How to Get Over Writer’s Block-plot, Without a Plot

If you don’t have the patience to sit around and wait for an idea to come to you, this is a way to get the creative juices flowing more immediately. It’s also good if you have a very basic idea and want to expand on it some.

Start by drawing a line about 3/4 of the way to the right of a piece of lined paper. In the small column on the right, write down smaller details about the story as you go along.

On the left, start by writing the genre of the story you are going to be writing. For example, sci-fi. 

On the next line, write the sub-genre, for example, mystery.

Next line: VERY basic sentence or two about the plot. For example, Meteor falls to Earth in forest with strange message in an alien language, boy and two friends decode it. 

Next Line: Slightly more detailed sentence about plot: A meteor falls to Earth in Misty Ridge Forest. On it is written a strange message in an alien language. Danny and his two best friends, Michael and Tom, decode it and help the alien society. 

Next line: 1 sentence about each of the main characters: Danny: A caring 12 year old boy considered a nerd at school but loved by his best friends. Michael: “The Cool Kid”, popular at school, good at everything he tries. Tom: Arrogant and headstrong, a cool kid wannabe, follows Michael everywhere and gets stuck being friends with Danny. 

Next line: Up to 3 sentences about major conflict: Danny, Michael and Tom find a small meteor which has landed in Misty Ridge Forest engraved with a strange alien message. When they decode it, they discover that an alien race is in grave danger and they must help to save them. By discovering a crashed alien ship, they go into space to save the world. 


Next line: Now write a couple detailed paragraphs about your story.

While you’re working on all this, you should be jotting some details down in the column on the right. For example, Misty Ridge Forest-right by Danny’s house, or, set in mountains of Western North Carolina. Just small details that you want to remember or little notes to clarify things for yourself.

Once you’ve filled all of these things out, you should probably have a pretty good idea of what you’re going to be writing. You’ll probably feel inspired enough to go ahead and start writing the story, but if not, just keep adding details. If you decide that you don’t like the story you started writing about, that’s fine, just start over. And remember, this is just to get the creative juices flowing, you don’t have to use everything you write down.

For more ways to get rid of writer’s block, see http://writinghood.com/writing/four-ways-to-get-over-writers-block/