THE IDEA GENERATOR

What this tool does:

Use this Idea Generator right and you’ll get

• An abundance of ideas for short stories and novels

• Skills to develop ideas into detailed storylines

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Instructions for using this tool
The Idea Generator has two worksheets. Start with the Ingredients Worksheet
and fill out each column with as many ideas as you can find. Give yourself plenty
of time, and if you need to go over multiples pages for any box, feel free. Don’t
censor yourself or worry about the quality of your ideas. If an idea comes to you,
write it and go on to the next one.

Then go to the Compilation Worksheet and, using elements from the

Ingredients Worksheet, come up with story premises mixing those ingredients in
interesting ways.

Pro tips:

• Try to come up with compilation ideas including at least one unusual

ingredient. That rogue ingredient will ensure your story feels fresh and
original.

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Idea Generator

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The Ingredients Worksheet
THINGS YOU LOVE

Write a list of whatever you love or interests you just now. (Books and authors,
films, hobbies, periods of history, lyrics, poems, fashions, folklores, objects,
animals, ideas – anything.) Discover where your interests are, where you find
yourself truly “in flow”, so you can create a story of things that excite and inspire
you.

Things you love

CLICK HERE AND REPLACE TEXT WITH YOUR OWN

Example: Original superhero comics, Norse mythology, war at sea, Belle Époque
dresses and fashions, time travel, etc.

HEROES / HEROINES

Use your list on the left to inspire ideas for possible heroes or heroines. Try to
find one or two ideas for every entry in “Things you love”. Take as much space as
you need, and never create characters based on cliché or stereotype. (They
won’t be human.)

Heroes / Heroines
CLICK HERE AND REPLACE TEXT WITH YOUR OWN

Example: 1940s comic author, Norse folklore figures, naval captain, New York
designer of vintage fashion, etc.

SETTINGS

Use your lists to inspire ideas for settings. You’ll want things to feel logically
consistent, but try to throw in rogue elements along with those settings you
might expect to see, to create authenticity.

Idea Generator

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 Settings
CLICK HERE AND REPLACE TEXT WITH YOUR OWN

Example: 1940s New York, 1917 era naval vessel, contemporary New York fashion
world, Belle Époque Paris, etc.

THEMES / QUESTONS

What ideals and values do you believe in? These will likely emerge as themes in
your plot, so write them down. You needn’t limit yourself to just one. Novels will
often touch upon many (even if there’s one overriding theme or question). Look
for subtle patterns in your list of things you love, too, and these may feed into
story themes, or questions.

Themes / Questions
CLICK HERE AND REPLACE TEXT WITH YOUR OWN

Example: Art and expression, courage and sacrifice, power of dreams, love as
catalyst for change, etc.

CHALLENGES

Use your lists so far to inspire ideas for possible plot challenges (which will feed
into themes, too, and vice versa). Think of emotional challenges for your
protagonist (e.g. “heal from shock”), as well as physical ones (e.g. “save Hogwarts
and the wizarding world”).

Challenges
CLICK HERE AND REPLACE TEXT WITH YOUR OWN

Example: Find artistic fulfilment, heal from trauma, go on a journey, escape a

hollow existence, discover romantic love, etc.

Idea Generator

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The Compilation Worksheet
Using your Ingredients Worksheet, try to come up with short ideas that combine
things in interesting ways.

YOUR STORY IDEAS

Use a sentence or two to sketch out each mini-story idea. You don’t have to have
a “rogue” ingredient in each story, but you are likely to come up with fresher,
more interesting material if you do.

Compare story ideas #1 vs #2, or #3 vs #4, for instance.

Story idea #1
CLICK HERE AND REPLACE TEXT WITH YOUR OWN

Example: In World War I, a naval captain battles a German submarine threatening

US merchant traffic. He battles with this submarine and is victorious.

Hero Setting Challenge Rogue Ingredient

Story idea #2
CLICK HERE AND REPLACE TEXT WITH YOUR OWN

Example: After World War I, a naval captain suffering PTSD wants to forget wartime
memories, attempting a trek with Canadian Inuit. He adopts their lifestyle.

Hero Setting Challenge Rogue Ingredient

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 Story idea #3
CLICK HERE AND REPLACE TEXT WITH YOUR OWN

Example: A New York fashion designer is trying to bring out a new fall collection.
Deciding her world is shallow, she resolves to leave it for something genuine.

Hero Setting Challenge Rogue Ingredient

Story idea #4
CLICK HERE AND REPLACE TEXT WITH YOUR OWN

Example: A New York fashion designer is trying to bring out a new fall collection,
but finds herself time-travelling into the world of Paris during la Belle Époque.
Finding love in that world, she must choose whether to return to this one.

Hero Setting Challenge Rogue Ingredient

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Idea Generator

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Idea Generator