The Science Behind Great Storylines

by Gina Catanzarite

As a writer, people are always asking me how I come up with story ideas... and my answer is always the same: I just look around me. Inspirations for story ideas are everywhere. Such a vague answer usually confounds people but it seems like science is finally backing me up. 

According to neuroscience research summarized by author Gregory Berns in the book Iconoclast, personal differences in how we see and perceive our surroundings spark creativity and imagination. That means you and I might sit on the same cliff, and observe the same thunderstorm in the distance, but our unique perceptions of the event would lead our imaginations in wildly different directions.  

After observing that thunderstorm, can you now imagine a thunderstorm on a distant planet? Your perceptions of the actual event will help you imagine a fictitious version, yet what you imagine and what I imagine will be completely different.

The same can be done with people, too! Why is that woman carrying the oddly shaped package? What’s inside? Who is it for?

Where is that man going, dressed in a tuxedo at 9 a.m.?!    

Viola! You’ve just planted the seeds for unique story ideas. 

If you dream of being a writer but get stumped at the story idea stage, try these exercises to sharpen your awareness of your surroundings:

1. 1. Come up with a list of precise nouns for the objects you see.
   For example, rather than say “house,” would you describe the structure as a cottage, mansion, shack, ranch, duplex, etc.? Rather than say “car,” could you describe it as an SUV, a sports car, a sedan, a jalopy, etc.? What event would cause a successful businesswoman to leave a big city and live in a secluded cottage? What would motivate an aging man to trade in a prized sports car for a jalopy? Noting specific nouns and then imagining people and events associated with them will help you sketch out the skeleton of your storyline.
   
   
2. Use precise descriptions in order to create a sensory experience for the reader, appealing to the five senses, sight/sound/taste/touch/smell. 
   It’s called imagery and advertisers do it all the time!  Which makes your mouth water more: Cheese crackers or Cheddar-Blasted Goldfish Crackers? You want your readers to be completely “swept away” to the fictitious world you created so when you observe your own surroundings, don’t just note what you see; also note what you smell and hear and touch and taste. Try describing the distinctive flavor of the food you ate for lunch, or the feel of the chair you’re sitting in right now. Then imagine how those sensory experiences might plug into a significant event in a fictitious character’s day. 

Developing story ideas is like any challenging puzzle: Start with a few pieces and then add on until a larger image starts to appear. Once you become more attuned to the details of your own surroundings, you’ll unleash your creativity and come up with storylines that will grip readers and transport them to an imaginary world that feels very, very real!

Learn more about Gregory Berns’ book Iconoclast and the link between neuroscience and creativity at: http://www.fastcompany.com/1007044/neuroscience-sheds-new-light-creativity

Discover more fascinating scientific facts about creativity at: http://www.onlineuniversities.com/15-scientific-facts-about-creativity

AND, sign your teen up today for Luminari’s exciting Teen Writer! Fantastic Fiction summer camp!