Story Ideas/Character Names

I am in major need of some story ideas, as my miraculous brain has run dry..
help...please?

Story ideas... What might help is wrighting some potential characters down on a bunch of cards. A bunch of potential places down on cards, and a bunch of positions or occupations down on cards, like fireman, solder hero, bank robber, etc. And then just pick a few characters, and one of each of the others at random. It may not be a story you run with, but it may give you a place to start with. Say you pick jim gum, bank robber, mars. Try to put the mall together some how, make a story out of that. You might find you end up wrighting about jamie hawthburn who is a fire eater in wyoming, but it gives you a starting place.

Don't try to rake your brain for ideas -- that never works. Just let it go. Remember the saying "A watched pot never boils"? Same concept here. The more you obsess over finding an idea, the less likely you are to actually getting an idea. So don't worry about it. Write a blog or something about your wonderful life. Do something interesting, find a new hobby. Study hard during school. Do chores. Whatever. Just don't obsess over finding an idea.

Then, after you come up with an idea, worry about names.

Listen to different types of music, that usually helps me. Depending on the style of music could trigger new ideas or scenes for a story that could lead into an idea. Also, try reading mythology stories.

Thganks a lot, perople!
I was trying to do an english assignment, and I got really frustrated.
All gone now !
I posted it here: http://www.youngwriterssociety.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=111254#111254

I have trouble with both sometimes. I have loads of ideas that I have borrowed from stories we've done in school since Primary School and now I put them together to form a basic plot.

Names are always the hardest for me because I like the old names and Irish names and it's difficult sometimes to find a name that is suited to my character.

Go for a walk in a park, or field. Or picture a landscape,like mountains. I got a story idea from the saying " When pigs fly". One name for a location in my story I got from a biology book!

I usually think of a name and then build the plot around it, what I'm currently writing came from my aim to have a character called Lime. I always find the plots harder 'cause they always shift and change in my head.

Thanx a lot!
what do you think of the name "Isaure"?

It's kind of hard to say out loud because it's a rather awkward name. How would you pronounce it?

It also helps if we know the gender of the character. If this is a female name, I'd drop the "u". If it is masculine I would drop the "u" and turn the "s" into an "n".

Heeheehee, it's mine!
In american-english it's pronounced E-Zor (dinosaur, Eyore), but in my french relatives' houses it's E-sohrrrr (roll the 'r')[/b]

I have a book that's called the writer's guide to character naming... it's really helpful when you begin to draw a blank because it's organized by origin and gender--they have nearly every culture imaginable in there.

volleychik992 wrote:I have a book that's called the writer's guide to character naming... it's really helpful when you begin to draw a blank because it's organized by origin and gender--they have nearly every culture imaginable in there.

Where'd you get it?? It sounds like such a great thing for reference!!

It's by Sherrilyn Kenyon, and I think it was published by Writer's Digest (which I read religiously). I got it from Barnes and Noble for about twenty bucks, but you have to special order it and it takes about one or two weeks to get it. But it is extremely helpful, I highly recommend it.