[Figure 8] Phil McNally’s Pump Action parodies Quentin Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs in a most imaginative manner, while Nick Park’s stop-motion classic, Creature Comforts, is an example of a mockumentary.

Here are a handful of ideas and exercises you might try to jumpstart your narrative creativity.

1. Directly adapt an existing story. Aesop's fables, folk songs and cultural myths make for excellent short scripts because they are time-tested and usually copyright-free. Many such stories have been continuously told and retold in new locales, eras, mediums and styles. How many versions of The Tortoise and the Hare have you seen? Surely there's room for one more. William McCrate's student film Jabberwocky is a recent adaptation example.

2. Alter an existing story. Take a fairy tale or a nursery rhyme and change the ending. Watch a short film that you haven't seen before. Pause halfway through and decide how you would best conclude the story. Then, if the film doesn't end your way, keep your new ending and alter the beginning just enough that the result is a whole new story that is uniquely your own. Try replacing a human character from an existing story with an animal. Duck Dodgers in the 24 and 1/2 Century represents such a swap. Take the metaphorical title from an existing story and weave a new tale based on its literal meaning, such as Cat on a Hot Tin Roof or To Kill a Mockingbird. Tell a familiar story from an alternative point of view, as in the Hamlet-inspired feature film, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead. Try replacing a single word in an existing title to come up with a new twist on a familiar theme: The Emperor's New Clones or perhaps Malice in Wonderland. Adult-film directors use this technique in many of their titles; however, decorum restricts us from mentioning any specific examples here!

3. Parody an existing story, documentary, TV commercial, or movie trailer. Phil McNally's Pump Action humorously parodies Quentin Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs. Nick Park's Oscar-winning short from 1990, Creature Comforts, is a great example of a "mockumentary" (see Figure 8).

[Figure 9] Using the beats of a classical music piece to dictate the action timing of a story can be an interesting way to develop a premise, as demonstrated in El Arquero from Raphael Perkins.

4. Create a film based on a song that tells a story. You might choose Julie Brown's hysterical The Homecoming Queen's Got a Gun, for example, or the futuristic Red Barchetta by Rush. Of course, if you hope to broadcast your film in public, you'll need permission to use such modern recordings, so it's often preferable to stick with old folk songs or nursery rhymes. You could also invent a narrative that follows the mood and progression of an instrumental piece, such as El Arquero by Raphael Perkins (see Figure 9). Listen to your favorite Vivaldi concerto or George Winston piano solo. Close your eyes and see whether any images, characters, events or settings reveal themselves to you.

5. Draw upon a personal experience. It's a sure bet that a few interesting or amusing events have occurred in your life. What was your biggest victory? What scared you to the core? Have you ever conquered a fear? Do you have the self-esteem to put your most embarrassing moment up on the screen for the whole world to see? If it's funny, you might want to consider doing so. Personal experience plus a dash of imagination is often regarded as the fundamental formula for fiction writing.

6. Use the stream of consciousness method. Just start writing or talking and see what develops. Begin with the familiar "Once upon a time," or simply invent a first line off the top of your head and then make it up as you go along. Try an especially outlandish first sentence such as, "Jim was quite startled when his doctor told him he was pregnant." You might be surprised at where your imagination can take such a seemingly ludicrous beginning.