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Storystorm 2025 Day 2: Jennifer Chambliss Bertman Makes It Fun

January 2, 2025 8:00 am

by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman

The idea of coming up with a new story idea (or 30!) can be intimidating. My favorite go-to tactic when I’m faced with an intimidating challenge is: make it fun. How can we make brainstorming fun? For me, that often means turn it into a game!

In this post, I’m going to share how I turn a simple word puzzle, in this case the word ladder, into a word-association brainstorming spree. If you’re unfamiliar with word ladder puzzles, you’re given two words with the same number of letters and you have to find a path from one to the other by changing one letter at a time, the goal being to make as few changes as possible. If your two words are TIME and WELT, for example, then the word ladder to get from one to the other might look like this:

• TIME
• TILE
• TILT
• WILT
• WELT

Since our goal is brainstorming, not puzzle solving, I’m going to start with one word, and then build a ladder by changing one letter at a time until I end up with five different words. Your starting word can be anything you want, and any length, but the longer your word, the harder it might be to find new words by changing one letter. I also recommend doing the word ladder part fairly quickly. Try not to worry about whether or not the words you’re making are “good”—there are no right or wrong answers here, and sometimes it’s the options that appear unlikely that lead us to the most interesting places. Follow your instincts and have fun!

Here is a word ladder I made, starting with the word BOOK:

• BOOK
• BOOT
• BOAT
• GOAT
• COAT

I like these five words well enough, so I’m ready to move on to the brainstorming part.

Look at your list of words. What do they bring to mind for you? Do any spark ideas for characters? Can you imagine connections between different words? How many of the words can you string together to form a story? Explore questions that come up for you as you make different associations.

Here’s the mental path I followed as I looked at my words:

I picture a goat, wearing a coat and boots, in a boat, and holding a book. What is his story? Where is he going? What kind of boat is he in? Maybe it’s a rowboat. If he’s wearing a coat and boots, it must be cold. Why is he outside, in the boat, if it’s cold? Maybe he doesn’t want to be in the boat, but he’s trying to find some peace and quiet away from noisy brothers and sisters so he can read his book. His plan is to row into the middle of the lake so he can read. What challenges could he face? Maybe the weather, or maybe there’s a hole in the boat. Or maybe a sibling has stowed away under a blanket in the rowboat, with the intention of surprising their brother. They wait until the goat stops in the middle of the lake and finally starts to read, and then the sibling throws off the blanket and bleats, “Maaaah!” What happens next? Maybe the goat is so startled, he falls into the water. Maybe the boat capsizes and they both fall into the water. Maybe that’s when it starts to rain. What happens next?

Is this a good idea for a story? I don’t know, but I’m kind of delighted by the idea of this goat who only wants to read his book in peace and quiet. Maybe I’ll write his story, just to entertain myself, and see where that takes me.

But let’s return to that original word list and see what other mental paths it might lead me down:

Maybe the main character is not a goat, but a child. Maybe it’s the child who wants to read a book in peace and quiet, and they live on a farm and are being followed by a goat who is a nuisance. Maybe, after some conflict, the story resolves with the child reading aloud to the goat.

Or . . .

Maybe the boat is a toy—a bath-time toy? Maybe this is a story about playing in the tub and not wanting to get out. Maybe there is also a goat bath-time toy. And bath-time . . . boots? Coat? Okay, maybe not. But that’s okay! Your ultimate goal is idea generation, not using all five words. Maybe this is an absurd story with another character trying more and more ridiculous things to entice the main character out of the tub. Maybe some of those ridiculous things are boots and a coat and a book! Hmmm . . .

Or . . .

Maybe “goat” isn’t about the animal but G.O.A.T, Greatest of All Time. Maybe the main character wants to be the Greatest of All Time at something. What might that be? What obstacle could they face? Or maybe they want to meet the Greatest of All Time. Maybe this is a story about someone preparing to meet their hero. Who would that be? Why does this person mean so much to the main character? What is the situation that brings the main character and their hero together? How might their meeting go?

