Ed Myers’s
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How to Get Ideas for Your Writing Assignments

All writers struggle to find interesting ideas that are strong enough to withstand the rigors of the writing process. No doubt you'll discover your own favorite methods—but here are some I've found useful in generating ideas:

Do systematic brainstorming—sit down, relax, let your mind wander, and write down any idea that comes to you without censoring or "editing" it. The key: stay open to your own imagination. You can always pick and choose among these ideas later, but at the beginning you should just let the ideas roll. When I started writing my adventure novel Survival of the Fittest, I couldn't figure out the plot until I brainstormed many alternatives and picked the ones that worked best.

Read about history. You can find all kinds of exciting stories in accounts of the past. Then you can adapt them to your own purposes. Example: Lois Lowry researched an incident during World War II in which ordinary Danish citizens rescued hundreds of Jews from the Nazis. This process led to her writing Number the Stars.

Listen for interesting bits of conversation around you. What people say can spark your own imagination about plots, characters, and themes. For instance, I got the idea for young-adult novel called Ice when I overheard some teenage emergency medical technicians discussing their work on a volunteer ambulance squad.

Read myths and folk tales from other cultures (Greek, Roman, Chinese, African, Nordic, Aztec, Inca, and so forth). Stories from other cultures—both past and present—are full of amazing dramas. For thousands of years, writers have adapted myths and folk tales to find inspiration and understand what it means to be human. Example: Robin McKinley rewrote the folktale known as "Beauty and the Beast" to create her fantasy book Beauty.

Take notes on your dreams and daydreams. Each of us has a private "film festival" every night. If you pay attention to your dreams—and especially if you take notes about them to prevent forgetting—you can find all kinds of remarkable things to write about. Same with daydreams.

Adapt interesting, strange, inspiring, funny, bizarre, exciting, or scary events in the news. The drama of daily life can inspire ideas to write about. As the saying goes, "Truth is stranger than fiction"—but it's always interesting. Jean Craighead George wrote her ecological mystery novel Who Really Killed Cock Robin? after reading newspaper accounts about pollution and other environmental issues.

Create your own variations on stories or characters in movies, TV shows, and books. Take something you see or hear and adapt it to make it your own. Do not copy or plagiarize other people’s work, but you can use your own creativity to expand, change, and transform the general idea of something you see in the media into your own version of the story.

Tips for Managing the Research Process

Most writing projects require some initial research. This is certainly true for reports, but it's also true for many kinds of fiction, including stories and novels. You want to know as much as possible about your subject before you start writing; otherwise you may find your project full of factual errors (which reduce your credibility), or else you'll be scrambling to compensate for your lack of information when you're at work on a later phase.

So here are some suggestions for managing your research:

Suggestion #1: Give yourself enough time to do sufficient research. If you skimp at the start, you'll feel a lot of pressure later on, which will damage the quality of the work you produce.

Suggestion #2: Consider all available resources, not just the Internet. The Web is certainly convenient, and it has a vast amount of information available, but on-line data isn't necessarily the most complete or accurate. There's a lot of misinformation on the Web! Also, even some of what's accurate is rather shallow and lacks substance.

Suggestion #3: For non-Internet sources of data, consider using:

Suggestion #4: Organize your notes and, if necessary, keep notebooks or folders of data. Even if you accumulate the best information in the world, you'll have problems managing your research eventually if you don't keep it organized.

Suggestion #5: Sometimes you need guidance to manage your research. Not only your teacher and school librarian, but also your town librarian and other resource personnel, can be helpful if you're stumped. For instance, many town librarians have an "answer desk" staffed by personnel who will help you track down elusive bits of information.

Suggestion #6: Before you start writing, review your accumulated data. Sometimes you may forget valuable information that you discovered early in the process. Also, you may see connections between bits of data that you hadn't considered earlier.

Interesting Web Resources for Research

Despite its limitations, the Web is certainly a useful resource for homework and school projects. Here are some sites that I (and my kids) have found useful.

