Storystorm 2019 Day 6: Susan Taylor Brown’s Post of Storystorm Past

by Susan Taylor Brown (from 2009)

I’m a collector. I can’t go on a walk without finding something I have to pick up and take home with me for my idea box. A stick. A rock. A broken toy. I also have a hard time throwing things away so an item headed for Goodwill might find its way into my idea box. It’s a great way to jumpstart my tired brain. Whenever I find something new or old or interesting, I toss it in the box.

Does something in my idea box jump out at you?

What kind of creature has a purple feather? What would a little kid be carrying around in that black jewelry box? Does that green silk scarf belong to a magician? What would those sunglasses be if they weren’t normal sunglasses? Who lost their yo-yo?

By asking myself questions about things in my prop box I can get my writing motor revved up again.

Whose black gloves are these?

What kid is trying to solve the case of his grandmother’s missing brooch?

I know this is all about Storystorm 2009 and I know you haven’t had a chance to build an idea box of your own yet. But wait. You probably already DO have one. Or even two. If you have a junk drawer where you toss items that don’t have a home, you have a good start on an idea box. Here’s my junk drawer.

Your turn. Go open any drawer in your house right now, junk or otherwise, grab something out of it and then write about it as though it were something entirely different.

What if the box of matches was really a bed for teeny tiny fairies?

What if the string was a rope to help a princess escape from the castle.

What if the ribbon was a rare snake that had been stolen from the zoo?

That’s all it takes. An ordinary object and a question, “What if?”

You get the idea.

Susan Taylor Brown has authored poetry, fiction and non-fiction books for children and adults. She lives in San Jose, California with her husband Erik Giberson and their white German Shepherd, Zoey.

Susan is asked a lot about where she finds her ideas. She thinks this is a funny question because she never has to go looking for ideas, they find her. Sometimes she’ll read something and not even realize that an idea has burrowed into her brain. It might not pop up for weeks or months or even years. Then one day she can be eating breakfast and BOOM, the idea will jump out and say, “Write about ME!”

Learn more about Susan’s work at susantaylorbrown.com.

At the conclusion of Storystorm, prize packs will be given away (books, swag, writing tools). Comment once on this blog post to enter into the prize pack drawing.

You’re eligible to win if you’re a registered Storystorm participant and you have commented once below.

Good luck!