You can see how the original list of five words can take you in many different directions. And they are all worthy of your imagination! Try not to judge your ideas in this very early stage. Explore and experiment with whatever ideas appeal to you. Don’t think about marketability, or whether this is something an agent or editor would like, or if anthropomorphized characters are a hard sell these days, or if there are too many bath-time books in the market already . . . Save that thinking for later, after you’ve drafted your story and put it aside for a while.

Right now, your goal is simple: Play with words! Entertain your inner child. Be silly. Be absurd. And most importantly: Make it fun!

Jennifer Chambliss Bertman is the New York Times bestselling author of the Book Scavenger series, Sisterhood of Sleuths, and the picture book A Good Deed Can Grow, illustrated by Holly Hatam. Her books have received many honors, such as being named Indie Next picks, Amazon Books of the Year, Bank Street College Book of the Year, NCTE Notable Book, among other accolades. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing from St. Mary’s College and has worked in a variety of roles with children and in publishing. A native of the San Francisco Bay Area, Jennifer now lives in Colorado with her family. You can subscribe to her newsletter on Substack, follow her on Instagram, Blue Sky, or visit her website for more information about her and her books.

Jennifer Chambliss Bertman is giving away three signed copies of her picture book, A GOOD DEED CAN GROW, illustrated by Holly Hatam, to three separate winners.

You’re eligible to win if you’re a registered Storystorm 2025 participant and you have commented only once below.

Prizes will be distributed at the conclusion of Storystorm.

Posted by Tara Lazar

Categories: STORYSTORM 2025

Tags: Jennifer Chambliss Bertman

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708 Responses to “Storystorm 2025 Day 2: Jennifer Chambliss Bertman Makes It Fun”

1. Jennifer,

   This is such a fun idea. Thank you for going through all the different paths that one word ladder can take you. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to look for your books and to make a word ladder of my own:)

   Gail Hartman

   By thecrowsmap on January 2, 2025 at 8:13 am

2. I loved this post because I’m a Wordle fanatic. Maybe some of my word choices for the Wordle game will turn into story ideas? I’ll give it a try. Thanks for the post!

   By gregoryfulgione on January 2, 2025 at 8:18 am

   1. Using Wordle puzzle words would be a great idea!

      By Jennifer Chambliss Bertman on January 2, 2025 at 3:34 pm

3. Even your five words brought to mind ideas I have had about stories. Good exercise!

   By mphollinsheadyahoocom on January 2, 2025 at 8:21 am

   1. What a fun brainstorming idea!

      By Reni Macarelli on January 2, 2025 at 8:53 am

4. Jennifer, your directions are ingenious! Thank you!

   By Joyce P. Uglow on January 2, 2025 at 8:22 am

5. I have never done a word ladder as an idea generator before. This is fabulous. Thank you, Jennifer

   By coquina29 on January 2, 2025 at 8:24 am

6. now all I can think about is Tilt a Whirls. fairground stories?

   By BirdinaCage on January 2, 2025 at 8:30 am

7. Word ladders. Interesting. I like this idea as a game for helping my students grow their vocabularies as well as for brainstorming story ideas.

   By susanjobskya73d148763 on January 2, 2025 at 8:37 am

   1. Wonderful! I was hoping teachers would find it a useful exercise too. If you use it with them, I’d love to hear how it goes.

      By Jennifer Chambliss Bertman on January 2, 2025 at 3:35 pm

8. Word ladders. Interesting. I like this idea as a game for helping my students grow their vocabularies as well as for brainstorming story ideas.

   By susanjobskya73d148763 on January 2, 2025 at 8:37 am

9. A goat in a boat wearing a coat also has verse potential. What a cool story starter prompt. Thank You, Jennifer!

   By geigerlin on January 2, 2025 at 8:39 am

10. This sounds so fun! I’m not one who can ‘play’ easily but this feels like an exercise I can do! Plus, Jennifer sounds so enthused by her ideas that I am inspired to try my own!

