Brainstorming

Brainstorming techniques?

I think I may be the only writer I know without a file of cool ideas

tucked away and I’m starting to feel worried about it. I could throw

one together, but I don’t think I’d ever look at it again. For me, each

novel exists only as I’m writing it. I never go back through old ideas.

My process isn’t that straightforward, sadly.

First place I look for ideas? History. When I read about a

historical event or find the perfect quote from a historical

character, I know that I have to put it into a book. I can

research for hours and claim it is all background and plot

ideas. And it is! See that great picture? Tamara de Lempicka

painted it. She's a Polish Art Deco painter and I managed to

sneak her work into "A Night of Long Knives." Research...

Second place? OK, this sounds odd, but I make myself make a

list of ten ways to solve whatever story problem I’m having.

Ten. No more, no fewer. Sometimes the best idea is number one

and sometimes it’s number ten, but usually it’s somewhere in the middle. But making myself

do ten lets me give myself permission to throw nine ideas away, which is very freeing.

Still not working? Then I write on paper instead of typing. After a couple of pages of

that kind of torture my subconscious usually throws something out in a desperate attempt

to save me from having to decipher my own handwriting.

If that doesn’t work, I draw diagrams on paper with big circles and arrows or stick

stuff on index cards and put it on a board in my room while muttering and trying not

to step on the pushpins that somehow always end up on the floor.

If all else fails: I go see a movie and eat popcorn and chocolate. Even

if that doesn’t solve the story problem, at least I got tasty snacks in

air conditioned splendor. Did I mention that I love this job?