3 Brainstorming Exercises for Coming Up with Creative Plot Ideas

By Sandrina de Klerk

We’ve all been there. Having finished a project and no idea on what to do next. Sometimes it’s simple enough to come up with plots and ideas, and other times it’s like trying to dig a well in the desert. Or maybe coming up with ideas and story ideas isn’t the problem--it’s trying to come up with interesting and creative story ideas. Everything feels bland and the same as 250,000 other stories you can find on the shelves of your local library.

I don’t know about you, but I want my reader to be on the edge of their bed, flipping pages as fast as they can, because they’ve never read a story quite like the one in their hands! If your plot and solutions are expected and cliche, don’t expect readers to be surprised and excited as they read on. 

“But Sandrina,” you say. “That’s easy enough to say. Don’t just tell me why it’s important! How do I come up with creative ideas?”

So I’m here to tell you, don’t panic! Don’t despair! I have been there too, and there is a way out. Let me show you three ways to brainstorm stronger, creative, and more interesting plots and stories.

Ask “What If” About Plot Ideas in a Dedicated Session

This is the single most helpful exercise I’ve found. If you’re stuck, you have a plot problem, or you’re trying to come up with a story idea, go to “what ifs”. 

What if a writer falls in love with their character?

What if a bunch of rabbits have a war with the wolves?

What if a fox becomes friends with a hound ?

What if a wardrobe leads to a world?

What if a dark lord poured himself into a single ring?

What if the son of a German officer makes friends with a Jewish boy?

What if, what if. 

You can use this method in many ways. Start off with something small: what if my main character doesn’t know who their parents were? What if they never want to find out because they’re scared of what they might find? What if their sibling knows and wants to tell them? What if that sibling dies and leaves a letter with that character's name on it? What if that character carries that letter with them for ten years, scared that it contains information on their parents? What if after ten years that character opens the letter and all it reads is-- “they’re coming.”?

You see how that developed? If you don’t like something, just backtrack and think of something else. You can do this alone, or if you have a writer friend (or crazy sibling), do it with them! Take turns to say a “what if” and see where you end up. 

In one session, require yourself to ask at least 50 questions, and put no limit on how crazy they get. You will be surprised how this will unlock creativity.

Look for Inspiration Everywhere

You never know when inspiration could strike. We pass by thousands of story ideas every day. 

Read lots of diverse news, read diverse books in and out of the genres you write in, read history, politics, non-fiction, theological works, biographies and auto-biographies. 

Watch documentaries on different things. I once had a whole character develop from watching Free Solo. I thought the person in the documentary was interesting, and so began to take little aspects from what was shown. Something about him saying, “I taught myself to hug”, sparked a whole personality. I already had a side character in the story I was working on. He was named and had some backstory, but I was able to take the ideas I gleaned from Free Solo, and now this character is definitely one of my favorites! 

Photos, prompts, google earth, sermons even! Even non-writers have good ideas! Talk to people about their experiences, take notes (after the conversation). Ask siblings for ideas, and bounce ideas off them. 

People watch. Go sit at the park, outside the supermarket, the front of your house. When you’re out with your family, watch the world go by and you’ll be surprised at the ideas that begin to flow. Remember to ask questions as you observe. Why did this thing in the news happen? Who did it and why could they have done it? Characters drive a plot. People make choices, and their choices make things happen. 

Be broad, basically. You’ll be surprised where inspiration strikes and how it strikes. Keep a notebook with you when reading/watching and jot down any ideas that come to mind. Interesting facts, interesting names, lines of dialogue, character descriptions, etc. 

We write about the world (or another world in fantasy). We write about people, lives, and places, so don’t forget to look outside your imagination for ideas!

Develop an Idea from Another Story

Nothing is ever truly original. As Ecclesiastes says, there is nothing new under the sun, everything seems to have already been done. But let’s say you love The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe. Say you particularly love that there’s four siblings--now, you can take the sibling dynamic from Narnia, and you could take the concept of fighter spaceships from Star Wars, and the setting from Roy Rogers. You have a whole story!

Of course you can’t have a wardrobe that leads to another world, and these folks named jedi who carry around these glowing swords and always seem to know if you’re behind them, but you get the idea. 

Consider the plots from great stories. If you strip the plot of A New Hope to its barest detail,  the plot is to destroy an enemy’s great weapon. The barest plot for Lord of the Rings is that an evil Lord’s ring must be destroyed to save the world. What if in your story, an evil Lord’s ring must be reclaimed to destroy a weapon of mass destruction? 

Make sense? 

The idea is, take something you really love, and strip it down to the barest detail. Then take that detail, mix in other details, and then develop it yourself. 

If you’re trying to come up with ideas, try this: write out your favorite aspects of five different books, see how they can be pieced together, and go from there!

What If

What if we wrote stories with creative and deep plots? What if we wrote stories that moved people and touched their lives, even if in a small way? What if we strove for excellence in ideas? What if we kept our eyes wide open and gathered ideas from the world around us?

Answer that question in your own time. 

Who wants to read a story with a cliched plot? More than that, who wants to write one? In some ways, it may seem easier--usually doesn’t involve as much blood--but nothing great was ever easy! (Actually, I don’t know that for certain, don’t quote me on that.) 

When you put time and effort into a creative and deep plot, you create a good story. It's that simple. As Christians, we are called to do all things to God’s glory, including using our words. So don’t copy and paste, go out into the world and find the wonderful stories that are cowering in dark corners, waiting to be told.