    By Elizabeth Volkmann on January 2, 2025 at 8:42 am

11. I enjoy brainstorming ideas but have never thought of using a puzzle like word ladder for inspiration. I play many word games, so this post really opened some doors to enjoying word puzzles even more than I already do.

    By nigel8it on January 2, 2025 at 8:42 am

    1. It adds an extra level of fun to word games for me. Hope it does for you too!

       By Jennifer Chambliss Bertman on January 2, 2025 at 3:37 pm

12. Great exercise! Thank you for sharing!!

    By JM on January 2, 2025 at 8:42 am

13. Yes please! I love a good puzzle. Thanks for letting us see into your creative process.

    Also, are you coming out with a 4th book in the Book Scavenger series?

    By chrisynthia on January 2, 2025 at 8:43 am

14. Yes please! I love a good puzzle. Thanks for letting us see into your creative process.

    Also, are you coming out with a 4th book in the Book Scavenger series?

    By chrisynthia on January 2, 2025 at 8:43 am

15. Yes please! I love a good puzzle. Thanks for letting us see into your creative process.

    Also, are you coming out with a 4th book in the Book Scavenger series?

    By chrisynthia on January 2, 2025 at 8:43 am

    1. I would love to do a 4th Book Scavenger, but it’s complicated on the publishing side of things. But maybe!

       By Jennifer Chambliss Bertman on January 2, 2025 at 3:38 pm

16. Love this idea!

    Although now I’m afraid I’ll be talking in rhyme all day.

    By Carrie Logsdon McCullough on January 2, 2025 at 8:45 am

17. Love this idea!

    Although now I’m afraid I’ll be talking in rhyme all day.

    By Carrie Logsdon McCullough on January 2, 2025 at 8:45 am

18. Love this idea!

    Although now I’m afraid I’ll be talking in rhyme all day.

    By Carrie Logsdon McCullough on January 2, 2025 at 8:45 am

19. Love this idea!

    Although now I’m afraid I’ll be talking in rhyme all day.

    By Carrie Logsdon McCullough on January 2, 2025 at 8:45 am

20. Love this idea!

    Although now I’m afraid I’ll be talking in rhyme all day.

    By Carrie Logsdon McCullough on January 2, 2025 at 8:45 am

21. Love this idea!

    Although now I’m afraid I’ll be talking in rhyme all day.

    By Carrie Logsdon McCullough on January 2, 2025 at 8:45 am

22. Love this idea!

    Although now I’m afraid I’ll be talking in rhyme all day.

    By Carrie Logsdon McCullough on January 2, 2025 at 8:45 am

23. Love this idea!

    Although now I’m afraid I’ll be talking in rhyme all day.

    By Carrie Logsdon McCullough on January 2, 2025 at 8:45 am

24. Love this idea!

    Although now I’m afraid I’ll be talking in rhyme all day.

    By Carrie Logsdon McCullough on January 2, 2025 at 8:45 am

25. Love this idea!

    Although now I’m afraid I’ll be talking in rhyme all day.

    By Carrie Logsdon McCullough on January 2, 2025 at 8:45 am

26. Love this idea!

    Although now I’m afraid I’ll be talking in rhyme all day.

    By Carrie Logsdon McCullough on January 2, 2025 at 8:45 am

27. Love this idea!

    Although now I’m afraid I’ll be talking in rhyme all day.

    By Carrie Logsdon McCullough on January 2, 2025 at 8:45 am

28. Love this idea!

    Although now I’m afraid I’ll be talking in rhyme all day.

    By Carrie Logsdon McCullough on January 2, 2025 at 8:45 am

29. Love this idea!

    Although now I’m afraid I’ll be talking in rhyme all day.

    By Carrie Logsdon McCullough on January 2, 2025 at 8:45 am

30. Love this idea!

    Although now I’m afraid I’ll be talking in rhyme all day.

    By Carrie Logsdon McCullough on January 2, 2025 at 8:45 am

31. Love this idea!

    Although now I’m afraid I’ll be talking in rhyme all day.

