Has everything been written before?

Do you ever scour bookshops, social media, and the internet in general, hankering for that extra, indefinable something? A story that wows you with its originality, or twists so unexpectedly that you have to sit up all night reading it?

Do you ever sit in front of a blank page or screen and wonder, How can I write something truly original?

Surprises are a bit of an addiction, for me. As a reader, I crave that special space between anticipation and the unknown. When a story resonates with me, it’s usually because it’s taken me to places I never would have dreamed up on my own, swept me around corners I didn’t see coming, or has shed unfamiliar light on a familiar theme. It feels new.

As a discovery writer, I crave the same experience in my writing. There’s an inevitable step in the process when I’ll need to pause and check back on what I’ve written so far, to assess where it’s going and what it needs, but that’s for the editing stage. It’s the early phases of drafting that I’m most in love with. This is where I get to plunge into the pureness of the unknown, and stir the whispers of my subconscious. I often discover ideas through the act of writing: I’ll dive straight in, with only an inkling of what comes next, like Alice chasing a white rabbit into a hole. That’s one way in which new stories unfold for me, and it’s a process that’s full of surprises.

I even have a personal publishing policy: I will never publish anything that doesn’t surprise me at least twice. This makes it all the more likely that my readers will be swept up by the same sensations, as my own sense of wonder comes through on the page.

But how can we, as writers, keep digging up more and more precious gems like these, in a relentless cycle of never-ending inspiration? Besides, hasn’t it all been written before?

I’ll share a secret with you. Well, it’s not so much a secret anymore, but you might not have come across it before.

I discovered a word game called Exquisite Corpse. It mixes players’ words and phrases into a randomized sentence that is usually laughable at first, but after a little delving, will quite often make you go, “Ooh”, and uncover whole new ideas you’d never even imagined.

The game also presents a challenge that bends and stretches your imagination in a kind of writerly yoga that is sure to push your creativity to new limits.

I didn’t invent it. It was made up by a bunch of surrealists in the early 1900s (and even inspired a drawing game that became better known than the original word game). Perhaps unwisely, I play it “live” on my story brainstorming podcast, Brainstoryum. Listeners send me words through my website’s “Play” page; these are entered into the Socks of Destiny and, with the help of a fresh pot of tea and (possibly excessive) use of the “pause” button, I explore three very weird sentences in each show, picking my way through the prickly forest of the unknown.

I then use a 12-sided dice to take the brainstorms even further. But that’s another story—quite literally.

You see, it might be true that there’s nothing new under the sun, but there are in fact new combinations. Words that don’t belong together—until they do. Stepping stones along the writer’s path of discovery, that will guide your stories and ideas to new places.

Thankfully, this means that much of my writing life is spent in an almost constant state of wonder and surprise.

But this is no longer just about me or fulfilling my rather strange needs as a discovery writer. Brainstoryum has developed into collaborative platform where I get to showcase the stories and poems of my listeners who are curious enough and, you might say, plain weird enough, to follow me down these rabbit holes of inspiration—and it’s here that I’m immensely proud to feature the most frequent contributors.

This is also where a whole new experience of surprise comes in: the sheer range, depth and variety of short fiction and poems created by my talented listeners.

Eric Montgomery is a poet and short story writer, with a wit sharp enough to cut your fingers on. His stories are often hauntingly suggestive, but he can also sweep you from dark grit to hilarity in a mere few sentences. For Brainstoryum episode 79, Eric wrote a piece of microfiction in response to an Exquisite Corpse-generated phrase, “the plush poltergeist”, that had me gasping and giggling in equal measure.

As a poet, Eric is especially attuned to the power of a few well-placed words, and he wields this skill in his longer fiction, too. For the Halloween-themed episode 92, his story inspired by “the weary porcelain doll” wove action and lyricism so tightly, each moment was a heart-bump of suspense.

Paul Monteith is a short story writer with a taste for the unexpected. “The expansive lantern” was a weird enough word combination to come out of the Socks of Destiny in episode 98, but Paul took this phrase to a whole other level in his response in episode 99. His tale, “The Expanding Lantern Café” transported me to a strange, magical eatery with a touch of the surreal.

