As much as I harp on "most writing is rewriting" get that initial draft on paper can be exhilarating and frustrating, depending on the free flow of ideas.
At this point, don't be too concerned with character development, grammar, spelling, typos, plot construct, conflict, or what your next door neighor might think about the prose, etc. Just plug in your favorite muse enhancer (caffeine, music, daydreams, walks) and crank out those sentences.
Still stuck? Here's some ideas.
* Throw in something whimsical - Have a cow fall from the sky and land on the protagonist's best friend. How does everyone react? You might learn something about everyone involved. Then cut the cow and proceed.
* Throw in something impossible in your story's world - Equip someone with superhuman powers. Or shapeshifting abilities. Or even mathematical genuis in the neighbor's cat.
* Kill off someone - Does the story still work? Is it better? Can it be used to advance the plot?
* Throw a character a blessing and then remove it - How does he/she react? Can you make it something deeper? Is the blessing a disguised threat?
* Take something benign and give it hidden meaning - The carnival goldfish Susie won on an outing with her parents is a trapped soul. Or leftovers from scientific experimentation that a sloppy lab assistant accidentally let slip out the door and is now highly radioactive, with detrimental effects on the entire family?
* Just ask "what if?" - What if Dad didn't come home from work, ever? What if the gardening sheers turned on Grandma? What if the school bus driver took a wrong turn, and everyone ended up in a time warp? You get the idea.
Happy writing! :)
At this point, don't be too concerned with character development, grammar, spelling, typos, plot construct, conflict, or what your next door neighor might think about the prose, etc. Just plug in your favorite muse enhancer (caffeine, music, daydreams, walks) and crank out those sentences.
Still stuck? Here's some ideas.
* Throw in something whimsical - Have a cow fall from the sky and land on the protagonist's best friend. How does everyone react? You might learn something about everyone involved. Then cut the cow and proceed.
* Throw in something impossible in your story's world - Equip someone with superhuman powers. Or shapeshifting abilities. Or even mathematical genuis in the neighbor's cat.
* Kill off someone - Does the story still work? Is it better? Can it be used to advance the plot?
* Throw a character a blessing and then remove it - How does he/she react? Can you make it something deeper? Is the blessing a disguised threat?
* Take something benign and give it hidden meaning - The carnival goldfish Susie won on an outing with her parents is a trapped soul. Or leftovers from scientific experimentation that a sloppy lab assistant accidentally let slip out the door and is now highly radioactive, with detrimental effects on the entire family?
* Just ask "what if?" - What if Dad didn't come home from work, ever? What if the gardening sheers turned on Grandma? What if the school bus driver took a wrong turn, and everyone ended up in a time warp? You get the idea.
Happy writing! :)
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