Ideation Guide
Here's the first free guide for Writing Together in 2026!
Thanks for writing your novel with me this year! I hope this free guide helps you find inspiration for your novel and get your ideas onto paper.
You can grab a Google Docs copy of the guide here or with the button below. Otherwise, copy and paste the content below wherever you choose!
Ideation Guide
Welcome to the Ideation Guide by Write Your Novel! Use this guide as a companion to the deep-dive article on the ideation process, “The 6 Best Sources of Inspiration For Developing Your Book and How to Use Them.” Chronicle your ideas here so you can keep them organized and prepare for the outlining process!
1. Music Ideas
Listening to certain music can help you define your entire emotional arc if you feel inspired enough. So, let’s pick a playlist and go!
To use this, fill in the left column with the playlist or song you’re listening to, then take notes in the right column. List down anything that comes to mind, such as:
Big events in the book
A characters’ appearance
Emotional beats to consider
Psychology behind a character’s decision
Backstory
Worldbuilding
…and anything else that comes to mind! You can always create more rows by right clicking on the table and clicking “Insert row below.”
Playlist or Song
Notes
[Name, Artist]
[Write your ideas here!]
2. Mindful Outdoor Walk Ideas
Use this space to record as many ideas as you have while going on your mindful walks!
[Idea]
[Idea]
[Idea]
[Idea]
3. Alternate Endings, Filling Gaps, and Different Choices
Find yourself overly (or justifiably) passionate about your favorite characters getting the ending they deserve? Was your favorite anime canceled after only one season, leaving you demanding an ending that would never come?
Never fear—there is power in your pen! Or your keyboard. I can’t handwrite to save my life after typing this long.
Rewrite endings, fill in gaps between time skips, test out different choices…the only limit is your imagination. I recommend choosing from the following list of options to get started:
Create an alternate ending for your favorite series.
What was going on with the side characters while the two main characters had a lovers’ quarrel? Write about it!
Give the villain a redemption arc, then DESTROY it.
Tell me what would have happened if the main character failed rather than succeeded during the last-ditch effort to achieve their goal.
Rewrite a sad ending into a happy one.
Make the side character the new main character. How is the story different through their eyes? What choices would they have made differently? Write about it!
[Write here!]
4. Chronicles of Everyday Interactions
Everyday people doing everyday things can be entertaining. You can find all the inspiration you need for your low-stakes or comedic relief moments just by going out and observing people being social in the wild. You don’t have to be social yourself!
Whether you go to a coffee shop and intentionally observe people or happen to overhear a conversation in the grocery store, write down the ideas they generate here! You can always create more rows by right clicking on the table and clicking “Insert row below.”
Category
Ideas
[Character, Event, Dialogue, Worldbuilding, etc.]
[Conversation synopsis, quotes, important info, etc.]
5. Journal Entries for the Ages
Do you have journal entries that could spark some juicy drama between your characters? Is your secret profession of your first love strong enough to destroy the unchosen piece of a love triangle worse than your pride? I know there are plenty of entries in my journal to prompt some writing ideas, so don’t be shy! Dive into that treasure trove!
I suggest using the following prompts to fill in the table:
Write about a journal entry and how it makes you feel.
Pretend the last journal entry was written by your character and brainstorm pieces of their backstory and current conflicts that would fit with the writing.
Take a mundane daily entry and pretend a citizen of your fictional world wrote it. What would be ordinary about it? What would be out of the ordinary? How would they write it differently? This is all about worldbuilding!
Entry Type
Thoughts, Feelings, and Notes
[Mundane, Drama, Teenage Years, Breakup, etc.]
[Write all your thoughts here!]
6. Writing Prompt Log
Writing prompts are a classic well of inspiration! Use this table to record your favorite writing prompts and your response or the thoughts the prompt sparks.
When looking for writing prompts, do your best to be specific and intentional with choosing your prompts. For example, if you’re stuck on worldbuilding, find prompts that spark ideas about the everyday lives of people living in the main setting of your fictional world. In this case, I would search, “prompts for a diary entry of a citizen in a sci-fi setting” if I was working on a sci-fi novel.
Keep in mind, these prompts may dig deep down into the weeds! For example, your answer to a general prompt about a citizen’s daily diary will be different than a prompt for a diary entry while your citizens are suffering from the effects of war with another country. Keep as many prompts as you find interesting, and try to take detailed notes on your thoughts!
Make sure you categorize writing prompts, too! It helps to keep things organized so when you’re coming back to revisit this during the outlining phase, everything is together and you’re not searching everywhere for a specific response.
Category
Writing Prompt
Thoughts & Ideas
[Character, Worldbuilding, Major Event, B Plot, etc.]
[Prompt]
[Direct response, character ideas, worldbuilding notes, plot event, etc.]