Contriving a Plot

[Malloriel]

A lot of my inspiration has come from brainstorming with creative people I love and trust. Several of my characters are actually the personalities of friends and family that they developed. We'd devise interactions and meetings and conflicts between what they created and what I created, and through reading and watching and thinking and even dreaming, everything seems to weave together for me.

I don't feel that inspiration ever has to come purely from what's already within you, but can be anything that interacts with that part of you that is the writer, the thinker and dreamer. Anything can feed the inspiration waiting to grow within, and I think it's always a fun and enlightening experience to toss ideas off of someone willing to play back by giving their own, completely irrelevant ideas right back.

[Shingetsu]

Ideas just come to me usually. Sometimes at random out of nowhere. It's usually best to just let your mind wander and let it think up stuff. Maybe start with something cool you like. Such as a Magician that can walk through walls and control peoples minds (or whatever).

A shower is a good place. Your body turns to routine while your mind is free to do as it wants. Just don't bring paper there to write them down...

[Purdy Bear]

I follow the advice of an author I saw on Tv years ago. She said watch people and then ask yourself questions "How they got there?" and "what are they doing?" etc.

Another exercise which is taken from the photographic world, find 10 stories within a 1 mile radius of your home.

I get the initial idea, brain storm it and then work out a power line for each chapter, work in a few red herrings and antagonists, then settle down to write.

Both Agatha Christie and JK Rowling, I'v heard, wrote the final scenes first then worked backwards.