Dear Matt,

I’m having problems coming up with story ideas for my creative writing class. I know that Ask Matt isn’t meant for homework help, but how do you usually brainstorm ideas?

Dear Student Struggling with Writer’s Block,

Creativity is definitely something that can’t be taught — it can only be preserved, exercised and cultivated. As children, we all possess an innate sense of creativity that, unfortunately, seems to fade with time. I have been fortunate enough to hold onto my almost- childlike creativity by constantly exercising the right hemisphere of my brain. While I often regret how much time I poured into video games as a child, it may have something to do with why I still have such an active imagination. As such, creativity comes quite naturally to me simply because I am constantly creating things, such as music, poetry and the like. My head tends to be in the clouds, which occasionally leaves me deficient in the area of common sense. In terms of the creative process, though, I would say I have a strong grasp on how to generate ideas.

I tend to preface most of my advice with, “This varies from person to person,” but one’s personal creative process is especially unique to that person. Oftentimes, I do little more than daydream, let my mind wander and allow ideas to filter in. As far as specific strategies go, however, I can provide a couple of tricks I have used in the past. Kick-starting the old imagination often requires some kind of catalyst — you’ll know when that jolt of inspiration happens. Try looking around the room for ideas. For the purpose of a story topic, maybe single out one particular object and force yourself to develop a story based on it. Let’s say you’re looking at your alarm clock. Spin a story based on that clock. Maybe it didn’t go off one morning, and a man shows up late to work as a result. Then keep asking questions — this is key to the creative process. Who is the man? None other than Richard Vasquez, a 30-year-old guy living in his run-down apartment in Harrisburg. He’s a pretty typical guy, except for the whole being a private assassin thing. And it’s a darned good thing he woke up late, because the cops arrested his employer just moments before Richard arrived. What’s next for Richard? You tell me. Just think crazy.

Other good sources of inspiration are music, conversation and social media. Listen to some of your favorite tunes — the words, in particular — and see where they take you. Chat with some friends and keep your ears peeled for anything that sounds interesting. Hop on Twitter and see if anyone’s grievances would make for a great story conflict. All of these strategies work when you need to be creative at a particular moment. The key to being a wholly creative person, however, comes with constantly keeping your mind open for ideas, even if you’re not looking for them at the moment.

I like to compare my creative process to catching fireflies, which I used to do a lot as a kid. I had a little lantern with a tiny opening at the top that I would swing around to catch them. Most nights, I only caught one or two fireflies. Eventually, I had the idea to use an hourglass-shaped container intended for storing ants for my firefly-catching endeavors. It helped that the opening was several times larger than the one on my lantern, and suddenly, I found a lot more fireflies fluttering into my capturing device. Capturing fireflies, or ideas, is a matter of allowing yourself to be more open. You may have to change your mindset — you can only do so much with a little lantern — but you’ll end up with a lot more to work with.

I realize that I’ve extrapolated a bit too much on your question and probably could have answered it much more briefly, but creativity is something I value. Consider getting in touch with your creative side if it’s not something you’re used to — it’s honestly a lot of fun!