I don't like blowing bubbles (I don't like being around when anyone else is, either; for that matter I am displeased when the dish soap container generates bubbles when all I want is soap)! For people like me, I suggest dice, at least two. These can be bought at the dollar store, or one can go to a comics or gaming store and usually find very pretty (or very ugly, if that's your desire) dice, even dice that aren't six-sided. (I am a big fan of twelve-sided dice.)
What do you do with the dice? Well, you can roll them around in your hands, or roll them a few times on your desk or table or notebook and watch them move around. You can say "if the dice come up even, I'll have the monster run away instead of die," or "if the dice come up even, I'll have him not be waiting for her at their usual table," and then if they come up even and you can't bear the thought of writing it that way, write the other way!
You can pick up a bunch of crazy story events and assign them each a number, and if you're stumped, roll dice to pick one. (If you have only two six-sided dice, you'll only be able to have thirty-six crazy ideas to choose from, and you'll have to number them in base six...) If your story doesn't allow for Crazy Story Events, you could instead have random Weather Events, or random Food Cravings, or whatever. :)
As far as mascots go, I discovered two years ago that listening to http://jungletrain.net was great for my creativity. Last year I picked up a little plastic figurine of Domo-kun as a DJ. Presumably he likes listening to Jungletrain too, so there's a bit of encouragement to keep writing so he can keep enjoying the music. I also have a variety of other small plastic toys, some of which travel with me if I'm writing outside my house.
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Date: 2009-09-28 08:10 pm (UTC)What do you do with the dice? Well, you can roll them around in your hands, or roll them a few times on your desk or table or notebook and watch them move around. You can say "if the dice come up even, I'll have the monster run away instead of die," or "if the dice come up even, I'll have him not be waiting for her at their usual table," and then if they come up even and you can't bear the thought of writing it that way, write the other way!
You can pick up a bunch of crazy story events and assign them each a number, and if you're stumped, roll dice to pick one. (If you have only two six-sided dice, you'll only be able to have thirty-six crazy ideas to choose from, and you'll have to number them in base six...) If your story doesn't allow for Crazy Story Events, you could instead have random Weather Events, or random Food Cravings, or whatever. :)
As far as mascots go, I discovered two years ago that listening to http://jungletrain.net was great for my creativity. Last year I picked up a little plastic figurine of Domo-kun as a DJ. Presumably he likes listening to Jungletrain too, so there's a bit of encouragement to keep writing so he can keep enjoying the music. I also have a variety of other small plastic toys, some of which travel with me if I'm writing outside my house.