Creativity Boosting Rituals?

When I don't know what to write about, I look at my notebook. Take a notebook everywhere. You'll have lots of ideas when you're just going about your daily life. It might be simple things like "this would be a funny bit of dialogue" but write them down. Because you'll forget them and they can be the starts of bigger ideas.

Don't just watch films. Go to plays, read books, listen to lots and lots and more music. Take a notebook everywhere. My two latest ideas (which I think are a lot stronger than other stuff I've been writing recently) have come from a couple of albums I listened to, and a play I saw (in the case of the play, it was a cool and original concept, but I saw a lot of issues with it and thought "I could do this better).

Sometimes I take bits of disconnected ideas and see how I can put them together. Another excercies, which Wheatgrinder here suggested, is to give yourself some random constraints and just start writing. E.g.
-only 2 locations
-Female protagonist, no other characters
-under 10 pages
-using the props of a screwdriver, some flowers, and a singular shoes
-a thriler

etc. The resulting story mightn't be good, but limiting creativity seems to make me more creative - you have to creatively solve the issues posed by your constraints. I sometimes do this with my above suggestion of taking a bunch of disconnected ideas and forming them into a story.


But really, it's different for everyone. The only solid advice I can give is taking a notebook around with you. I find as soon as I consciously sit and think "I need ideas" nothing comes. Ideas come when I don't expect it, when I can't act upon them apart from jotting a quick note. And when they start coming, they seem to come more frequently. But this flow is broken when I actively try to *be creative*

make and then burn like ten collages


record hours of yourself breathing heavily and then play it at full volume while you work the next day
draw something. crumple it up. draw the same thing on a different piece of paper. crumple that up. repeat fifteen times and then open all of the pieces of paper.


i think it' a process of reminding yourself that you don't have to take yourself so seriously; that's always been the killer for my creative freedom

This is going to sound pretty low and fucked up but, if I'm really interested in developing a story I smoke a ton of pot, listen to music, and drive for a long time. For some reason it induces lateral thinking so I'm able to piece my stories together much faster and more creatively.

I'm not saying people should do drugs to get inspiration. I'm just saying it works for me. Not the best habit but hey, it gets the job done.

This is easy
Do you have a job? Do you hate your boss? Exaggerate his main characteristics. Generate some ideas how you wanna kill him. And does this boss have a hot secretary? You wanna try something with her, but the boss stands in your way. Think how you wanna impress her and get the boss away from her. Generate some ideas of how you wanna do that. You were playing in a Rock band? Good! She loves rock too. But both of you turned adult and boring, where you attend your workplace more than home. So you wanna get out, both of you. Escape that rich boss. But he will be after you, with all of his "friendly" people with guns. How is it gonna end?

You see? Story ideas come so quickly

masturbate vigorously. It clears the mind

John Cleese has some interesting things to say:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08FCXGDtZoU

Or Mark White:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wo6m9VeBWO4

Have lots of interests.

Read a lot.

Think out of the box.

Also relax too, sometimes the best ideas will come then.