Power Tools For Writers, Part One

Whether you’re building a house or writing crime novels, it helps to have a good set of tools. Handsaws are great for some jobs, but mitering roof beams with elbow grease is murder. For the big stuff, and for extra muscle on small jobs, it helps to power up.

Like carpenters, writers have to ...Whether you’re building a house or writing crime novels, it helps to have a good set of tools. Handsaws are great for some jobs, but mitering roof beams with elbow grease is murder. For the big stuff, and for extra muscle on small jobs, it helps to power up.

Like carpenters, writers have to plan, construct, problem-solve, improvise, repair, and fudge angles—and the tools we use make a difference in the quality of our workmanship. This series of articles will plug you into a variety of literary power tools that no writer’s box should be without. First on the gear-list, three brainstorming techniques:

1. Freewriting. Many writers use it, but few for creative problem solving. Like the techniques that follow, it requires you to silence your critic and let your right brain run wild. Unsure how to motivate your protagonist? Bring the problem to mind, then write about it, without pause, for five minutes. If you’re unsure where to start, write nonsense until your left brain quiets. If you stray off topic, let yourself go. When you’re done, read what you’ve written and underline ideas that resonate. Look for patterns. The solution to your problem will often be hiding in there, delivered up by your subconscious.

2. Listing. This technique is great for finding answers to specific writing questions, for brainstorming titles, for nailing down details, etc. Start with a question, such as, “What does Gypsy do after Ed loads the gun?” or “What kind of car does Father Priestly steal?” Fire out as many answers as you can, without thinking or letting your hand pause. Go crazy. Get weird. Maybe Gypsy nails a love letter to Ed’s head and your story takes a new turn. Priestly may steal a Model-T, sending your screenplay back in time. Listing can open hidden doors in your writing, by producing unexpected, engaging ideas.

3. Clustering: Write a word or phrase, such as “elephant,” at the center of a blank page, and circle it. Now brainstorm and circle words related to elephant, such as “gray” and “memory,” and join them to “elephant” with lines. You can continue to work off the center circle or follow the branches outward; i.e., from “memory” to “brain” to “surgery,” etc. Go until you’re tapped. You’ll end up with a cluster of circled words, and among them you’ll find unexpected connections, fresh ideas and unique organizational structures you might never have discovered otherwise.

Remember, a power drill isn’t just for making holes; you can drive screws and mix mortar with it, too. Adapt these tools to your needs. Make them your own. They can be applied to anything you’re writing, and are limited only by your willingness to use them.