The greatest tragedy any writer knows is this: writer’s block. you’re finally in the mood to write and you have all the free time you need, but absolutely no inspiration to get you started. As an avid writer myself, I’ve devised a few activities over the years to combat that pesky writer’s block and get my imagination flowing again. If you’re seeking writing inspiration for characters, plot, names or locations, this article is for you.
Old Maps, New Names
If you’re into writing fantasy, you probably know how difficult it can be to invent unique and memorable names for your fictional settings. Sometimes, the best source for inspiration is the past. For my projects, I often turn to historical maps of real-world places. This method has been proven tried and true by “The Chronicles of Narnia” author C.S. Lewis, who first saw the name “Narnia” on an ancient map of Italy. I like to take this activity to another level by taking some creative liberty with the names I find. While it’s possible to simply take existing names and reuse them, you can also let these old names inspire something new.
Part of this method involves the observation of patterns. To get an idea of how your fictional location names should be structured, take note of any recurring endings in the names of cities and regions on maps. For example, in England, most counties end in the suffix “-shire.” Many American towns end in the suffix “-ville,” which is derived from Old French and Latin words. Noting patterns similar to these can allow you to achieve a realistic amount of consistency across the names in your fictional world.
The last step is where creativity really comes into play. Combine different names to make something new. Take the first few letters of one city and patch on a completely different suffix. Then, jot down a list of your name creations and highlight the ones you like the most. Before you know it, you could have a whole new world unfolding before you. You can decide what each place is. What sounds like a good name for a country? Is there one name that sounds perfect for a capital city? Which name sounds like the busiest city in the whole world? These patchwork names can come alive when you trust your imagination.
The Random Name Generator Method
The random name generators of the internet can be helpful to writers who just can’t find the perfect name for their character. But what if you don’t have any characters at all? Even if you’re starting with nothing, random name generators can still help you find inspiration, as long as you’re prepared to let your imagination do some work. After you find the right name generator, open up a notebook, a document or a new note on your phone and prepare to jot down every name that sparks your interest. As you write names down, think of what impression each name gives you. Assign each name an age and think of what their personalities might be like. Trust the first ideas that come to mind.
While many random name generators strictly compile names, the Behind the Name Random Name Generator gives you the option to generate a “life story” as well. This includes a birthdate, age, birthplace and other useful information. You can either choose to keep or disregard the generated information as you see fit. But I have found it beneficial to take note of the random ages generated, as this might help you to imagine a personality to go with each name. Sometimes, you’ll find pairings between names and ages that you never would have come up yourself. This can make the process of adding personality to these characters even more interesting.
Once you have your list of names with ages and personalities to go with them, think about how each new character on your list might interact with the others. Would two characters make a good couple? Are any of the characters enemies? Who would get along? Who wouldn’t? Thanks to a name generator and creativity on your part, you now have a whole cast of characters to play with.
The Shuffle Games
Often, writers enjoy making playlists to go along with their stories, incorporating songs that remind them of characters, events and the tone of the project. But have you ever thought of making a playlist for a story that doesn’t exist yet? There are so many ways to find inspiration from the music you love. Shuffling your own personal playlists can be a good way to start. One method that worked for me in the past was imagining the outline of an original television show. Since I already had my own characters and settings, all I needed was a plot. I shuffled my longest playlist and, for each song that came up, I wrote an episode synopsis that the song inspired. Sometimes the lyrics of the song would inspire me to think of a certain event or conflict that could occur in the episode. Many times, the songs inspired the mood of the episode. I asked myself what kind of scenes each song could be playing in the background for. By the time I was finished with my “season one,” I had a clear, overarching plot for a story and many little events to pave the way to a big finale.
In addition to plot inspiration, shuffled playlists can be a great tool to use for getting to know your characters better. Put a playlist on shuffle and open up a document. For each song that comes up, think of which character it reminds you of and write down why. Maybe the song relates to something your character is going through, or maybe it could remind them of songs they listened to in their childhood. This is a great exercise for testing how in-depth your knowledge of your own characters is. It could also spark new ideas about your characters’ lives and personalities and provide writing inspiration you never knew you needed. With deeper knowledge of your characters, you might just find that breakthrough idea in your plotting session that you’ve been waiting for all along.
Inspiration From Everything
The best piece of advice I can give is to keep your mind open to finding writing inspiration in anything. In my early writing days, I got an idea for a new cast of characters by assigning personalities to the pens and pencils on my desk. A fellow writer shared with me how he and his friends designed their own movie plot for fun by thinking of what kinds of roles they’d want to see their favorite Hollywood actors play. Inspiration is everywhere. Even if you’re just beginning your writing journey, don’t be afraid to trust your imagination.
