Goodreads asked Deb Brammer:

How do you deal with writer’s block?

Deb Brammer Ideas are like muscles; the more you use them, the more they grow. I look for ideas wherever I go. Plot ideas can come from life, the news, or other stories. I take a seed idea and think of all the other ways that story could play out.
Character ideas can come from people I meet, but if I know the person I always change the character so much they aren’t recognizable in the book. I try to stay away from stock characters like the sports jock and head cheerleader type. On the opposite side I avoid the stereotypical nerd who’s smart, wears glasses, has allergies, and gets picked on all the time. I want my characters to be real, ordinary people who deal with common problems in life.
Issues that move my emotions can also be good starting points for stories.
When I read or watch a story I like, I analyze why I like it and how the things I like could transfer to another story. I cultivate ideas by collecting them, analyzing them, talking about them, and using the best of them. I think about ideas so much that I can hardly shut them out of my mind. I may struggle to figure out how to make my plot work a certain way, but I never lack for things to write about.

flag