"...here are exercises designed to coax these ideas out of the shadows."

Story ideas are fickle creatures. Sometimes, they come as easily as catching fireflies on a warm summer night–illuminating a mason jar full of inspiration. Other times they are more elusive–like that slippery frog vanishing between rocks at the slightest ripple, leaving nothing but a puddle of cloudy water in your hand.

More often than not, I have found that the idea for a story comes to me in the same way they say soulmates do–when it’s least expected. But if, like me, you are too impatient to wait for such a thing, here are exercises designed to coax these ideas out of the shadows.

What-If & But Statements: The first exercise is one of my favourites because it helps you conceptualize not only a key plot device, but the source of conflict as well. Every time I've come up with one of these statements, I’ve written them on a cue card to keep tucked away in a recipe box for a rainy day. Over time this has become a wonderful source of inspiration if I need a new original story idea, or a plot device I can add to my existing work-in-progress.

What if a village baker gets hired to provide her infamous apple tarts for the royal wedding, but her pastries cause all the guests to fall into a sleeping curse and she has to work with the groom (ie: the prince) to break it?

The Obscure Character: Venture into the depths of your local library or antique store and get lost in the more obscure myths, legends, and folklore. There you can find all sorts of characters and even villains whose stories you could expand upon. Retelling or reimagining lesser-known–or even classic–tales provides a build-in-framework for a story that you can twist and shape into something uniquely your own.

Take for example, the Metsavaim (forest spirit) from an Estonian folklore story titled The Lost Hunter and the Metsavaim. It would be interesting to explore the backstory of how this forest spirit came to be, why it is bound to the forest, and how it might fall in love with a hunter (or feller) who’s intent on destroying it.

The Salt & Sugar Effect: They say opposites attract, but opposites also make for a very entertaining and tension-fueled story. Imagine two clashing characters forced together by a shared goal or unforeseen circumstance. This dynamic is often portrayed through popular tropes like enemies-to-lovers, or grumpy vs sunshine. For many writers it can be the characters who inspire the plot, rather than the plot inspiring the characters.

A spoiled socialite finds herself stranded on a deserted island with a nature-loving hermit who is secretly a wanted man who does not want to be found.

The Art of Prompts: Through time, storytelling has found expression in countless forms; such as song, fables, lullabies, limericks, parables, dance, riddles, and art. Visiting your local art galleries, antique stores, or even the online art archives, can be a great way to stumble across a photograph or art piece that gives you that jolt of inspiration. It’s in our nature to connect art with a story, and this is exactly why it can be such a valuable prompt.

I once stumbled upon a striking piece of art in an antique store that stopped me in my tracks. The painting was dark and moody–a ship against the backdrop of a raging sea–yet there was a delicate, butter-soft glow peeking through the clouds on the horizon. This hauntingly beautiful scene, both ominous and hopeful, inspired the following what-if-and-but statement:

What if a desperate woman hires a talented sailor to track down a legendary ghost ship rumoured to carry untold gold, but the closer they get, the more the sailor begins to suspect the woman’s true motive isn’t the gold, but the ship itself—and a secret it holds about her past?