    By Carrie Logsdon McCullough on January 2, 2025 at 8:45 am

32. Love this idea!

    Although now I’m afraid I’ll be talking in rhyme all day.

    By Carrie Logsdon McCullough on January 2, 2025 at 8:45 am

33. Love this idea!

    Although now I’m afraid I’ll be talking in rhyme all day.

    By Carrie Logsdon McCullough on January 2, 2025 at 8:45 am

34. I live this idea & can see it in A GOOD idea can GROW!! 😊

    By migratingmoosegmailcom on January 2, 2025 at 8:48 am

35. Ok, this idea was super fun and helped me create today’s Storystorm idea (and probably more in the future). Thanks for the inspiration!

    By Michael Benner on January 2, 2025 at 8:49 am

36. What a fun activity! I loved the way the words led to so many different story ideas. Thank you so much for sharing.

    By melissajmiles1 on January 2, 2025 at 8:51 am

37. I like this activity. I can see all the possiblilties it opens up for story ideas. Thank you for sharing.

    By lynnpesicka on January 2, 2025 at 8:59 am

38. Thanks for the great brainstorming tip. It was really fun to practice.

    By mdk45 on January 2, 2025 at 9:01 am

39. Word puzzles are the best! Thanks for sharing this idea!

    By Kathi Morrison-Taylor on January 2, 2025 at 9:03 am

40. I love doing puzzles, so this idea of playing with word letters is so appealing to me. Thank you for the great idea!

    By Tara Cerven on January 2, 2025 at 9:05 am

41. This sounds fun! I’m getting on a boat right now to escape distractions and give it a try:). Thanks Jennifer!

    By Brittney Jett on January 2, 2025 at 9:07 am

42. I love this!❤️

    By peaceharrison on January 2, 2025 at 9:07 am

43. I love working with word associations!

    By Brittany Saulnier on January 2, 2025 at 9:10 am

44. This idea generator is SO different. I already tried it!

    By Jill Purtee (P. J.) on January 2, 2025 at 9:10 am

45. Word play is the best. Thank you for the fun advice to start off the year, Jennifer!

    By Robin Brett Wechsler on January 2, 2025 at 9:12 am

46. Word ladders are new to me, but what a great suggestion for generating ideas! Thanks, Jennifer!

    By clairebobrow on January 2, 2025 at 9:14 am

47. This was fun. I enjoyed the words I came up with and even came up with some other words that didn’t quite fit the exercise but I was able to use all of them in a sentence/plot of some sort, that I think could have potential. Anyway, thanks for the exploratory idea making. And the reminder that none of this has to be good at this stage, it is just playful, idea making— and we can make it better, later.

    By Bridgitte Rodguez on January 2, 2025 at 9:14 am

48. I love the path of discovery with your word ladder way of brainstorming! Will try it today. I have a box of pictures I’ve collected from magazines etc and will sometimes pick out 4-6 random pictures and use them to spark a story in much the same way. Thanks for your post and for the chance to win your book!

    By Beth Gallagher on January 2, 2025 at 9:16 am

49. Thank you, Jennifer! It’s a fun little game I didn’t know about, and it got me thinking.

    By Gwendolyn Holbrow on January 2, 2025 at 9:16 am

50. Waving to Jennifer — so good to see you here! I’ve enjoyed following your success and reading your books. Thanks for sharing this — it’s so helpful! Will share in our Rate Your Story forum.

    By Lynne Marie on January 2, 2025 at 9:17 am

    1. Hi Lynne Marie! Waving back to you!

       By Jennifer Chambliss Bertman on January 2, 2025 at 3:40 pm

51. Thank you, Jennifer! I love the word ladder. What a great idea. 🙂

    By Lindsey Aduskevich on January 2, 2025 at 9:22 am

52. The best part of the story ladder is that the words don’t have to be good (at first) they will change (sometimes) So the lesson is not to overthink your words to the point where it isn’t fun anymore.

