How do you "pik your brain"?

[DannyG]

We all have our own ways of getting ideas for stories, lets share em. have a special thinking/writing place? particular brainstorming habit?

 

[jodymichelle]

There's only one particular brainstorming habit that really works for me. It's called, a** in chair. I love nature and sometimes think that it would help to be surrounded by nature to take away pressure and stress, but it's distracting, sometimes cold, hurts to sit on a rock or cement bleachers, and I don't like insects, bugs, dangerous fertilizers... Writing involves hard work, so I need to be in a place that will keep me focused. I usually get good ideas during the most inconvenient times - when there is no pressure or stress to produce something or fill up a blank screen - and that's usually when I'm driving, working out at the gym, or at work. Writing notes on post-its isn't a bad idea, but in the past it's involved me trying to organize and make something out a shoebox full of scattered ideas where the ink may have stayed, gotten dirty or smudged, where the idea may or may not still be in fashion in the world or in my head. We've all heard that writing is rewriting, so I prefer to set specific hours in the day to "work." The less rewriting I have to do, the better I feel about it because life is too short to spend too much time on one thing that may or may not get finished.

 

[DannyG]

Thats pretty much exactly what I was thinking. Nothing happens when you try to think of stuff. It happens every other time. Perhaps I should apply this theory when I am talking to chicks more often.... nothing makes ya look more dumb than being responsible for dead space in a conversation.

 

[jackthursby]

Well , i guess the main source of ideas is through culture. The more you read books, watch movies, listen to music and the more the ideas will come up without even thinking about it. Usually, it works by ideas' association, you react to a good idea and you want to use it in a different way or context and add your personal touch. That's basically how it works for me. Because, let's be honest, we never (or rarely) make up new concepts or a new philosophy, everything has already been written, we're adaptating old themes with our own experience and with what our today's society brings us. I guess, the most important in all that is to give realism as much as possible to what we're imagining. Otherwise, how could the people (who are gonna consider what we wrote if they ever may) accept what we're going to show them as interesting (not on a personal way but on a artistic way of course). So to sum up, my best advice would have to be, keep an open mind and try to make your brain work as much as you can by cultivating it with the work of the other artists . And then, you'll come up with your own original ideas.
It can take sometimes before the real inspiration comes to you and it generally happends when you don't expect it.

 

[Digigenic]

8)
Hey Jack,
Well said, I couldn't agree more...


Welcome to the forums.

 

[Tyler Emerson]

I'm one of those people who always gets an idea in their head at about one or two in the morning. It is for this reason that I always carry a pen and pad of paper with me (you could be passed out at a house party) or leave my computer on, with FADE IN already typed and ready to go. I also get a lot of ideas during class, when I should be paying attention to the class I currently have a C in, but my film career always comes first. Sometimes even just sitting down in front of the screen, I just start out with a very generic sequence and that gets the chemicals working. It's a matter of finding what's right for you, and always being prepared. I've had some great ideas while sitting on the toilet but, because I didn't have anything to write it down, I was, and excuse the pun, s**t out of luck.

 

[shozbot]

brainstorming

brainstorming

And don't forget that immitation, aside from being 'the highest form of flattery' is how we learn. Human beings becomg competant by modelling that which is already competant. Every acting/writing teacher I've ever had has told me to steal, steal, steal everything you can. When I'm reading or watching a film or tv show and I see something that fires me up, I write it down, and keep a list. So when I'm totally out of ideas I can look at my list and see if there's something I can use or embroider upon. I also carry a notebook around everywhere and write down any interesting thought because I'll never remember it when I want it later. Also, I recomend this book: Spec Screenplay Sales Directory. ISBN: 09666188-5-8
This book has a bazillion plot synopses and it's fun to go thru the book and close your eyes, pick two diff. story synopses at random and merge them into one story idea then turn THAT inside out or upside down and see what you get. Play that game enough and you'll come up with a cool permutation of your own for plots and themes etc.

 

[shozbot]

the shoe box method of storytelling

the shoe box method of storytelling

JodyMichele... re: your shoe box comment-- did you know that JK Rowling said that that is how she started outlining her first story? She had literally years of ideas she kept stuffing in a box. And the act of having to sort thru them all seemed to fire up parts of her mind that didn't normally come to the fore, and sparked many ideas. There's alot of creativity in chaos... and in the very act of sorting through chaos.

Also, and the most important recommendation of most working screenwriters I know: brainstorm your ass off FIRST, before you ever put word one on the page. Know your world, know your story - beginning, middle and end - know your characters inside and out FIRST. Generate your outline. Writing pages is the easy part. Do the hard work first and you're script will write itself.