Storystorm 2024 Day 24: Gabi Snyder Plays Balderdash

by Gabi Snyder

Hello, Storystormers! You’ve made it to day 24 and I suspect you’ve already collected several shiny new ideas. Hooray!

BUT, alas, what about those old ideas that won’t leave you alone, that haunt your sleep and follow you everywhere? Maybe you have one particular idea that’s near and dear to you. You’ve tried writing it three, five, fifteen different ways and nothing quite works. You’re tempted to bid that idea a forever farewell, and yet you know there’s a reason you keep coming back to it. There’s something there. But how can you discover the perfect way to turn that beloved idea into a stellar story?

Well…no promises but try these sideways approaches to discover a new portal into your story!

THE MIX AND MATCH APPROACH!

Compile a list of old ideas that you still love but have not yet been able to write into a winning story. Write each idea on a sticky note for easy mixing and matching.

Look at your list. Do you see any ideas that seem to go together, perhaps complement each other? If so, create a list of five ways you could combine those ideas into a new idea.

Now look for ideas that seem worlds apart from one another. What would happen if you combined those disparate ideas? Can you create something new and surprising?

THE UNEXPECTED APPROACH!

For a particular idea, create a list of at least five ways you could write the story in wholly unexpected ways – the stranger the better. For instance, if your idea is “octopus Houdini” inspired by the true story of Inky (https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/160414-inky-octopus-escapes-intelligence), what are five unlikely or unusual ways to approach that story? For example:

1. The octopus hypnotizes her audience, including the reader!
2. Instead of focusing on the octopus’s amazing escapes, the story focuses on the octopus’s amazing appearances. She unexpectedly appears in surprising places.
3. The unlikely friendship between the octopus and the person charged with recapturing her.
4. The octopus escapes through a magic door and enters a world of mythical creatures.
5. The octopus is actually another creature disguised as an octopus.

I imagine your list will be totally different. Have fun with it–play!

THE BALDERDASH APPROACH! (for a group)

“Balderdash” is one of my all-time favorite words (and it’s also on Tara’s list of 500+ Fun, Cool, and Interesting Words). Balderdash is also one of my favorite boardgames, and that’s probably because it involves making things up—but within parameters. During gameplay you invent answers to particular questions in an attempt to fool your opponents. For our StoryStorm purposes, let’s tweak the usual Balderdash categories into these three—

• Unusual words: You and your critique partners take turns sharing unusual, important, or intriguing words from your ideas or stories that you have not yet shared with each other. You know why a particular word is important to your story, but your CPs don’t. In guessing the why behind the word, your CPs might come up with potential connections you hadn’t considered!
• Characters: You might have an idea or story that involves a key character. You have an idea of who this character is. But your fellow players/writers aren’t familiar with the character, so when you give them the character name, they’ll make up completely new character descriptions. You might end up liking one of their descriptions enough to borrow it for your story!

{One of my favorite characters–the cat from TWO DOGS ON A TRIKE, illustrated by Robin Rosenthal!}

• Titles: If you have a story titled “The Bridge,” your critique partners would share one-line descriptions of what they think your story is about. And again, one of their ideas might inspire a new approach to your story. In the game of Balderdash, sometimes the simplest answer ends up being the right answer. If your story has become overcomplicated, you might find a simpler idea among your critique partners’ answers.

I hope these suggestions give you some fodder for play. Take what resonates with you and ignore the rest! Happy idea generating!

Gabi Snyder is giving away a choice between one 30-minute “Ask Me Anything” Zoom or one picture book critique. The winner will also receive a copy of her latest picture book, TODAY (out January 30, 2024).

You’re eligible to win if you’re a registered Storystorm 2024 participant and you have commented only once on today’s blog post.

Prizes will be distributed at the conclusion of Storystorm.

Gabi (rhymes with “baby”) Snyder is a fan of the unexpected and the author of several picture books including TWO DOGS ON A TRIKE, illustrated by Robin Rosenthal; LISTEN, illustrated by Stephanie Graegin; and COUNT ON US!, illustrated by Sarah Walsh. Gabi is also the author of the upcoming picture books TODAY (coming January 30, 2024) and LOOK (coming April 16, 2024).

Gabi studied psychology at the University of Washington and creative writing at The University of Texas. When she’s not writing, she loves taking nature walks and baking sweet treats. She lives in Oregon with her family. Learn more at GabiSnyder.com or connect with her on Instagram @gabi_snyder_writer.