    By readmybook2002 on January 2, 2025 at 9:22 am

    1. Absolutely, yes! I think that’s the most important part–to not take it too seriously and just let your mind make connections and see where it takes you.

       By Jennifer Chambliss Bertman on January 2, 2025 at 3:42 pm

53. What a clever way to generate ideas! Thank you!

    By cindyjohnson2013 on January 2, 2025 at 9:23 am

54. Ooh, I love word puzzles. Challenge accepted!

    By Jacinta Patterson on January 2, 2025 at 9:27 am

55. I have never played this word game, but I’m going to try!

    By Melissa Rafson Friedman on January 2, 2025 at 9:29 am

56. This is sort of like the Wordle game only it’s for PB ideas! I’m definitely going to try this! Thank you!

    By Judy Sobanski on January 2, 2025 at 9:33 am

57. Wow, as a former primary grade teacher I often used the word ladder as a game to build vocabulary. I never took it to the next level to foster creative writing! How wonderful I am all about this playful approach!

    By syorkeviney on January 2, 2025 at 9:33 am

    1. I was hoping it would resonate with teachers too. Hope it leads you to some fun story ideas!

       By Jennifer Chambliss Bertman on January 2, 2025 at 3:43 pm

58. I’m excited to try this! I have a hard time being too literal or straight forward in how I process ideas and I think this will let my imagination stretch and wander and bring out more silly ideas.

    By sblotevogel on January 2, 2025 at 9:35 am

    1. I relate–I think that’s why I like turning brainstorming into a game. It keeps me from taking myself too seriously. Taking myself too seriously means my inner critic will be chiming in.

       By Jennifer Chambliss Bertman on January 2, 2025 at 3:46 pm

59. I’m not big on games, but this one truly sounds like it could lead to a lot of fun places!

    By Andria Rosenbaum on January 2, 2025 at 9:36 am

    1. Fantastic! I hope you have fun with it.

       By Jennifer Chambliss Bertman on January 2, 2025 at 3:46 pm

60. Thank you for sharing your go-to tactic and introducing me to word ladder puzzles! I may have to try the original version as well. I love the idea of creating five words and seeing how they connect. (You should definitely write the goat in the boat story!) I can’t wait to try it!

    By Jennifer on January 2, 2025 at 9:38 am

61. I enjoyed this idea-generating word play and plan to share it with my seventh grade students after winter break. I know they’ll love it!

    By lsheroan on January 2, 2025 at 9:39 am

62. Thanks for this great brainstorming technique! I also enjoyed reading your thought process on formulating questions around it.

    By Kristen Indahl on January 2, 2025 at 9:39 am

63. Nice post – a puzzle and getting book ideas at the same time! Come on brain, you’ve got this!

    By joanlongstaff on January 2, 2025 at 9:40 am

64. What a fun way to generate ideas! Thank you!

    By Kimberly Marcus on January 2, 2025 at 9:40 am

65. Thank you, Jennifer! Great post!

    By Midge Ballou Smith on January 2, 2025 at 9:40 am

66. So fun! Thanks!

    By dealenihan on January 2, 2025 at 9:44 am

67. TOOTH BOOTH BROTH FROTH TROTH
    This is a great new brainstorming tool. My imagination is off and running. Thank you!

    By Danette on January 2, 2025 at 9:46 am

    1. I love it! Even just the phrase “tooth booth” has my imagination going.

       By Jennifer Chambliss Bertman on January 2, 2025 at 3:48 pm

68. Love this idea of a word ladder, thanks for sharing this fun process of generating story ideas

    By Sallye O'Rourke on January 2, 2025 at 9:46 am

69. Love this word play activity to generate ideas!

    By Leah Moser on January 2, 2025 at 9:46 am

70. What a fun writing exercise! I’ve already started playing around with it. 🙂

    By M.R. on January 2, 2025 at 9:47 am

71. As an author and self-professed word nerd, I’ve always found word ladders fun – but never considered using them for brainstorming! Great idea.