While many of Paul’s stories have a fairytale darkness, he sometimes stirs in humour. Brainstoryum is probably at its raucous when he responds with all-out comedy. Reading out “The Hungry Handkerchief” in episode 100 was one of the funniest moments I’ve experienced on the show: an outlandish Frankenstein spin-off that had me cackling.

Nicholas Vracar writes short stories and a range of articles. I find his fantasies often evoke a sense of the strange in the ordinary, and the ordinary in the strange. But when he’s not doing that (or sometimes, when he’s in the middle of doing that!), he writes short, off-the-wall humour full of quick quips.

Nick has a talent for “sudden” fiction that packs a lot into a small space. In episode 62, his interpretation of “the ethereal rune” wound an evocative, timeless theme into a mere two sentences.

Episode 54 featured an unusual tale based on “the foggy box”, taking us into an eerie labyrinth with a mausoleum in its centre. While, again, this was achieved in a very short space, Nick’s ideas seemed to sprout tentacles that curled beyond the paragraph.

Alessandro Bozzo is a children’s author with a vivid imagination. He’s written in to the show with spooky “glimpses”, and short flashes that might be the beginning of something more. His interpretation of “the quivering silhouette” in episode 59 was rich in descriptive details that pulled me straight into the scene.

I admit, Alessandro startled me once with an unexpected tale in episode 51, where he (jokingly) turned the tables on me, making me the subject of “the transdimensional witch”! His story had me tumbling through a disappearing tea shop, with a mystery that switched back and forth between the real and unreal. It was funny, and weirdly appropriate: a reflection on the bizarreness of Exquisite Corpse and how I interact with something that’s sort of beyond my control, and kind of magical. Alessandro certainly knows a thing or two about transportation through ideas.

Elena Dennison is a poet, dream-weaver, and artist whose works prove that beauty can be found anywhere, even in the macabre. In episode 92, a Halloween special, Elena’s interpretation of “the undead date” unfolded like the perfect opening of a horror movie, with the kind of suspenseful tension that tugs at the hairs on the back of your neck.

In episode 103, I shared her poem inspired by “the velvety sleuth”. It was written as an epitaph, with a lush rhythm, and full of assonance that kept me mesmerized to the end. Elena captured the memories of a life, glimpsed through hints and images. Sharply poignant, it lingered in my mind long afterwards.

Paul McMillan writes evocative fiction that brims with vivid imagery and metaphor. Sometimes he writes such arresting descriptions that I almost have to reach for the “pause” button just to savour them. In episode 94, his interpretation of “the silver-eyed scrutiny” described a scene from the first-person point of view of a detective. The tone, and the creepy allusions made by this character, conveyed a voice that welled with a sort of deadpan menace.

I always admire writers who can pack a lot into a short space. Paul’s flash fiction piece based on “the ghostly outline of the freakish reader” in episode 98 was a whirlwind of images spinning me through a story so fast, I am convinced he has invented a form of time travel.

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So there it is. The secret to discovering new, unique stories is in making new connections between pre-existing ideas. That, and a silly game, a bit of risk-taking, and some words shared between friends—or complete strangers.

Once you get started with these games and word experiments, the possibilities seem to present themselves. Like stepping onto a misty pathway in the woods of a world you don’t yet understand, discovery writing (even for a short piece) will make Alices of all of us, and there’s no knowing the Wonderland that you’ll find. The limits are only in the reach of your imagination. And the more you stretch it, the further it will go.

Writing, and finding your unique voice, takes practice and experimentation. Creativity loves a playful state of mind. So be in that state. Spend time in it. Pick something random, and combine it with something else that’s random, and see where it takes you. Roll some dice. Stare out of the window, go for a walk. And write.

The above writers and more continue to make Brainstoryum a hive of great writing practice. I’m honoured and excited to read out their new creations every fortnight. It gives me goosebumps to think that I’ve helped inspire people to write something they never would have thought to write had it not been for a very strange word combination, connected by nothing but chance and pure imagination.

Brainstoryum is growing. More people are writing in to share their amazing fiction. I’m also sharing new publishing opportunities in each episode, to encourage writers get their writing out there, where it can be enjoyed by new audiences. I’ve even begun a new page on my website, Brainstoryum Emporium, to feature authors who’ve had their Brainstoryum-inspired stories and poems published, to help generate more discovery.

The only question I have for you is, when will I see you there?

Play. Discover. Be discovered. Join the Brainstoryum at www.annatizard.com

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