Brainstorm #2: Setting, Part 1

Ready to write your novel?
Grab a journal or your computer and follow along. Each week a new group of prompts will be posted from the book "Brainstormers: Outlining Your First Draft." When finished you will have brainstormed the outline of your novel including the details of each chapter.

On average each prompt is given about 3 minutes to complete though some are shorter and some are longer as needed. If a prompt inspires you and you need more time, pause the video until you finish or simply keep writing and go back and finish the rest of the prompts later. (A list of the prompts is provided here in the description box as well.) If a prompt doesn't fit your book or doesn't inspire you, spend the time writing down other details about your story. Ask yourself questions about your characters and setting and write down the possibilities. Also if you have music that you prefer, simply hit mute and play your own music as you brainstorm. Just make sure to check for the new prompts.

Short writing exercises will be posted a few days (usually Saturday night) after the brainstorm when one is provided in the book.

List of prompts
What type of setting might your story need?
What location would be most interesting to your readers?
What kind of atmosphere does your story need? (Spooky, Mysterious)
Make your setting more specific by adding details. For example: If your setting is a university consider if it is an expensive university, foreign exchange program, or state school near home.

Choose your top 3 setting ideas, and for each ask the following:
What mysterious might come up in this setting?
What goals might come up in this setting?
What problems might come up in this setting?
What villains might be found in this setting?
What interesting characters might be found in this setting.
Choose the setting you think will work best for your story.

Enjoy the brainstorming process. The goal is to come up with ideas and possibilities. What you put down is not written in stone. Don't worry if you are not certain of an idea or if some of your ideas conflict with each other. During the brainstorm let the ideas flow. At the end of each brainstorm, you will go back over your ideas and choose the ones that are best for your novel.

Have a free weekend or the perfect writing day and can't wait for the next prompt vlog? Or if you want more information on the prompts along with some examples to help clarify, you can download the free e-book "Brainstormers: Outlining Your First Draft" from Smashwords here: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1094599