Story Science

When most of us sit down to write, we don’t always think, “Is there another way to do this?” 

Some of us sit down and just let words flow from our fingertips. Others meticulously plan and plot story, characters, and structure. Most of us are somewhere in between.

But sometimes we get stuck. We don’t know where the story should go next. The meticulous plan is too overwhelming. We can’t write the beginning, or the middle, or the end. Writer’s block rears its ugly head.

So how do you get “unstuck”?

The answer may be as simple as re-framing the situation. You aren’t stuck; you just need a new approach to writing your project.

In my years as a writer and story analyst, I’ve employed a number of approaches to writing, depending on the needs of the piece. All of them have helped me get “unstuck” and avoid writer’s block.

So if you’ve ever asked yourself “What are other ways to write a story?” then I have five answers to that question—and not one of them involves starting at the beginning or working from an outline.

Here are my top five alternative ways to write:

1. Start Anywhere but the Beginning

For many of us, our instinct is to start each story at the beginning. Maybe logic dictates that this is the most sensible way to begin a story.

But what if it isn’t?

As a professional story analyst, I can tell you that act one will be the most difficult part of the story to write. In just a quarter of your narrative, you have to cram in the blueprint for the other three quarters, insert a stack of character and plot setups (for later payoffs), dump a boatload of exposition in a way that isn’t boring or overwhelming, and also hook the audience with something compelling.

Whew! That’s a lot.

My suggestion is: have an idea for the beginning but don’t start writing there. Instead, start in the middle. In act two. Or at the climax. Or with the ending. Anywhere but the opening.

My approach for this is to write some rough material for act one but give myself explicit permission to write incomplete garbage for the time being. Later, I’ll come back to it and work on it more. But for now, I’m writing other parts of the piece. Meanwhile, I’ll make notes of things that need to be in act one as I go for when I come back to it later down the line.

Don’t let anyone tell you when you have to write act one. Save for it last, if you’d like!

A variation to this method can be employed if your story has multiple plot threads, either past/present storylines or multiple character plotlines. In this variation, try writing only one of these threads all the way through rather than trying to switch back and forth.

2. Create an Image or Vision Board

It’s not as hippy-dippy as it sounds. If you’re like me, having some jumping-off point is easier and more inspiring than trying to create magic out of nothing.

You can find images to use as inspiration almost anywhere, from generative AI tools like Midjourney and StarryAI to browsing DeviantArt or Pinterest. Or look at famous artworks on Google image search—or go to a museum and see the real thing in person!

In any case, the idea is that you can use a tool like Pinterest or a folder on your computer to assemble images that help you realize the world. I find that taking a few minutes to look through the images helps immerse me in the world of the story, informing what and how I write.

If you plan to actually use any of the art in your piece, be sure to properly credit the artist or pay any necessary royalties. Like writers, artists spend years honing their craft and deserve credit and income for their talents.

3. Combine Two Ideas

Many of us have unfinished ideas sitting around. Sometimes, they remain unfinished because they don’t quite work or they don’t feel like they’re fully baked yet. That’s the perfect reason to consider combining two or more of your ideas into one.

Combining multiple ideas, stories, or concepts into a single piece is a great way to reignite your passion for finishing it. The intersection of two different concepts generates a whole new list of ideas and adds depth to the piece.

Some of my favorite stories came into being because I combined two story ideas that had nothing to do with each other.

4. Write as You Research

I learned this skill working as a copywriter in a fast-paced field. In the job, I would often have to research, digest, and write about entirely new topics on short timelines. While it could be stressful, it also taught me an invaluable lesson on how effective (and fun) this new way of writing could be.

In this approach, as you research your topic, you also make notes, copy interesting verbiage or phrases, and write creative snippets or blocks based on what you find.

There are many benefits to writing as you research, such as:

• Less overwhelming for big projects
• Greater depth of detail
• A more immersive story world
• More and better ideas
• Inspirations galore!

The important thing to remember in this approach is that you don’t have to do all your research and then start writing. You can do both simultaneously. (Many novel-to-screenplay adaptations are written this way.)

For instance, I went deep on a topic for a book that involved 37 sources. Naturally, it takes a long time to read that much, so I started taking notes and writing ideas and snippets right away. By the time I reached book #37, I had already 50,000 words.

One variation of this technique that I’ve found particularly useful involves taking a source from an adjacent area and using ideas or interesting phrases from that in your work. Writing Medieval fantasy? Grab tidbits from ancient history. Developing a story about a detective? Look at interviews with criminals. (This is essentially a creative version of the “adopt and remix” copywriting technique.)

5. Learn a New Writing Discipline

This method is by far the hardest—but also one of the most rewarding. Many people don’t realize that writing craft is subdivided into very different areas that require a specialized understanding of the milieu.

Even within each discipline, a number of sub-disciplines can be found. For example, a relatively small leap from novel writing to short fiction requires a shift to a more compressed writing style and execution. Jumping from genre fiction to literary fiction can be an even greater leap.

Learning a different type of writing altogether requires a bigger adjustment—and comes with a more difficult learning curve.

Consider learning one of these new writing disciplines:

• Blogging
• Creative nonfiction
• Criticism/reviews
• Copywriting
• Genre fiction
• Journalism
• Literary fiction
• Oral storytelling
• Playwriting
• Poetry
• Scholarly writing
• Screenwriting
• Standup comedy

The goal here is not to distract you from your projects but to get your brain to start thinking about writing in new ways. Each of these disciplines approaches the craft differently. Some of them, like criticism, involve completely different parts of the brain than what you may be accustomed to.

Final Thoughts on New Ways to Write

Now that we’ve explored five alternative approaches to writing your project, I want to leave off by saying that, as a long-time writer and story analyst, I’ve employed all of these methods to help get the creative juices flowing. Simply having a new approach can do wonders for a creative project. They are also highly effective ways to circumvent writer’s block and get a “stuck” project “unstuck” and moving again.

Have an alternative approach to writing that works for you? Let me know in the comments below.