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How to come up with NEW and UNIQUE story ideas
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How to come up with NEW and UNIQUE story ideas

How to Get Inspired to Write

In this video, Abbie shares tips on how to get inspired to write when you're feeling bored or unenthused about your story. She talks about the importance of loving what you write and tapping into your inner creative genius.

Think Like a Five-Year-Old

  • Thinking like a five-year-old can help unleash your creative genius and invite new ideas into your imagination.
  • A study conducted by Professor George Land in 1968 found that the younger you are, the more likely you are to think divergently and come up with original ideas.
  • Divergent thinking originates in your subconscious mind and is messy at first but can lead to genius ideas.

Brainstorming Prompts

  • Abbie shares her favorite prompts for brainstorming new ideas for your story.
  • If you're not feeling excited about your story, it's time for some new ideas.
  • Even if you have all the elements of a great story, it's possible to still be bored with it.
  • Lack of inspiration is common among writers, even those with juicy internal conflicts, flawed characters, and strong story structure.

Why Does Your Story Matter?

  • Abbie asks why does your story matter? There's a science behind every great story.
  • She teaches how to change the world with your story and make author dreams come true.

Overall, Abbie emphasizes that writing requires discipline and time management but also love for what you write. When feeling uninspired or bored with a current project, thinking like a five-year-old can help tap into your inner creative genius. Brainstorming prompts can also help generate new ideas and perspectives for your story. Finally, Abbie reminds us that every great story has a purpose and encourages writers to consider why their story matters.

Brainstorming Questions for New Ideas

In this section, the speaker encourages viewers to approach brainstorming as a fun and imaginative exercise. She provides a list of questions that she asks herself when trying to come up with new ideas.

What-if Brainstorming Questions

  • What if I add a trope that I know I'm a sucker for?
  • What are the attractive, addictive qualities in my favorite stories? Is there a pattern or trope that makes me immediately want to engage with a story?
  • Is there a way to include one or two or all of these things in my story?
  • What if I made it a sequel or spinoff for a different book, even if this different book wasn't going to have a sequel or spinoff?

Changing Point of View

In this section, the speaker discusses how changing the point of view can help writers who are bored with their current character's perspective.

Changing Point of View

  • What would happen if you told the story through a different character's perspective?
  • Or what if you made it a previous-generation story that takes place 20 years before the other book, and it's about those characters' parents?

Sequels and Spinoffs

In this section, the speaker discusses how sequels and spinoffs can be used as an effective tool for writers who are struggling with their current characters.

Sequels and Spinoffs

  • What if you borrowed some characters that you've already created and written and love and made them part of this story?
  • Or what if you made it a previous-generation story that takes place 20 years before the other book, and it's about those characters' parents?

Brainstorming Techniques

In this section, the speaker discusses various brainstorming techniques to help writers come up with unique and original story ideas.

Changing the Beginning or Genre

  • Consider changing the beginning of your story to make it more interesting. For example, start with a game-changing midpoint or disaster point instead of the inciting incident.
  • Try making your story a retelling of another story. For instance, turn a sci-fi adventure into a retelling of "Around the World in 80 Days" with time travel.
  • Experiment with changing genres. If you're not enjoying writing in a particular genre, try switching to one that feels more comfortable or trying something new.

Combining Story Ideas

  • Combine two problem stories into one by putting them together on the same burner. Even if they have different genres or settings, it could make for a unique and interesting story.
  • Write down all your ideas on sticky notes and rearrange them to see which ones might work well together.

Finding Your Theme

  • To write a compelling theme, think about what you care deeply about right now and what truth you want to convey through your writing.
  • Remember that your passions may change over time, so don't be afraid to explore new themes as they arise.

Writing Compelling Themes

In this section, the speaker emphasizes the importance of writing compelling themes that are personally meaningful.

Personal Meaning

  • A good theme should mean something personally to you as an author.
  • Ask yourself what you care deeply about right now and what truth you want to convey through your writing.
  • Remember that your passions may change over time, so don't be afraid to explore new themes as they arise.

Sparking Ideas for Your Story

In this section, the speaker provides prompts and ideas to help writers come up with new and innovative ideas for their stories.

Tips for Generating New Ideas

  • Brilliant ideas cannot be forced; they have to strike you like a bolt from the blue.
  • Talk to someone else about your story, whether that person is your critique partner, sibling, mom or kids.
  • Meditate on the provided prompts and questions if nothing is striking your fancy right now.
  • Download a handy printable of all the prompts shared in this video.

Brainstorming Methods for Writers

In this section, the speaker encourages viewers to share their favorite brainstorming methods in the comments section.

Brainstorming Methods

  • Load up the comments section with all kinds of amazing brainstorming methods.

