How To Have An Effective Brainstorming Session

by Stephanie Morrill

Stephanie writes young adult contemporary novels and is the creator of GoTeenWriters.com. Her novels include The Reinvention of Skylar Hoyt series (Revell) and the Ellie Sweet books (Playlist). You can connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and check out samples of her work on her author website including the free novella, Throwing Stones.

As I'm writing, I often send my writer friends random questions over chat or email about my story. ("Do you think it's believable that...?")

But sometimes you have a story snarl or gaping hole that you need help on. Maybe your beginning and middle are solid, but you can't figure out how to end this book. Or there's something totally off about your villain, and you just don't know what.

It wasn't so long ago that I tried to do all this stuff on my own, but having a writer or two (or more!) to brainstorm with has tons of benefits. My brain is so latched to the original story concept, I'm often blind to how it can be improved. Bringing other writers into the conversation provides a fresh perspective; they can spot plot holes, problematic character arcs, and help push you into creating a bigger, deeper story.

I would suggest brainstorming with people who:

• Have your best interest at heart: Trust me, you don't want help from someone who doesn't encourage your dream of writing. It doesn't go well for anybody.
• Have read and liked your writing: People in these categories might still be able to contribute useful suggestions, but it's a lot easier to work with people who you feel safe with. 
• Understand who you are as a writer: If you're writing a contemporary romance, you need your brainstormers to be on board with that, not trying to turn it into a steampunk Amish horror novel.

My writer friends are moms and busy published authors, so they're pressed for time. Because I want to respect their time, I try to be as prepared for the conversation as possible. Before we talk, I try to know at least these two things about my story:

1. The point of my book. Call it theme or message or whatever you want, but basically I try to understand the heart of my story. This will help guide decisions about what fits in the plot and what doesn't.
2. The beginning and middle-ish of my story. I tend to be very fuzzy about my endings. That's often where I need my brainstorming help. You, of course, might be different. Maybe you only know the end. 

When I've spent some time brainstorming on my own, I send my friend an email with what I know about the story and where I'm stuck. We schedule our calls ahead of time, and we always send this email a few days before so the other has time to let the story simmer.

When we get on the phone, I (try to) let her talk first. This can be tough for me. Especially if I've had a new idea.

Usually, we're trying to brainstorm our way through a sticky plot issue, not trying to come up with a whole book. I've found it helps to work backwards, which looks something like this:

Me: I really want my main character to think that she is responsible for her best friend being taken. I want her to feel guilty on top of feeling like it's urgent to find her.
Friend: Okay. Well, is she actually responsible, or do we need her to just think that?
Me: I don't think I care. Either is fine.
Friend: Do they look alike?
Me: No. But they're together right before her friend is taken.
Friend: Could the friend be wearing her jacket? Have her hair up?

See how we're working our way backward? We know what needs to happen, and now it's just about drilling into the problem and figuring out the motivations that can get us where we know we want to end up.

Usually we talk for about an hour and around 75% of it is active brainstorming. (I would say the rest of the breakdown is 5% silent musing,15% chit-chat, and 5% dealing with the child who inevitably got out of bed when they heard us on the phone. I swear, they have radar.)

I take notes as we talk, and when we get off the phone, I write down everything we decided. Usually when I do this, a few new ideas crop up too. (If you're working in a bigger group of brainstormers, it could be a nice idea to have a person besides the writer of the story writing everything down.) When that happens, we chat about it more over email, and then I buckle down and get to work.

We're at the place in our friendship where we don't feel the need to make sure everything is perfectly even, but it's nice if to make it clear you intend to reciprocate by scheduling a dedicated time to brainstorm for them too.

Have you spent much time brainstorming with other writers? What has worked for you?

p.s. I won't be around today to chat, but I'll be able to read your comments. We'll be in the hospital this week with my four-year-old son, Connor, while he starts a medical diet. Thank you for your patience with me in my absence!