Writing Hypothesis: I

In theory writing should be a creative process. And I am aware that Hypothesis is the step leading into theory, so I titled this series correctly. It would become theory after other attempted the experiment with great success. I call it Hypothesis because rarely will you find two writers who experience success with the same method.

Yes that was a random explanation. Moving on.
 
Writing formula in progress.

So I'm getting back on track with my writing, personal stuff aside, I am writing may way through it all. As you may have guessed this is another writing tips page, like I was posting in August. Help for other writers as I become more productive.

Some use note cards, or charts, I use lists, and more lists.

I have a file in my cabinet that is, strictly speaking vague ideas with no characters or universe in mind. This list has some ideas that I may revisit or use more than once, but it begins there.

You see the Idea is the embryo of creative process.

Get a notebook or small journal and keep it with you, and jot notes to yourself that you can use later, but if you are drawing a blank, while I did this readily in school when I had my backpack with me everywhere I went. After school it stopped and I was having to wait until I had a free minute to write things down and sometimes that free minute didn't happen and the idea was lost.

That is a miserable place to be, trust me.

To start your idea collection you can borrow idea's shared by others, NaNoWriMo participants are great about sharing plot ideas in the forums, and there are a few great books like 1,001 Writing Prompts to Ignite Your Creative Spark: For Fiction and Non-Fiction Writers Who Want to Break Free From Writer's Block and Hone Their Writing Skills. Or one of my favorite ways to break a slump or get ideas going is by taking the first sentence of some article and running it as a start for fiction.

Ideas.

Get started with those bullet points.

• It started with an earthquake...
• Solar flare envelops Earth.
• Aliens land in Paris
• A weekend in Ontario
• Out of the cold and onto Jamaica

 You can use dumb ideas to get started, work with less than eight words.