Writer's Block - Plot generation

One of my bigger struggles has always been trying to come up with WHAT to write. Since I was a wee lad, I've sought out comic books and non fiction book in genres that I would like to write about - hoping to find plot seeds. I've looked at the discount shelves at Barnes & Noble in hopes of finding that one title of conspiracies, historical mysteries, spy biographies or any other book that can generate an idea for me; an idea great enough to weave a fictional yarn around.

Lately, I've realized that the plot seed is not enough, and that there's so much more to a great story than just the plot. There are characters and conflicts and no to mention good structure to keep your readers on their toes. All in all, there's a truck load of things that factor into a good story.

However, the plot IS important, and this post is about helping you come up with good plats without losing what's still left of your hair. To achieve this, I won't be talking about the usual stuff - the "newspaper headlines" etc that you read about in various other books, but instead I want to point you in some other directions. I will be mentioning some tools that really opened up a few of my eyes.

I have a decent little random plot generator that I created in Excel based on the Lester Dent formula. Using this formula is a simple way to get a starting point, a way to give me that first indication of what the story could be about, but I have never really followed it to the letter. What starts out as a stolen jewel could end up as a USB-stick with video footage and I'm still happy. I've been given a start and it has helped spur my creativity enough to start writing.

The Lester Dent formula, however, is event driven. It focuses on story and gives you the job of creating the protagonist. A few weeks ago, I found a tool that helps me come up with character driven stories. The tool is actually a pen and paper role playing game called Fiasco, and is unconventional even by role playing game standards. To start with, there is no Game Master directing the players, nor is there a set adventure kit that the players will be following. Instead the entire game is based on the relationship between the characters; a relationship built using dice and tables. The tables come from a so called "Play Set", a setting description if you will. The description, however, is only a couple of sentences long. The tables are what's important. They're the ones creating the relationships and the needs of your characters. I immediately noticed that from more or less "nothing", I managed to come up with a brilliant little story seed by following the rules lined out in the game.

In my next post, I will go through the steps I followed one by one.