Writing Wednesday: 13 Brainstorming Exercises

Here are some useful brainstorming exercises to help you with your novel and to get your mind thinking in different directions.

Choose a movie you love, then think of a different, equally happy ending. How far back do you have to go? Then think of another one ending, this time a sad one.

Find two characters from two existing books/TV shows/movies and write a scene where they meet or take on an adventure together.

Think of a favorite villain. Give that villain a different backstory.

Make a list of ten reasons why a romantic couple might meet and hate each other at first. Write only the last one.

Imagine our world with one invention/discovery that did not happen or an inventor/scientist/artist who did not live.

Think of a moment in history that might have gone the other way and write either the moment when that change took place or this year's election if that change had taken place.

Watch only the first ten minutes of a series TV show you know well. Turn off the TV and write the rest of the episode. Then watch.

Read the last chapter of a book. Then sit down and invent the first chapter out of your own head.

Write down the first sentence of a well-known novel. Take it in a completely different direction.

Choose a favorite classic and write a list of 10 things that are rooted in history and would make no sense in a modern version. Then sketch out a modern retelling without those parts.

Imagine three well-known figures from different time periods meeting in a bar in purgatory. What do they know about each other? What do they hate? What do they say?

Who is the first person you will meet in heaven? What will you say to that person and what will s/he say to you? Who is the tenth person you will meet in heaven? What will you do on the one year anniversary of your arrival in heaven?

Think of a book or movie you hate. What would make it better? Write the better version.