If you’ve hit a brick wall with your novel, you’ve got to mindfully push yourself to think about new ideas
In the beginning, you’re overflowing with ideas. You’re excited, you’re eager to write, and you’re developing your plot and characters famously.
Then you keep pushing. You keep working along, eager to finish your novel.
Yet at some point, the idea river turns to a trickle and you end up slogging through certain parts of your novel, desperate to connect the dots one way or another.
I’m guilty of writing my books out of order. I’ll write scenes as the ideas come for them because I want to capture that idea with all the vividness that would undoubtedly fade if I waited until I chronologically reached at that exact point in the book’s timeline.
However, it makes connecting the dots between those highlight points very difficult. I want the less exciting dot-connecting scenes to still be interesting and valuable to the story as a whole, which can be a difficult balance to strike.
Where do you struggle in coming up with the ideas for your novel?
I don’t mean big ideas like the overall plot or the main events. Let’s look at all the interesting little events and details that appear along the way.
Whether you write out of sequence like I do or not, there’s always something in a book where you’re going to end up sitting at your computer, hitting a brick wall of a blank page, and the cursor blinking patiently as it stares at your stillness.
Your idea desert might be in ideas for character-developing scenes, it could be for worldbuilding, or just about any other element of the book.
Waiting for an idea to hit you out of the blue isn’t going to get that book finished. Instead, you should strategically try to find time to brainstorm the problems you’re having with your book.
1. During Your Commute
I know this isn’t always the first thing that comes to mind when you try to picture your ideal creative time.
When I imagine the perfect brainstorming location, I imagine a deck on a beach at sunset and a nice glass of wine beside my notebook.
My commute includes none of those elements, save the notebook.
Regardless, whether you’re en-route to school or your day job, this is prime time for thought that usually ends up being wasted.
2. In the Shower
Shower thoughts are no lie, my friends. There’s some solid science about how thought processes work when we’re showering that just makes our thoughts during those times a lot more powerful and creative.
One of the things that help you to be more creative is dopamine. Dr. Alice Flaherty, a Harvard graduate and neuroscientist, wrote the book “The Midnight Disease: The Drive to Write, Writer’s Block and the Creative Brain.”
In much of her writing and research, she emphasizes the importance of having ample dopamine to stay motivated to heal, to survive, or to achieve creative goals. If you get ample sleep, start your morning in a relaxing way, and do other things like this to increase your dopamine levels, you’re more than ready to start brainstorming your book.
3. When You’re Out On a Walk
Whether you’re walking around a city or out in nature, it’s easy to simply look around and soak in the new things around you.
However, if you force your mind to your novel and starting musing on the plot, your characters, the setting, putting yourself out in a new setting can spark little ideas. Adding small details or getting ideas for brief scenes based off what’s before you, in reality, can be a great way to add a little more life to your book.
For example, while I was waiting at airport security recently, I wrote a short scene on my phone for my sci-fi book. In it, my main character was getting exasperated waiting for a shuttle from the ship they were staying on that was orbiting the planet to get down to the planet’s surface. I used this scene to demonstrate some of the stark differences between my two main characters’ temperaments.
No matter what your book is about, even if it’s high sci-fi or historical fiction, you can draw inspiration from the things around you.
4. When You’re Falling Asleep
This is a trickier time to brainstorm, but here’s the key; ideally, you’re winding down and relaxing when you’re falling asleep.
If you keep very busy, this might not be a huge window of time. If you work a lot, you might fall asleep pretty quickly. Regardless of how much time you typically have here, turn your thoughts to your book.
Instead of lamenting the events of the day or your plans for tomorrow, let your thoughts retreat to fiction. Thinking about your book might even help you relax a little more.
For years and years, this was my favorite time to think about my books. I also think it’s nice to think about your novel before bed since it might just spark a dream about your book as well. I think that creative writers should keep dream journals since exploring half-formed thoughts and ideas can be excellent for sparking new ideas for your book.
Finishing a book is hard work. The importance of having ideas can easily be overlooked. While you may have big ideas for your beginning, middle, or ending, it also takes small, creative ideas to connect the entire story together.
When you’re determined to finish your book and ide as aren’t popping up as eagerly as spring daisies, you’ve got to mindfully make time to think about your novel. Once you’re absorbed into your story, you never know what kind of idea might strike you. Finding the times and settings that work best for your brainstorming sessions is key.