NaNoWriMo Day 3: An Extra Hour for Brainstorming?

It was so cold yesterday that I didn't have any trouble staying inside to write—which means not only did I meet my word count goal, but I exceeded it. After two days, I'm at 700 words. Not a bad start!

But this morning, when everyone was getting an extra hour of sleep thanks to Daylight Savings, I tried to work on my story. Instead, I spent almost the entire hour thinking of all the things that could happen to someone during that extra hour—and instead of making progress on my current project, I came up with about a dozen "plot bunnies."

Don't worry, I'm not shifting gears on my story, but it did get me thinking about where ideas come from, which is the questions writers get all the time. Or so I hear.

Yesterday I shared some story sparks, and that's definitely one way to get those creative vibes working. But if those didn't work for you, here are four more ways to inspire your creativity.

Read the newspaper or flip through magazines. Sometimes a headline or an interesting fact can spark an idea. Did you know that the inspiration for the Superman Duffy comic It’s a Blast! came from an article the author read about Canadian astronaut Robert Thirsk taking 200,000 canola seeds up into space?

Watch movies! Yep, you guessed it, those action scenes can get your creative juices flowing. AMELIA “XERCES” DUFFY, the Superman Duffy comic featuring my sister, was apparently inspired by the (old) movie, "Honey I Shrunk The Kids." And the title of As You Wish came from the classic film "The Princess Bride." 

Play with play dough. It sounds silly, but creating something from scratch—like a character—and then justifying the decisions you made (such as why you chose a specific hair colour) can be just the physical inspiration you need to create a whole back story for that character—and eventually, the plot to a new adventure!

Go for a walk or a run. Seriously. Sometimes you just need to clear your head. And, if the weather warms up a little, it's the perfect time to get that creative adrenaline flowing! (Don’t forget to write your ideas down as soon as you come back, though!) I'm actually heading out for my run right away...

Did that help? Hopefully you find something to cap off your weekend—being behind a couple of days during NaNoWriMo is one thing, but catching up after a week? A lot harder!

Gotta jet! May the words be with you!

~ Chase Superman Duffy

Current Word Count: 700 words