[...]... There are two reasons to do research for a piece of creative writing: 7 as a way of finding ideas; 7 as a way of finding interesting details to develop ideas you already have A lot of imaginative writing gets done without any research at all But research can make a dull story come to life—it can add vivid details and make it more believable I N AT I WRIT I NG AG VE IM Image Not Available 16 Carry a notebook... IDEAS Getting ideas for imaginative writing The aim of a piece of imaginative writing is to entertain the reader, so that means I’ll be trying to think of entertaining ideas That’s a big ask Very few people can think of entertaining ideas straight off So—I’ll work up to it I’ll start by asking my brain to think up any old ideas One idea leads to another and sooner or later they’ll get more entertaining... entertaining As I mentioned on page 11, there are at least four good ways to come up with ‘any old ideas’ Writing isn’t easy—so start with something simple Making a list A list is the easiest, least threatening way to start writing Start by working out what is the single most important word or phrase in the assignment This is the key word Write that at the top of a blank page and list anything that comes into... lead to anything better than more blank paper That’s why, if I had any rules for writing (which I don’t), my first and last rule would be: Anything is better than a blank page Getting ideas isn’t usually a matter of having one giant brainstorm More often, it’s a matter of gradually accumulating a little idea here, another little idea there Eventually they all add up Here are four foolproof ways to get... mind can take over again Premature planning It’s true that when you start to write a piece, you should have a plan But getting ideas isn’t the same as writing a piece There’s a time ABOUT GETTING IDEAS 13 to think and plan (in this book, that time is during Step Three), and a time to let your mind wander freely, gathering all kinds of ideas Writer’s block There’s a lot of melodrama around the idea of... you and write things down straight away A few words will do STEP ONE: GETTING IDEAS Research for imaginative writing can be about a location (John Marsden, for example, drew on real places and stories for Tomorrow, When the War Began) It can be about a historical period (Colleen McCullough does a lot of historical research for her books about ancient Rome) Or it can delve into technical information... ideas for imaginative writing 14 Getting ideas for an essay Making a list Making a cluster diagram Researching Freewriting Example: Getting ideas for an essay Doing it: Getting ideas for an essay 14 15 16 17 22 28 28 28 29 32 33 39 ABOUT GETTING IDEAS 11 About getting ideas Ideas come from lots of places, but the one place they never, ever come from is a sheet of blank paper Blank paper will never lead... blue’ Whatever form the assignment takes, it is asking you to write a piece that will ‘entertain’ your readers—that is, engage their feelings Essay assignments Essays generally ask you to do one of four things: These assignments invite you to show what you know about a subject 7 They might ask for straight information, arranged in some logical order: an explanatory essay or report For example: What are... agenda in this assignment? (Is it presented as an imaginative task, but also asks for information?) 3 What kind of writing should I do here? 7 Are there clues that tell me what form the writing should take (to write the piece as an essay, as a short story, as a newspaper report)? Recap Now that you know what the assignment is asking you to do, you need ideas How do you get those ideas? The next chapter... head about it Making a cluster diagram I Another way of making a list is to do it in the form of a cluster diagram Instead of having the assignment at the top of the page, you write the key word from the assignment in the middle of the page You put down ideas as they come to you, and if they connect to an idea you’ve already put down, you group them together The aim is to form clusters of linked ideas . would be: Anything is better than a blank page. Getting ideas isn’t usually a matter of having one giant brainstorm. More often, it’s a matter of gradually accumulating a little idea here, another. AM Page 3 Imaginative writing assignments Assignments for imaginative writing commonly give you something that acts as a trigger for your imagination. For example: 7 Look at this photograph and. contemplative. Writing to entertain generally takes the form of so-called ‘imaginative writing or ‘creative writing (of course, all writing requires some imagination and creativity). Examples of imaginative writing