This easy-to-use introduction will get you started quickly with any creative writing project. Check out the links below to get the idea you need in just a couple minutes. As you write, come back to cre8opedia for more ideas as much as you wish!
Note: all links on this page open in a new tab so you can keep this page open as a homebase.
A narrative, or story, is basically telling about something that happened to somebody this one time. We can tell true stories (non-fiction) or made-up stories (fiction). Our stories can take place in the past, the present, or the future. They can be about us (first person) or about someone else (third person).
No matter what kind of story we’re telling, we want to make it good so people will want to hear it, read it, or watch it (like a movie) and cre8opedia can make your story better by helping you with lots of cool ideas and strong details.
No doubt, you already have a ton of ideas in your head. Sometimes when we write, our brains get a little panicky and we can’t decide what to do. Writers call this “writers’ block” and even professionals get stuck with this sometimes. The menus on this site can help you with moving forward when you feel stuck… you can think of cre8opedia as an “ideas tow truck” that can pull you out of the mud (or a snow bank if you live in Canada).
So… check out the starting points below or just plug a word into our search bar (on the right side bar) and see what pops up. If you need ideas for a certain topic and we don’t have it, send us an email to editor@cre8opedia.com or leave a comment on one of our pages and we’ll get right on it! Have fun!
Big Story Ideas
We call the big story ideas “meta-narrative” ideas because they are above and beyond (meta) the little things happening in the story (narrative). We have a main menu item titled META that will take you to all kinds of “big story ideas” like story genre, concept, theme, and so on.
- CONCEPTS will address questions like “What should my story be about?”
- CONFLICT CONCEPTS will focus on “What is the fight or battle going on in my story?” Sometimes the fight is a character against a character; however, there are all kinds of other conflicts and the most common one is character against herself or himself where he or she tries to decide what decision to make or who to trust and so on.
- THEMATIC CONCEPTS will focus on “What lesson can be learned from my story?” This usually makes the audience reflect on ideas like fairness, human behaviour, and what life is all about.
- FORCES CONCEPTS will focus on “What type of energy runs the world my character live in?” This is the classic good vs. evil, or harmony vs. craziness, or power vs. freedom. If your story is about this kind of big idea (like an evil overlord threatening all happiness) then check out this menu.
- GENRE is the type of story you’re telling. Some classic examples of genre are fantasy, sci-fi, western, comedy, horror, superhero, adventure, thriller, sparkly vampire, and so on. Go to the GENRE page to see a huge menu or check out some of the specific genres below:
- COMING OF AGE or YOUNG ADULT – this fiction is all about you (young people) in typical modern life. Some young adult is about what it means to “grow up” or about big ideas like “fairness” and “fitting in”. Check it out for some ideas on how to turn your own experience as a young person into a fictional story for others to learn from. Experiment with “what would happen if…” kinds of scenarios. If you are “young”, then you’re an expert on this genre!
- FANTASY – typically a main course of medieval with knights and wizards, orcs and goblins, a sprinkling of elves, and a side of dragons. Powerful heroes who battle dark forces to save the world through spells and sword fights. Fun!
- SCIENCE FICTION – travel to the stars or fight off an attack of of crazy robots. Greet some aliens from a far off planet or reverse global warming before it’s too late! In science fiction you get to make up huge scientific developments, for better or worse, and see how your characters deal with it all. Fun!
- In the CREATING section, we address all kinds of narrative particulars, like:
- CREATING SUSPENSE –
- Creating OBSTACLES – How do you throw more at the characters in your story to mess up, confuse, oppose, and befuddle them? You’ll find lots of tips and ideas and lists to choose from here.
- Creating FEAR – What causes us to be scared? Check out ways to get your audience shaking in their boots.
Building Characters
How do you create the most compelling, gripping, interesting, touching, provocative characters for your story? It’s a big question and here are some things that can help you answer it…
- Character Type – these pages and posts will help you come up with an overall idea of who exactly your character is. They may be a pilot, spy, wizard, bingo caller, pirate, funambulist, alien hunter, cave painter, elephant trainer, stereo salesperson, thief, knight, summoner, explorer… or something else. Find these ideas and more in this section.