Taking Storytelling to the Next Level

In this section, the speaker invites viewers to check out her Patreon page where she offers additional resources and training sessions for writers.

Benefits of Joining Patreon Community

  • The Patreon community is not only a way to support what she's doing on YouTube but also a way to connect deeper with other writers through Discord and Facebook Group.
  • Monthly live training sessions are available on her Patreon page.

Overall Summary: Abbie Emmons provides tips and prompts for generating new ideas when writing stories. She encourages viewers to talk about their favorite brainstorming methods in the comments section. Additionally, she invites viewers to join her Patreon community where she offers additional resources and training sessions for writers.

Video description

DO YOU NEED A NEW, UNIQUE STORY IDEA? Do you feel like it’s missing some magic ingredient that makes you addicted to writing it? If so, don’t worry—you’re not alone. Lots of writers feel this way, even if they really LOVE their book and have "done everything right." If the thrill is gone… it’s time to brainstorm new ideas! In this video, I’m sharing my favorite prompts for brainstorming NEW IDEAS, guaranteed to get your creative juices flowing and give you a springboard to explore new possibilities for your book. Grab a notebook and let's brainstorm together! GRAB THE FREE PRINTABLE OF MY BRAINSTORMING PROMPTS: https://abbieemmons.ck.page/make-your-story-matter ________________________________ ✨ T I M E S T A M P S ✨ 00:00 Are you bored with your story? 02:32 Think like a 5 year old 05:32 Add tropes you love 07:59 Add/change POVs 08:51 Spin-offs and sequels 09:54 Turn it upside-down 11:31 Make it a retelling 12:50 Change the genre 13:37 Combining story ideas 14:46 Change the theme 15:44 Still stuck? Don’t worry. 16:46 Download the free template below! 17:20 Subscribe for writing videos every week :) ________________________________ Subscribe for weekly episodes of #WritersLifeWednesdays! Make Your Story Matter™ and make your author dreams come true… new videos every Wednesday. ✨ V A L U A B L E R E S O U R C E S✨ ❤️GET BONUS CONTENT + SUPPORT THIS CHANNEL: https://www.patreon.com/abbieemmons 📚READ MY DEBUT NOVEL, 100 DAYS OF SUNLIGHT: https://amzn.to/2Et7fhS 🖥️TAKE MY SCRIVENER MASTERCLASS: https://makeyourstorymatter.teachable.com/p/teachmescrivener ✏️TAKE MY MASTERCLASS ON EDITING: https://www.learnfromabbie.com/p/edit-your-book-like-a-pro 📓GET MY FREE WRITING TEMPLATES: http://eepurl.com/gFYD8z 💵GET 20% OFF SCRIVENER - USE CODE "ABBIE" → https://a.paddle.com/v2/click/49535/117669?link=1570 🎤LISTEN TO MY PODCAST WITH MY SISTER: https://anchor.fm/kate-and-abbie-show 🎥 MY GEAR + WRITING TOOLS: https://abbieemmonsauthor.com/my-gear 🎵 I GET ALL MY MUSIC FROM EPIDEMIC SOUND… CLAIM YOUR 60-DAY FREE TRIAL HERE: https://www.epidemicsound.com/referral/v02bl3/ 💛 GET CANVA FOR EASY GRAPHIC DESIGN: https://partner.canva.com/7mN1Z5 MORE VIDEOS YOU WOULD LIKE: → THE SIMPLEST WAY TO OUTLINE YOUR NOVEL https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iB1MOvZYW1s → MY "STORY SMOOTHIE" METHOD FOR BRAINSTORM NEW STORY IDEAS https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCVZt9qIgec&t=326s → HOW TO BRAINSTORM A STORY IDEA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qtAj1DDG1w&t=213s → A PANTSER'S GUIDE TO PLOTTING https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXMuMR7t_SE ✨F O L L O W ✨ blog: https://bit.ly/2Kl21m8 facebook: https://bit.ly/2FS2Ikh instagram: http://bit.ly/2Xr5hUI patreon: https://www.patreon.com/abbieemmons Business inquiries: abbie@abbieemmonsauthor.com ✨ A B O U T ✨ My name is Abbie Emmons I teach writers how to make their stories matter by harnessing the power and psychology of storytelling, transforming their ideas into a masterpiece, and creating a lifestyle that makes their author dreams come true. Story isn’t about “what happens” — it’s about how what happens affects and transforms the characters. I believe that there is an exact science (a recipe, if you will) behind a perfect story. And if you know what ingredients you need, you can create your own perfect story with ease and confidence. That’s what we talk about every week on this channel – and if it’s something you’re into, be sure to subscribe and join this community!