I have been busy researching different ways to rekindle my mind into creative writing mode. I am working on a novel and have found that I do hit those writer’s blocks from time to time. However, I have found some creative ideas to jog the brain. Some of them might seem like common knowledge but to someone like me, they were completely new. Try writing these down and make a challenge book or page for yourself and do a challenge a week or every month. Not only does it kill boredom but it helps you to think more creatively. 

1) “Sentence borrowing.” Here we have something that can be seen as plagiarism but if you don’t intend on selling your work, you’ll be fine. This is where you take any sentence you like in a magazine, a novel, or any printed or visual media and base your whole short story on it. You can use the first sentence or just one you fancy to begin. Write a completely different story to the one you are borrowing from. It must be 99% all your own work, apart from your first sentence.  

2) Lyrics as dialogue. Here you can take lyrics from your favorite song and write them down as the beginning of your short story or just as filler dialogue in between a story. You can actually use as many songs and lyrics as you like. A fun game to do is choosing different songs and seeing if their lyrics can form a complete dialogue. It sharpens your listening skills and gets the creative juices flowing.  

3) Rewrite your last argument but give it a different ending. This is one we all wish we could do in real life. Rewrite history. Try to remember the last argument you had with anyone but write down what could have or should have happened except for the outcome you have experienced. Try to think of ways in which the argument could have gone or where you would change things. The story must be completely different from what actually happened in the end. You can give it a happy ending, or a sad one. You can make it the beginning of your book or project or the end of one.  

4) Write a letter to yourself but as your own biggest fan. This one may sound a little stupid but we all need a morale boost so why not give yourself one? Here you can highlight good parts about yourself, you can write about what you are proud of, and write a fan letter. This is not as easy as it sounds because we are our own worst critics, but it feels nice reading it after you leave it for some time. Come back to the letter every time you feel down. It’s like a cup of coffee; perks you right up again. 

5) Rewrite a song (old melody, new lyrics). I wish that I was musically inclined but alas I am not. I can only dream, but what if the melody was already there? Take some of your favorite melodies and write completely new lyrics for them. It’s a great creative tool to have.  

6) Use a single random picture to write a short story. This one is self-explanatory but let’s just go over this. You could take any image you can find, and write a whole short story or novel if you wish just about what you see. It gives the image greater meaning and draws you into art like never before. 

7) Write a villain’s backstory. This is a fun one to do. Here you create a villain, your choice of their professions, world domination, looks, and even specific traits they have. You get to write the origin story of a completely new character and, who knows, you might use them in one of your stories. 

8) Create an unlikely hero. This is the same as doing it with a villain but this time you create someone who is the hero. They could have a twitch, they could smoke. They can be a bit of an anti-hero but most definitely unlikely. You can write about the sidekick who suddenly becomes the hero. You don’t even have to make one up, you can choose one from movies, books, or TV and create a story where their particular set of skills saved the day. Makes you wonder. 

9) Write the first confession of love. This is sometimes hard for people to do because it ends up sounding corny or lame. However, this is the point in the story where the people declare their love for the first time. Try to think out of the box here and come up with dialogue that is different and think of what you would say in real life.  

10) Write a break-up with an unlikely twist. Here by unlikely twist, I mean that our hero has to break up with a girl because she is an alien and needs to go back to her own planet kind of twist. Think of how many vampire stories are out there and how many of them end happily but in reality, would you let your loved one live a thousand years without seeing the sun? They say breaking up is hard to do and this proves it. Just remember to add your twist. 

Here I have ten ideas you can use to get creative. Some may seem stupid at first until you try them. I was worried that the confession of love would be too cheesy but I was pleasantly surprised when I actually wrote something a little more realistic. Go ahead give these a try and see how they feel. You might be pleasantly surprised as to what you can create.