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Two Minds ARE Better Than One
I’m a huge fan of brainstorming sessions. Always have been.
I first discovered their appeal as a news reporter. The editor would summon the writers to a small, windowless conference room every Tuesday morning. We’d talk about what worked in the last paper and what didn’t. We batted around ideas for features and ongoing news series.
What I liked about those get-togethers was seeing what a group of creative minds can do. It was a rare occurrence for one writer to completely take the idea of another, yet those shared thoughts were always springboards to something bigger and better. They made us think beyond where we were.
I see that in my fiction writing as well. In fact, brainstorming with a fellow writer now is a real treat for me. Again, I rarely use something exactly the way it was offered, but the ideas batted around make me think deeper.
Most of my brainstorming sessions have happened with my best friend. We’ve talked through ideas during instant message chats, long car rides, and—when possible—while sitting on the same couch in the same city.
When you are focused on coming up with the premise of a book it can often be hard to see all the angles. Shooting it around with a fellow writer enables them to see plot holes you might have missed.
About two months ago, I was intrigued by one minor aspect of a news story I’d seen on my splash screen. It stuck with me over the next few days and, before long, I knew I wanted to work it into a story. Slowly but surely I concocted a basic premise that excited me more and more as I mulled it over. Yet, I couldn’t start writing because I didn’t have my who and my why—two aspects I have to have in place before I can put my story to paper.
During that stalled phase, I had the opportunity to meet my friend, Joe. We hadn’t talked face to face in a while so we spent some time catching up on life stuff. When we were done I gave him the basic premise of my story idea. Or, what I had of it at that point.
Without going into too much detail, the protagonist of this story returns to the scene of a past tragedy. While there she uncovers a threat to her own life.
Joe, being the amazing brainstorming partner that he is, asked for some of my who/why ideas. I threw a few of them out as they formulated in my brain. Each time he’d say, “yeah, but he’d just kill her.”
I’d throw out another option.
“Yeah, but he’d just kill her.”
And another.
“Yeah, but he’d just kill her.”
And finally one last one.
Same response.
On one hand the whole devil’s advocate thing he was playing with me was walking the line of infuriating, on the other hand I could feel that creative part of my brain really churning through what he was saying.
When we parted ways, I still had no ideas. Just a bunch of his questions firing away in my mind, attacking everything I came up with. But I kept at it. Kept thinking. Kept questioning.
I was about ten miles from home when it hit. WHAM!
I had the why as it pertained to the threat. And it was dynamite!
It was enough to start writing. Wrote the first chapter and showed it to my best friend when she came in for a visit a week ago. She loved it. But as we talked about what I had in mind, I realized I needed another layer to my why. I already had some of it, thanks to a pick-your-brain session with someone in the particular field my motive explores, but still didn’t have it completely nailed down.
Again went the questions. The ideas. The shoot-downs. The grunts. The frustrated sighs.
And, once again, it paid off. Big time.
There are lots of things I’ve learned as a writer. Both with fiction and non-fiction. Little tips and ideas that have strengthened my desire and my skill with each new project. But if I had to pinpoint one thing that I value the most in terms of the creative aspect of writing, it’s the opportunity to sit down with a like-minded person and let the mind wander.
It always ends up somewhere better than it originated.
Always.
So, how about you guys? Do you find talking stuff out—whether a story idea or something in your personal life—pays off for you? Or are you more apt to concoct and execute totally on your own?
Hugs,
~Laura
I treasure all our B.S. sessions.
