Creating An Idea Factory.

Writers will always hit a dry patch — a time when there is no inspiration, no ideas, and a time when it is simply easier to walk away and veg in front of the TV (a tub of ice cream is optional).

OR…

You can get proactive (and I don’t mean the yoghurt).

Research something (yes, it can be on the telly), read a book related somehow to the WIP, bake a cake and have a mental conversation with your characters, leaf through old notebooks and see which bits you haven’t used (yet).

Is there something in there that can be combines to create something new?

Another route to inspiration is to get to know you. Yes, this one requires a little self-reflection.

Ask yourself these questions:

What am I really interested in?

For me it’s history (the culture or period don’t really matter), archaeology, paleontology, conspiracy theories — and anything ‘out there’.

Write a list of your own and keep it handy for next time.

What would happen if (insert whatever floats your boat)?

That’s how The Case Files came about actually. I was drifting off to sleep when I ‘saw’ a sniper following a UFO up a valley in Afghanistan. Seven novels and three spin-offs later… If I hadn’t roused myself and written down the dream that wouldn’t have happened.

So keep your Writing Bible at hand and jot down anything and everything that tickles your fancy. Some of it may end up unused — but that’s what the next manuscript is for.

Who will combine well in these things?

Collect photos of people for inspiration. I recommend an A4 art book with the photo on one side and the other side blank so you can make notes — height, occupation and all those other little details. Or you can use Pinterest et al to find your perfect characters.

Obviously you can’t use real people’s names etcetera, that should go without saying, but you can use the photo for inspiration for your own, unique characters.

Of course, you also have your notebook to jot down any ideas that pop into your head — and you may just have a lonely picture with no notes…

This brings me to another technique with which — I’ll be honest — I have never had any luck; interviewing your character. Some people swear by it (I just swear AT it) I can never think of anything to ask them — the characters, not the people this works for. As a result, I am occasionally quite surprised when I find out something about them I didn’t know before (I also flatly refuse to outline my novel before I begin writing — but that’s a whole other story).

To keep all of this straight make a file (maybe in your Vision Book?) for each of your characters details as you discover them.

Another thing I do is, when I finish a novel, I have a stack of index cards with me as I begin the first edit. I list the chapter titles, the characters (with descriptions), any artefacts, the time period/s, plus any other information that is relevant and keep all of the cards in a separate plastic wallet. This saves a heap of time if you do need to refer to something that happened ages ago — only one wallet to go through instead of an entire manuscript.

There are other things you can do as well; go for a walk to somewhere inspiring, read a book totally unrelated to anything at all to do with your own work, play hopscotch.

And here’s a major DON’T: Never beat yourself up about losing your way in a story, it can happen.

And on that note I’ll end with a quote from J R R Tolkien; Not all who wander are lost.