[Parental advisory: These sites have been reliable and kid-safe, but I recommend that your children use these and all other Web sites only with adult supervision. Since it's impossible to monitor the changing nature of the Internet on a constant basis, I can't vouch for the reliability of these sites over the long term. Some sites may contain links to other sites. Some sites may contain advertisements. Please advise children not to click on e-mail forms or input any personal information into a Web site.]

www.kidinfo.com — A general information site for elementary school students.

www.carr.org/ccps/students/help/ — A research site maintained by teachers and curriculum experts.

www.factmonster.com/ — Created by the publishers of Information Please, this is a website for kids, parents, and teachers with a quick-search function that could serve as a primary research tool for class projects.

www.yahooligans.com/School_Bell/Homework_Help/ — Yahooligan's homework page includes "ask an expert," as well as resources in history, language arts, science, social studies, geography, reference, and math.

http://mathforum.org/library/drmath/drmath.middle.html — An excellent resource with the answers to many middle schoolers' questions about math assignments.

www.homeworkspot.com/ — A site with lots of idea-starters and useful links.

www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/bluewebn/ — Sponsored by Pacific Bell, this site contains reviews and reports about hundreds education sites.

Q&A about Writing and the Writing Process

When I visit schools to talk with students about writing, kids often ask me some general questions (as well as many specific ones) about the nature of the writing process. Some students also ask about ways to make the writing process easier. Here are some of the questions I hear most often, plus some answers I hope you’ll find helpful.

What does it take to be an author? And can you start once you finish high school?

Let's start by distinguishing between being a writer and being an author. You can be a writer at any time. Just write, work on your craft, keep experimenting, and, ideally, find a teacher or other mentor to guide you. As for being an author—a published writer—that's trickier. The publishing world is very competitive! Also, getting published is not the main goal of writing. However, there are some magazines and competitions for students, and there's also the possibility of publishing in school magazines or newpapers. So, in fact, you can actually start publishing before you even reach high school.

What is your advice for writers who like to write but don't like to write school assignments?

I'd suggest that you work on your school assignments to the best of your abilities, then write other pieces on your own. This extra writing doesn't have to mean stories, reports, or poems—you can do anything you like. Keep a journal or notebook to jot down ideas. Experiment with new forms. Write for your own entertainment or to explore ideas, events, subjects, or feelings. One of the most important things you can do is write on your own some of the time, without worrying about someone else (your teacher or editor, or whoever) judging or editing what you've written. That way you can really flex your muscles and see what you can do. It's the equivalent of playing a sport simply for the love of the sport rather than just to win a game.

What should I do with stuff I've written?

I recommend that you save whatever you've written. You can always throw it out later if you want, but early drafts can be useful in the future. Sometimes an old piece gives you ideas for later projects. Sometimes you can rewrite a piece that you now understand better or want to change. Also, saving what you've written can give you an idea in the future about how your work has changed and improved over the years, which can be exciting and reassuring.

What's a good way to write stories with chapters?

First of all, it's important not to try and tell everything at once. Sometimes you have to guess where to begin, then build from there. You can always rearrange your chapters later. If you're writing a long piece (such as story or a book), I recommend that you outline your plot first. This can help you avoid heading off in the wrong direction or "painting yourself into a corner." I also suggest that you reread your manuscript to see where there are logical "pauses" in the action, as this will help you discover where the best chapter breaks occur. Remember: you won't necessarily get the story right the first time; it's better to just get what you can on paper, explore the possibilities, then tinker with the story over a period of time. Writers sometimes rewrite the same book many times.

My story is going well but I can't put myself in my character's shoes. What should I do?

What you describe is a tricky problem for all writers, but there are ways you can help yourself imagine "getting in a character's shoes." The key is to find something similar in your own life that lets you make the connection. For instance, if you had a character who is blind, you could put a blindfold on for ten minutes to experience a bit of what it's like to get around in the world without being able to see. Or you can use your imagination to grasp what another person's life is like.

What should I do when I get tired of an assignment before I've finished, or if I run out of ideas?

If you can't seem to make any progress, I recommend that you take a break and get away from the piece you're writing. Set it aside and "clear your head." If you're tired, get some rest. If you're hungry, eat a snack. If you feel that you just can't keep going, don't force the issue—that usually makes the situation worse. But stepping back may help you regain your perspective, which will help at least in the long run. Also, it sometimes helps to get an outside opinion—from a friend, from your parents, or from a teacher. Then you can return to your work and move on.

What should you do if you mess up an assignment while writing it?

It depends on what you mean by "mess up." If you're wondering what to do if the assignment doesn't seem to be working the way you want—the plot doesn't make sense, the characters aren't interesting, the explanation in your report isn't making sense, or whatever—then I think it's important to step back and regain your perspective. Make sure you save your current draft (either hand-written or on your computer). Then wait a while, do something else, and come back to the piece a little later. If you're still stuck, get some outside opinions. Final bit of advice: don't be afraid to revise! Even professional writers sometimes have to try over and over until they get it right.

My All-Time Favorite Books for Kids
(in Alphabetical Order by Title)

Writers' Quotations about Writing