Time: 30-60 minutes
Action Step #1 – Set the timer for ten minutes and write as many one or two sentence plots as you can think of in that time. Aim for ten plots and let the wheels of creativity start spinning. Don’t edit yourself, just write. There’s no right or wrong answer, no good or bad plot, right now, just a brainstorm session.
Action Step #2 – Spend a few minutes, five or so, taking a look at the list of plots. Choose the one that intrigues you the most. The one that seems to hold the most value or the one that gets you the most excited to continue investigating.
Action Step #3 – Taking that single most compelling and promising plot, spend at least twenty minutes fleshing it out. Who are the main characters? What are their conflicts? What can happen to them to deepen the plot and add to the conflict?
Just have fun with this. It doesn’t have to turn into your next romance manuscript. The goal is to get the creative juices flowing and to realize that writer’s block doesn’t have to happen. Whenever you’re short for ideas, use this technique to get the wheels spinning. In fact, you can use this process to help work through hiccups that occur as you’re writing your novel. Sometimes you just don’t know what happens next. Brainstorm ten possibilities, choose the one that seems the most interesting or compelling and flesh it out.
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