How to beat Writer’s block? 4 ways to write short stories

Quick Short Story

  • Start with the End
  • How does the Story End?
  • Where does it End?
  • Why should it end this way?
  • What does it tell us about the Story?
  • Which Information does it give us on the 1st Chapter?
  • How should Character’s evolution conclude?
  • Introduction
  • Where does the Story Begin?
  • What is the Atmosphere?
  • Who are the People?
  • Where do they Live?
  • How do they Live?
  • What are their Issues?
  • How do they manage them?
  • Which Event occurs?
  • How is the 1st Environment of the Story?
  • Which Character is Introduced?
  • Revelation of a Plot
  • Which Element Starts the Story?
  • Which Element will the Trigger the Character’s journey?
  • What will force them to Change?
  • How does it relate to their original Goal?
  • How could it make this Goal evolve?
  • Write 3 Crisis
  • What will make the Character React?
  • What will force the Character to Evolve?
  • Did the Characters lose a relative?
  • A family member?
  • Who was she?
  • Was she the Antagonist?
  • Has this person died?
  • Has she disappeared?
  • What will be the Character’s Reaction?
  • Shock?
  • Denial?
  • Anger & Bargaining?
  • Illness & Sadness?
  • Fatality?
  • Acceptance?
  • How does the Crisis affect characters’ Perception?
  • What damages did the Crisis cause?
  • Which trauma will it cause?
  • How will it allow her to evolve?
  • How will the Crisis influence the Character’s Decisions?
  • Will it give her the opportunity to heal herself?
  • Will the Character realize she needs a break?
  • Rest & Comfort phases
  • How will the Character’s Rest?
  • Does she need to sleep more?
  • Does she need to play more?
  • Does she need to ponder?
  • Does she need to gather resources?
  • How would she amuse herself?
  • How would she entertain herself?
  • With whom?
  • Who brings her the most Comfort?
  • Who brings her the most Joy?
  • Who brings her the most Confidence?
  • Who are these Persons?
  • Did she find them?
  • How can she find them?
  • Where?
  • Which place represent Safety?
  • Where can she amuse herself?
  • Where can she truly rest?
  • Where is she protected from Threats?

With Friends

  • 3-4 Friends
  • What Common Interests do you have?
  • What Entices them?
  • What Special Interests does each of them have?
  • What do they speak about the most?
  • Which topics?
  • How often?
  • Do they share their ambitions with you?
  • Why you?
  • Why are you special to them?
  • What do you have in common?
  • Are you interested by the same topic?
  • How can you expand this topic together?
  • Can you form a team?
  • How would you integrate these Interests in a new Project?
  • Which project?
  • Create a Character each
  • What’s the Character’s Goal?
  • What are her Interests?
  • What are her Strengths?
  • What are her Weaknesses?
  • What are her Quirks?
  • How is her Body?
  • How is her Face?
  • Which Habits does she have?
  • Which Accessories does she bear/use?
  • Create an Environment each
  • What are the Origins of this Environment?
  • Which Resources does it shelter?
  • Which Landscapes form it?
  • How is the Wildlife?
  • Are there Landmarks?
  • How are its Inhabitants?
  • Which Organizations are interested in it?
  • What are they looking for?
  • Alternative Endings
  • Create an Ending each.
  • How do these Ending articulate with each other?
  • Should you keep them all?
  • Can you?
  • Would you use them for other Stories?
  • Can you turn them into individual stories?
  • Do you want to start an Interactive Story?
  • In which each story becomes available?
    • How would you reach each of them?
    • What are their peculiarities?
    • How do they differ from each other?
    • What do they represent for the Characters?
    • What do they represent for the World?
  • Continue together
  • You finished your 1st Draft.
  • What would they add?
  • What would they remove?
  • What would they modify?
  • Listen to their Insights.
  • Question them.
  • Ask to start with a 1-sentence answer
  • And then to develop extensively.

On a Journey

  • Holidays
  • Where would you go on a vacation?
  • Why this Place?
  • Which Peculiarities does it have?
  • Why are we here?
  • Why do we stay here?
  • Why will we quit this place?
  • How would you decorate this place?
  • What would you take off this place as a souvenir?
  • Who are you travelling with?
  • How are they?
  • Are they helpful?
  • Are they Comforting?
  • Are they Enticing?
  • Do they propose Food & Drinks to the team?
  • Are they annoying?
  • How well do they Guide you?
  • How do they motivate you to continue?
  • Are they reactive?
  • Do they Complain a lot?
  • Adventure
  • Where are You going?
  • Are you getting into a foreign land?
  • Are you moving to a new formed settlement?
  • Is it highly populated?
  • Is it recluse?
  • Why would you go there?
  • Do you need some rest?
  • Do you need to find someone?
  • Are you looking for a unique object therein?
  • Is there a specific tool produced only in this place?
  • Are there special special resources in this place?
  • Foreign environment
  • Imagine a place.
  • Like a Dream or a Nightmare.
  • Which exists out of the rest of the World.
  • In Isolation.
  • A distant place where you can come back.
  • A distant place from which you can come back.
  • A distant place where you cannot come back.
  • A distant place from which you cannot come back.
  • Can you describe them all?
  • How would you make them memorable?
  • Take a common Setting.
  • Add an Unusual element to it.
  • Try an Unusual situation.
  • Try to Reverse the situation.
  • Try a Regular situation, but remove a Critical component.

Dream – 4th way

  • What do you want to use?
  • Would you Write your Dreams?
  • What do you want to Remember?
    • Why do you want to Remember it?
    • Was it particularly Pleasing?
    • Was it particularly Comforting?
    • Was it Remarkable?
    • Why was it Remarkable?
  • What do you want to Forget?
  • What do you want to Share?
  • What do you want to Hide?
  • Which Dreams marked you the most?
  • How do you define a Nightmare?
  • What turns a dream into a Nightmare?
  • Symbols
  • Imagine the function of a Symbol.
  • Make a list of Symbols.
  • What’s a Flag?
  • What’s a Star?
  • What’s a Tower?
  • What’s a Medal?
  • What’s a Statue?
    • You can expand the list as much as you need.
  • Are there other representation for the same symbol?
  • How would you deform the representation?
  • How would it alter the perception of the symbol?
  • Do you want to renew the perception of this symbol?
  • Can you invent a Symbol?
  • What would be its Use?
  • How would people see it?
  • What would it remind them of?
  • Fantasies & Hypothesis
  • Which Situations were you exposed to?
  • Which Situations did you imagine?
  • How did you imagine it?
  • Which Situations came out of your Mind?
  • What would never happen in your Dreams?
  • What do you Wish would happen?
  • What Could happen if you…
    • You were someone else?
    • You were living somewhere else?
    • You were exposed to different influences?
      • Which kind of Influences?
  • Which Skill would you want to have?
    • How can you obtain it?
    • How feasible is it?
    • In how much time?
  • Who would you like to have a Relationship with?
    • How would this person be?
    • How would she behave?
    • Where would she live?


Posted

in

, ,

by