You’ve got far more ideas lurking in the dark depths of your mind than you think. It’s a cave crammed with suggested answers to the question, “What if…?”
Do you remember an old-time radio drama, The Shadow, “Who knows what lurks in the hearts (and minds) of men? The Shadow knows.” It continues to inspire me. To refresh your memory, or if you never knew, visit YouTube and search Orson Welles intro and music of The Shadow.
Who knows what ideas lurk in your mind? You do! Here are some hints to lure some of them forth.
1. Pick a topic in your mind related to an idea you wish to materialize. Write down at least three related images and snippets of a scene. Pick one and say, what if? And then what? And that dominoes into the next image. Are you writing these ideas down? Don’t stop until you are sure the well, and your mind cave, are temporarily exhausted. Stephen King said, “Stories are relics, part of an undiscovered pre-existing world.”
2. Have some idea where you want to go with a new story, character back-story, or a new twist in your writing. Write these down. If you don’t know where you want to go, create yourself a mind-prompt.
3. Brainstorm with others — prime the pump with the craziest thing you can imagine. Provide the kindling, then see what your friends toss on the fire. Encourage wild and crazy hitch-hike ideas from the previous. Have fun. Don’t try to judge what spews forth. That’s for later.
4. Fresh ideas are like mice, and they can multiply quickly. Don’t stop. Keep at it as long as the faucet is flowing.
5. Think of polar opposites. Reverse an enjoyable image with the jolt of a disaster. Keep your roller coaster going through peaks, valleys, and stretch the thrills. Enjoy the ride.
6. With a pencil and paper, start writing. Does not matter what you put down. Sentence fragments are fine. While you mindlessly jot things down, dig into the outer limits of your imagination. Then try to focus the universe of created stars and magnify a single one. Zoom in. What’s unique about it.
7. For an even fresher batch of ideas, play ‘make up a story’ with some children by tossing out Rory’s Story Cubes*. They are sets of nine dice with drawings on all six sides. Brainstorm with the kids on a whole storyline and see where you go from there.
Closing thought: There are tons and tons of buried potential great ideas worth developing in the deep cave of your mind. Get started. Don’t procrastinate by waiting until you get a round tuit.
* Google storycubes
