I’ve got a problem. A big, major, earth-shattering problem. (Well, it’s not all that major, since I’m not a currently published author, but I do think it’s contributing to my depression and panic attacks).
I haven’t worked on anything serious for more than a month. I am starved for story ideas, and can’t think of anything. I write YA in mostly sci-fi/fantasy, but won’t draw the line at anything but stuff that includes vampires. I just need ideas.
Anything.
Oh noooo! I’m not very good with ideas either but I love dystopia so I’ll try. These are just some random exercises; I don’t know about you but I find it easier to commit to a story if I do a writing exercise and develop my own ideas that way. Pick one of these, or combine some of them:
Write up a much-more-inventive-than-mine list of these exercises for the future, just in case you get writer’s block again.
Write something set 100 years in the future. Your story must start somewhere in the sky, underground, or in the sea - be it a plane, submarine, underground bunker, helicopter, big-floatin’-platform-thing, etc. They could be falling through the air, or they could be drowning, or they could be buried alive (if so, why?) The only restriction is that it cannot start on land, though they can go to land if they want.
Write what happens when fossil fuels run out for the average people. [name]How[/name] do people cope without electricity? Have they made their own devices to get it? Or will they steal it?
Write about a totalitarian government that have mastered hypnosis. The MC finds a box with items in it. [name]One[/name] of these items is a letter from an old friend. The letter, along with items in the box, make the MC work out that their memories are not real…
Write about a government that really doesn’t care about any of the civilians (i.e. there are no laws.) What kind of crimes occur? You can write about the character who commits these crimes, if you want.
Write about a dystopia where the practices of a dangerous cult is spreading rapidly.
Write about what happens when a government try to ban something we use/do everyday, like money/eye contact/etc.
Two utopia-style royal kingdoms have been allied for countless years… until a power-hungry third party decide to create conflict between them.
It is believed that humans have thirty days to leave [name]Earth[/name] before it ends (how? Why? A major, earth-shattering problem, if you will :D). They have the ability to leave [name]Earth[/name] - but will everyone go? [name]Will[/name] will anyone stay, and if they do, what will happen?
That’s all I can think of. I hope they give you some ideas! 
Ouch! I know how that feels. I’ve been spinning wheels on the same scene for almost two days. My editor is starting to get irritated when I have nothing to send her!
I like to do timed writing exercises when I’m stuck. This one from author [name]Holly[/name] [name]Lisle[/name] is my favorite:
http://hollylisle.com/timed-writing-workshop-freeing-up-the-subconscious-in-writing/. Really helps get my words flowing again.
Other suggestions:
Pull out an old manuscript you gave up on years ago. Start sketching around on it. See what comes. I do this to get a “brain break” sometimes. Switching gears completely can be very beneficial when you’re stuck. Give your brain a rest and let it have some fun.
[name]Music[/name]. Listen to your favorite music and imagine what kind of story would use it for a soundtrack. (I [name]LOVE[/name] doing this!) Keep a notebook handy to write down thoughts, impressions, or ideas, as they will come and go very quickly with the music. [name]Vary[/name] the music to draw up more ideas. I have a bunch of mix CD’s and playlists I’ve made for my novels that help me keep on track when I can’t figure out what a character is supposed to want or what the conflict of the scene is.
[name]Read[/name]. [name]Read[/name] anything. Everything. Old favorites, new authors, genres you love, genres you hate. Newspapers, blogs, the back of the cereal box, junk mail. I read everything I can get my hands on and am always thinking about a plot element, scenic element, character conflict, etc. There’s a story in every word. Let your imagination write that story. My current novel started out as a 5 min. free-writing exercise based on a scene from a favorite childhood story. I wrote nearly 250 words in that initial 5 min (I do my free writing longhand, rather than on the computer.). The [name]ONE[/name] word out of all of them that revved up my imagination and got me going? Piedmont. Not kidding.
[name]Hope[/name] this helps! Good luck, and happy writing!
Thanks for everything! I’ll probably use all these techniques/ideas to get me going again. More suggestions welcome.
I read a ton when I’m in a funk. Like, go on Wattpad or any other writing site and read crappy stories, there’s plenty of them. I’ll be reading some random crap about (yet another) werewolf mate story, and I’ll get an idea for something completely different.
Also, I agree that music definitely helps. Go on a music site and find some new music, spend a couple hours putting together a playlist of songs you’ve never heard before- weird stuff, classical, country, anything. All I do is listen to it for a while and usually I’ll at least get an idea for a character or some event.
And then, if I’m really doing bad and still can’t get anything, I’ll go to an author’s website and read their advice stuff and exercises. [name]Maria[/name] V. Snyder has a bunch of stuff under Writing Advice. Oh, and [name]Holly[/name] [name]Lisle[/name] like lucystone suggested, she has a ton of stuff.
Other than that, just pay attention to everything around you. Listen to conversations that your family and friends have, or even people you don’t know. Take a walk somewhere by yourself and as weird as I feel writing this- relax your mind. If you push it too much, whatever you get might not really pay off, you know? Try different techniques- start a story with a character, start with an event, start with a setting, or even just a name. Anything can trigger an idea.
My favorite strategy: re-read something you thought you would love, but then turned out to hate. [name]Read[/name] it so slowly it’s painful until you feel like throwing the book across the room. And then? Sit down and think about everything that book did wrong, and fix it. Write the opposite of that story, make the antagonist and protagonist trade places, even change the genre if necessary.
By the time the original book’s storyline is unrecognizable you might have stumbled across a piece you like.