Sorry, I couldn’t resist.
This is a concept near and dear to my heart. I love, love, love brainstorming. I actually like doing it for other people more
than for myself. I love the ‘what-ifs’
of writing. And I like coming in out of
the blue and tossing out ideas to my buds.
I’ve been brainstorming for years. I am blessed with a great group of friends
who are always willing to help me work my way out of whatever hole I’ve dug for
myself. For us it basically works like
this:
{Friend’s phone rings} Hello?
{Me} I’m screwed.
What’s wrong?
I don’t have enough conflict to
sustain the book. It’s now a short
story.
Tell me about where you are in
the story.
{Long recap}
Sounds like you’re rushing
it. Have you thought of X?
Um, no, but I don’t really like
that.
How about Y?
Y could work. Thank you! {I get giddy}
Okay, so maybe it’s a longer
conversation. We touch on characterization,
plotting, pacing, conflict – you name it, we bounce ideas off one another. The key to making this work is having a
brainstorming buddy who is familiar with what and how your write. My brainstorming buddies know better than to
brainstorm an angst-ridden subplot because they know this isn’t part of my
skill set. The other thing you really
need is trust. Make sure your
brainstorming buddy will tell you the truth.
If you want to be told how special you are, call your mommy. If you want an honest critique of where you’ve
zigged instead of zagged – brainstorm.
The other advantage of
brainstorming is plotting and pacing. By
running your plot past your buddy, you can often hear and see the places in
your plot that are weak and/or unnecessary.
The same is true of pacing.
Recapping your story gives you a better handle of how the book is
moving.
Brainstorming should help you,
not defeat you. Find the right person or
people and your manuscript will shine.
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