The Care and Feeding of the Imagination

Besides  using the magic of "what if. . .?" there are other ways of incubating ideas. If you (heaven forbid) have writer's block or are finding excuses to keep you from your laptop, try one of these: Go to a coffee shop and eavesdrop. Make notes. Your parents told you that's rude, but never mind. Even if you don't get re-charged,  it will help you write dialogue that reads naturally.

Look for the odd thing that sets you thinking.  A New Orleans author is said to have taken inspiration from newspaper "fillers", those sometimes quirky tidbits that complete short columns.

I spotted a stranger two pews in front of me at the campus chapel and knew that's what my character Jacques looked like. In the same inexplicable way, I recognized Jacques' wife Adele at first sight of a George Rodrigue painting on a magazine cover. They have been real to me ever since.

If writing fiction, try getting a jump start by introducing a new character or bringing a minor one to the fore..

Find pictures that remind you of your characters or the setting of your piece and keep them in sight as you write. Make a blueprint of your characters' home, Draw a map of their neighborhood.

Observe. Listen. Be playful. Write.