How To Get Ideas To Write A Novel?

A writer’s existence revolves around ideas. The flow of ideas, and the ability to pen them down is crucial to being a good writer. But sometimes, ideas just don’t flow. There may be a writer’s block, or your writing fluidity may feel spot on but you simply have nothing to write about. Such a period might be exhausting and unproductive, and you may feel terrible. But there’s no need to worry! There are plenty of things you can do to keep the creative juices flowing! Today, we’ve made a comprehensive list of – how to get ideas to write a novel?

Observe the world

The common trait of all writers is that they are acute observers of the world and its happenings. Noticing people, their relationships, animals, ecological elements and even the most mundane things is what will give you source material to write. Art, in essence, is a reflection of the world, which is why you need to know the world to be able to translate it into words. Having experiences that will enrich you, going out and spending time looking at people, their interactions and reactions will definitely give you ideas.

Read more books

All great writers are definitely good readers. If you want ideas, you need to explore the world of literature. Literature is often the biggest source of inspiration for writers. Not only will reading increase your vocabulary, it will also fuel your creative engines. Reading is essentially a possibility – a possibility for worlds and people and ideas. This possibility will, in all likeliness, sprout other possibilities in your mind. It will prompt you to think of even more possibilities – those that you can call your own.

Spend time in nature

Nature is an immense soother. Spending time with nature, you will feel at peace with yourself. Ideas for descriptions will come to you naturally. In fact, studies show that speding time with nature accentuates creative and problem solving abilities. Many writers recommend taking a good walk in a park of in nature to dissolve a writer’s block. Not only will this clear your mind of stress and allow creative thoughts to flow freely, it will also make you feel less anxious and happier – the best state of mind for writing.

Spend time doing an automatic activity

Neurological research shows that when you do something reflexive and automatic – such as cycling or swimming, the optimum amount of your attention is used. This allows creative thoughts to flow without being interrupted by rational processes. This means that, creative thoughts exist best at a level of consciousness just lower than complete alertness. So if you try to focus all your energies into finding a good idea, it’s likely that all your good ideas will be curbed by your rational brain. But if you engage in an activity that is more or less automatic, they will flow unhindered because the rational part of your brain is occupied optimally.

Do a five-minute-brainstorm or object-connector activity

This is a very interesting activity of dealing with creative blocks. In this, you shut your eyes for five minutes and think. It is important here to not apply any bars on your thoughts and to just allow your mind to go anywhere it wants. At the end of five minutes, you write down everything that you thought of, even the weirdest and wildest things. Then you find a topic related to what you thought of, or consider a thought as your starting point for a novel. In another method, you can randomly jot down three objects you see in front of you, and challenge yourself to make a novel story connecting the three.

Research interesting topics

Following your passions and enriching your mind with more and more knowledge really has no substitute when it comes to writing. Especially while writing a novel, it’s important to be able to expand your ideas, and that can happen only when you know them thoroughly enough. If you cant find an idea, the best place to look is probably your interests and passions. If you like music or mythology or spaceships or whatever – just research about it. Reading up and deepening your knowledge will sure spark ideas related to it.

Introspect

This process is crucial to writers. Looking within, discovering who you really are, what kind of writer you are and what makes you feel truly happy is very important. Within yourself is where you will find the most ideas. These will be ideas and themes that are intimate and important to you as an individual. Hence, you will be able to write about them best as well. Knowing who you really are at your core will make you an immensely better writer. In fact, I believe that people should only write about what they’re most passionate about and what shakes them to their core. And the only way to know that is to be in touch with your deepest self.

Talk to interesting people

Every story needs characters. And while these characters can be made up and imagined, inspiration usually comes from observing people around you. Even just going to a coffeeshop and noticing every person who walks in, taking in their movements and responses and physical appearances could help. After half an hour of observation, you could give these people an imaginary backstory. Talking to people who are different from you, understanding their natures and stories and delving into why they are the way they are is how you will get ideas for characters.

Take a creative writing course

Creative writing courses exist for a reason – to teach you to write creatively. Learning from experienced writers, studying their writing process is very helpful. This is especially so if your own creative process doesn’t seem to be working. These courses will probably have a lot of creative writing activities and exercises, which might just spark an idea that you might want to expand into a novel.

Use writing prompts

Writing prompts are a lifesaver for writers. On Pinterest, Instagram and many other sites, writing prompts are available in all forms and for all genres. Object-connector activities are very one form of writing prompts. Other forms of prompts include first lines, last lines, random themes etc.

Fall in love with life!

Novels might be fictional or even fantasy, but they derive from life in some way or another. Inspiration is all about in life. You only need to be receptive. In the long run, you need to create a mindset of absorbing life in its entirety. To be a writer, you must be open to all experiences and feel them intensely and passionately – the good and the bad.

Also Read: Impact Of Books On Our Life