Disclamer: The Lotus isn't mine nor is it from 80's but I know a young Jimmy would drool over it!
Back to today . . .
With todays Long Coffee Trip, I experimented with the ide of rapid brainstorming to work on character and plot development, using rock hits from 1986 to 1990 as thinking triggers. I really dont have an issue coming up with ideas but with the way my noodle noodles I have to find ways to wrangle all those thoughts. Today's technology made my creative journey a breeze; I simply asked Google to play the top 10 rock songs from each year starting with 1986, turning my car into a rolling brainstorming session and ,as planned, each song from playlist prompted a quick burst of story ideas, that I recorded as voice notes.
For example . . .
"Addicted to Love" by Robert Palmer, mainly due to its iconic video, inspired a funny tale about a 15-year-old boy's misunderstandings of romance and hyperfocused on the video! "Welcome to the Jungle" by Guns N' Roses gave rise to a story about a teen navigating high school's chaos, each riff bringing a new comedic twist.
"Love Shack" by The B-52's prompted an idea about a group of eclectic college students in a run-down house, their quirky adventures highlighting friendship and humor.
From 12:00 PM to 6:00 PM the drive was filled with a numerous moments of inspiration from each of the various tracks, each serving as a catalyst for a range of ideas, from humorous to heartfelt. The resuls were not only character and plot developement for the story i'm working on now but also sprouted a few ideas for brand new written adventures. For me, it's like planting little idea seeds; some sprout into big stories, others stay small, and some even merge together. Right now, my biggest projects are the "Funland" series, coming out June 1st, and "Graybacks," set for a May release.
By the time I pulled into my driveway, my watch was practically bursting with over an hour of voice notes. This whole exercise was like running a mental marathon while being tickled by the muses of rock 'n' roll—fun and rewarding, but boy, did it leave me creatively pooped!
#writersjourney #lct2024