of inspiration, just pick a name, a verb, and an complement.

For instance :

"John found a tiny medallion."
or
"It's a man who's very exhausted."
or
"Jacky has lost her cat."
or
"Mike got fired."
or
"Martin fell in love."
or
"Paola wakes up."
or
"Marina answers to the phone."

You don't need more. That's your seed.
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Comments

[artworker]

Awesome! Nice place to start for my fiction novel. It was pending for a long time.

[Lithium Rain]

Nice instructable. I am writing a novel/book, so this method is nice to get the creative juices flowing when I'm stuck. 5/5 stars.

[chooseausername]

Oh thanks ! =o)

Will I have the great honour to be authorized to read some page of your novel someday ???? =o)

[Lithium Rain]

As long as you don't show it to anyone else! I would welcome constructive criticism, but you have to promise not to actually mock me, it's pretty rough right now...:)

[chooseausername]

You know, I can be as much serious and reliable that I can be childish and funny. And I'm totally able to act appropriately.

So you have no worries to have about confidentiality and "constructivity".

However, keep in mind that English is not my first language. So I may not be able to appreciate the quality of your writing as it would deserve ... =o/

So if you want, you can send me some samples by PM, or I can give you my email address. =o)

[Lithium Rain]

I'll look at it and decide if it's ready to show or not...I go back and forth...:)

[holyfire]

omg! thats like my fav show!!! good instructable. At the moment im trying to right a book of short stories by the end of the summer. i already have 3 and i have the concept of the others in mind. Wish me luck! Ps: Stephen King rules!!!!!

[dungeon runner]

At one point in history, Bangor Maine was a renowned throughout the country as the pinnacle of culture and prosperity, not to mention wealth considering it was the lumber capital of the world. Now, if you're lucky, when an american hears the word "Bangor" they'll think of a crappy horror writer.

Not dissing your preferences in books. Just venting.

Bangor, ME, born and raised.

-Y

[Lithium Rain]

Mine too! I first discovered monk 2-3 years ago, in a hotel room in Corpus Christi, TX...and I've been hooked ever since!

[Glitchy Furrystuff]

 A very good read this was, I think this would help greatly with my current project. I have been developing it but this should help with the rest of the work.

[Whales]

 Ahh I've seen this method a few other places, but in most it's called the Snowflak(snow ball?) method i tried it, doesn't wiork well for me, but then again I've given up writing fiction stories for writing plays. There alittle easier for me.

[wizerd 745]

I may be able to carry this over into my drawing, maybe I can use it to come up with a comic!

[dungeon runner]

This is absolutely fantastic. This can be such a help to young, inexperienced, or otherwise out of ideas writers. It really does help. It also spawned the idea for my new writing project. Real cool.

[DemonsKat]

I'm in the conceptual stages of my story making the summaries. This has been very helpful! I've had writers block for years and the way i used to write was to start with chapter one and just let it flow out from there, go back and add things...but this sets up the whole thing before hand and makes it much easier!!! Thank you for making this it's very helpful!! :)

[jackiesk]

This is delightful. And good! Helpful way to encourage someone to start writing, using this "instructable (instructible?) as a map of sorts. One thought: If the writer actually hopes to be published at some point, if that is the goal, then it's better to look at the markets, pick a genre, and start with a short story. For example: Woman's World publishes a short romantic story and a short mystery each week. Write something that fits a market. Just as you would with any "product." Create what is wanted. Then you get published. When you get famous, people may read your avant garde stuff! This is a great map. Thanks, and I hope people who use it give you feedback when they finish a story.

[adjk94]

thanks for the help i will get on that ASAP

[Kait999]

Cool, I'll try this when I'm more awake,lol.

[duck-lemon]

this is awesome favourited bookmarked and +1 this is so what i needed.

[chooseausername]

I hope you'll let me read what you'll write. =o)

Is this for school ?

[duck-lemon]

No i like writing short stories and poems for fun it relaxes me.

[chooseausername]

That's a very nice hobby =o)
Do you have a webpage or a blog where you display them ?

Also, did you ever try to write "interactive stories" ?
(you know, that's fictions where you have a choice to make at the end of each page or paragrah :
- if you choose to break the window to enter in the old house, go to page 12
- if you choose to knock at the door, go to page 10)

[duck-lemon]

Heres an instructable i made on simple poemspoems
hope you enjoy it and post any of your poems you come up with.

[duck-lemon]

Naa i tried once but it's really tedious i might try again another time but for now i stick to poems and short stories. And no i don't have a webpage (for my work) i give to my mates to read to and stuff and just enjoy it myself. I might put some of my (simpler) poems on here that i write for little kids at my school.

[chooseausername]

I'd be curious to read some of your short stories and poems =o)
You could make a blog here or here to share them.

I've read your instructable. I find that kids poems are not that easy to write ...

[duck-lemon]

It's different for all of us.
And i've made many a website:

mainlytkd.co.nr
Mc shizzle
fecies

Thanks anyway.

[chooseausername]

Hey, thanks to your website, I've discovered the history of Taekwen-do ! =o)

About your foundation ... what a pun ! lol

[duck-lemon]

Yeah damn WTF giving TKD a bad name!

[chooseausername]

Taekwon-Do !

[duck-lemon]

Tae-Kwon-Do

Do= Art/way
Tae=hand
Kwon=feet/foot

Tae-Kwon-Do = the way/art of the hands and feet

[hedgiehog]

grammar is also useful lol,"Paola wake up in her kitchen."

[chooseausername]

Thanks for pointing out that !
Despite English grammar is simpler than French grammar, I tend to forget this damned S for the third person all the time .................

=o)

[hedgiehog]

i agree, french is hard to learn, and all the words sound the same. lol

[chooseausername]

and all the words sound the same. lol

LOL ! That's very true !

[hedgiehog]

hey, i make tos of mistakes, im no better, just wanted to point that out

[chooseausername]

Don't worry, I absolutely don't mind when someone tries to help me to improve my English ! I'm mainly here for that purpose !

And I'm very open to critics also =o)

How could we make progresses if no one dare telling what's wrong just because critics are double-edged ?

;o)

[RonArcherAlias]

Great instructable! very thorough! but what about the senses?

[chooseausername]

Do you mean the "sense of the story" (like a morale) ?

[GorillazMiko]

Awesome! Very descriptive, looks like you put a lot of work into making this Instructable. :D

[frogisamoose]

. Wow, even better than I thought Y, I have no problem at all telling you how much I LOVE this instructable. You are so cool and so brave to write this in English. so clear, thank you, thank you! The plant/growing images are dynamite and really pull the basic ideas into the readers mind; plants them there actually. As I may have said before, I really love to write and can go on and on all day (I often do) just making up words, phrases, characters and creating images out of whole-cloth. Not that I don't care what others think I do, but it is not primary. It has taken a long time for me to get that kind of freedom in both literary and visual art. Whether good stuff or not, writers write, they don't worry much about it. .

[hedgiehog]

good instructable, but this will only get you so far. I find that if you map out you ideas, even section at a time, put it all together and write it as if you were there. only leave out the really boring unimportant parts, so essientally it helps to write from inside the book