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Creative Writing Ideas - - Getting Started
By Deb Gallardo
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On another blog, I responded to a mother’s question about how to get her son, an avid reader, 8 years old, to put his words on paper. Since this could help others as well, here is my reply:
I think you first should consider whether it might be the physical act of writing that is the problem, or if it’s on the idea side. Boys, generally speaking, develop large muscle control before fine muscle control, i.e. - throwing a ball versus handwriting or drawing.
If you’ve ruled that out, then here are some thoughts:
Writers of any age, and most especially children of 8, will
only write when they have something to say. By this, I mean that getting the initial idea, a jumping off point, is often difficult.
Sometimes, depending on how one’s mind works, there are so many possibilities that overwhelm sets in, causing a kind of mental paralysis. But the opposite is just as likely to occur. “The blank page syndrome” can be daunting, especially if a deadline is looming large.
Fortunately, ideas are all around us. The trick is learning to see them. Furthermore, there are several techniques writers can use to get past the “stuck” stage.
One such technique that comes to mind in your son’s situation is for him to tell a story aloud. Voice recognition software is often bundled on new computers. Check yours to see if you have such a program.
Barring that, as an exercise (NOT for a school assignment), you could have him dictate a story to you for practice. I would not edit his words, but write them down (or type them, which is more efficient for creating a story) exactly as he says them. He can then make corrections and additions himself.
Of course editing is a separate skill from writing, even if they go hand-in-hand. Children are loathe to rewrite because it’s like writing two or three stories instead of one, in their eyes. “I already wrote it” was the complaint my students frequently gave me.
This technique will help him find his writer’s “voice,” as well, and can help overcome any “I hate handwriting” excuse. He could also speak his thoughts into a tape recorder, but then the words must be transcribed into some other medium.
Finding writing ideas is one of my specialties, if that is what is holding him back. Each person is different as far as what works.
Some writers like prompts, such as you can find at
http://writersdigest.com/writingprompts.asp?prompts=365 and at http://creativewritingprompts.com/
Granted, these particular collections of prompts are not geared for the child’s mind, but you may be able to adapt some for him, if prompts work for him.
Here are two examples that should capture a child’s imagination:
1) Write from the point of view of a spoon inside the dishwasher.
2) Write from the point of view of a ball of yarn being chased by a cat.
And really, capturing the imagination is what you want to do for your son, whether he’s writing fiction or non-fiction. If his imagination isn’t stimulated, he’ll have nothing to say.
Another technique is to take a familiar story, like a fairy tale, and rewrite it. For example:
“Hansel and Gretel,” in which the children are the nasty ones, not the father and the step-mother, and the witch can’t wait to get rid of them.
“The Three Little Pigs” in which the wolf is the victim, not the villain.
“Little Red Riding Hood” in which she isn’t a sweet little girl and the wolf is a reformed grandmother-eater.
“Goldilocks and the Three Bears” in which she does something thoughtful to repay them for the porridge she ate, the chair she broke and for sleeping in one of their beds.
That’s one technique. Another is not merely changing the behavior and motive of the main characters, but changing things around even more.
Goldilocks becomes a porcupine and the three bears become three skunks.
Little Red Riding Hood becomes a boy, perhaps in a new blue jacket, on his way to visit his grandfather, and meets an injured horse/crow/fox/dog, whatever, instead of a wolf.
Hansel and Gretel become twin boys who like to change places, and when they stray too far into the forest, they must use their skill to outwit a sly old dwarf who tries to hold them prisoner.
The three little pigs become three spiders who must prevail against a crow without getting eaten.
For still more ideas, please note that some writers like to start with a situation. Others like to start with characters. Still others prefer a unique setting to begin.
I suggest you take what your son loves and start from there. Encourage him to play “What if?”
What if when spring was supposed to arrive, it didn’t?
What if a huge lake dried up mysteriously and the water creatures had to adapt to survive? Could they?
What if we could think about where we want to go and we transport there instantly?
What if one day gravity stopped working?
What if the sun didn’t come up one day?
What if all the tastes in the world got all mixed up?
What if someone woke up one morning and couldn’t be understood by his family?
What if the sun suddenly stopped moving? Is time standing still, or just the sun? What will happen?
What if we could fly without machines?
What if we could breath in outer space without space suits?
What if you woke up one morning and the sky had turned green and the grass had turned blue?
What if you went into a tunnel and when you came out you weren’t in your own world anymore?
Finally, a technique many writers like to employ is to study a painting or a photograph, and then write a story.
Have your son spend at least five minutes really looking at all the details of the painting/photo, etc. Next, he should make a list of questions that relate to all the elements in the picture.
Why is the sky orange?
Is it from sunrise?
Is it from sunset?
Is it from fires in the distance?
Why is there only one tree in the middle of the field?
Is the tree lonely?
Does anyone ever sit under the tree?
Does anyone ever sit up in the tree branches?
Is the dark spot down by the stream a dog? A dead body? A log? A pile of wood? A piece of a space ship?
Why is the dirt road curved and not straight?
Where does the road lead?
Who uses the road?
What lies on the other side of the hill?
Where does the stream lead?
Is there a town nearby? A city? A village? A farm? A ranch?
What kind of sounds are in this scene? Where do they come from? Are they loud?
What kind of smells are in this scene? Are they pleasant? Are they stinky?
What is the temperature of this scene? Is it hot, cold, warm, cool, or perfect? Perfect for whom?
Who is looking at this scene? The artist/photographer? Someone who is out of sight, but an important part of the scene? An intruder? A stranger?
What has just happened?
What did the scene look like before it happened?
What is about to happen?
What will the scene look like afterwards? How will it change?
Who will appear in the scene?
What will appear in the scene?
Will the sounds and smells change?
Will the temperature change?
By making a list of questions instead of just a list of the picture’s elements, his brain will not be able to resist finding answers. And he should not be as tempted to just describe what he sees. Instead, the questions should cause him to think about WHY things are as they appear and IF they are indeed as they appear. Quirky, odd or playful brainstorming can be useful here.
The key with brainstorming is that NO IDEAS are discarded. The trick is to come up with as many ideas as possible, regardless of how outlandish they may seem.
I hope these ideas helped. I’d be interested to hear what techniques worked.
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