Writing Tip # 2. Harness your sub-conscious

Here is a little exercise which will allow your sub-conscious to help you when you are at a loss for a story or how to progress it.

It makes use of the following categories of story:

1. setting
2. protagonist
3. antagonist
4. theme
5. conflict
6. main action
7. subplots
8. resolution/cliff-hanger
9. point of view

Look around you, or go for a walk, and note down the nine most memorable objects you see.
Give each object a number.
Use the first memorable object to answer the following question: In what way is (the object) like or unlike the setting of my story?
Write down your answer.
Then ask yourself: In what way is object 2 like or unlike the protagonist of my story?
Write down the answer.
In what way is object 3 like or unlike the antagonist of my story?
Write down the answer.
In what way is object 4 like or unlike the theme of my story?
Write the answer down.
And so on down to object 9 and point of view.

Try it and let me know how it worked for you.

martinlake15@gmail.com

My thanks to Suzi Smith who first introduced me to using objects in this way although in a different field altogether.