    By Matt Forrest Esenwine on January 2, 2025 at 9:51 am

72. As an author and self-professed word nerd, I’ve always found word ladders fun – but never considered using them for brainstorming! Great idea.

    By Matt Forrest Esenwine on January 2, 2025 at 9:51 am

73. Love the encouragement to play with words. Also, love the emphasis on making connections between words and concepts. Great potential here when we combine with Tara’s advice yesterday to daydream 😊 Thanks for sharing, Jennifer!

    By writerdi2020 on January 2, 2025 at 9:55 am

74. This is such a fresh and creative idea, and I loved coming along with you on your various imaginings!

    By vanessakaybooks on January 2, 2025 at 9:57 am

75. What a great idea! It will be fun to play around with words to generate story ideas!

    By markceilley on January 2, 2025 at 9:58 am

76. What a great idea! It will be fun to play around with words to generate story ideas!

    By markceilley on January 2, 2025 at 9:58 am

77. I loved this exercise and found 2 great ideas from the ladders I made. Thank you!

    By Maria Bursey on January 2, 2025 at 10:00 am

78. I like where you went with this idea. Thanks for sharing Jennifer!

    By bgonsar on January 2, 2025 at 10:03 am

79. I like where you went with this idea. Thanks for sharing Jennifer!

    By bgonsar on January 2, 2025 at 10:03 am

80. Loved this exercise for generating ideas and encouraging creativity!

    By schellijo on January 2, 2025 at 10:04 am

81. Most of my ideas come to me in the car…I’ll have to try this game while driving. 😁

    By Jen Summers Writes on January 2, 2025 at 10:04 am

82. Thanks, Jennifer! This built so nicely on yesterday’s dreaming post—and I loved your idea of just writing to entertain yourself!

    By Susan Wroble on January 2, 2025 at 10:04 am

83. Fun idea. Now I want to read a G.O.A.T.-themed PB! Thank you for sharing.

    By kellyclasenwriter on January 2, 2025 at 10:04 am

84. What a fun idea! Thanks for sharing your brainstorming approach.

    By christym1234 on January 2, 2025 at 10:06 am

85. I love this! So fun and creative. Thank you for sharing!

    By cherylsec on January 2, 2025 at 10:08 am

86. Love this idea! Thank you, Jennifer!

    By elegant841286bf31 on January 2, 2025 at 10:08 am

87. What a fun brainstorming technique! And one I haven’t heard before. Also like the idea of the goat in the boat trying to stay afloat.

    By Inka on January 2, 2025 at 10:09 am

88. This is such a fun brainstorming idea!

    By Reni Macarelli on January 2, 2025 at 10:10 am

89. oh I love this!

    By natashaffdfd87f06 on January 2, 2025 at 10:10 am

90. This is so much fun! Creative, crafty, and perhaps a bit courageous to try something new! Thanks!

    By sunfishrule on January 2, 2025 at 10:13 am

91. book, cook, look, lock, dock, duck – I’m off to grab a pen!

    Thanks Jennifer!

    By Cathy Ballou Mealey on January 2, 2025 at 10:15 am

92. I love this word game to generate ideas! So fun, thanks!

    By Pamela Morgan on January 2, 2025 at 10:16 am

93. Thanks for the fun idea.

    By latinxpitch on January 2, 2025 at 10:17 am

94. I’ve never used this type of prompt… but great idea. Three little ideas have come along… appreciate you sharing your process.

    By almosttenacious288198703d on January 2, 2025 at 10:20 am

95. I wasn’t sure about this upon my first read, but I made my word ladder and an idea jumped right off the page at me! So thanks!

    By jessicafgwrites on January 2, 2025 at 10:20 am

96. Thanks for the fun idea to generate ideas! I’m looking forward to playing with words today.

    By heatherstigall on January 2, 2025 at 10:25 am

97. What a fun way to brainstorm! Word ladders, kinda like Worlde!

    By kathalsey on January 2, 2025 at 10:26 am

98. I love structured brainstorms. What a great idea to get ideas flowing!

    By E.H. Perry on January 2, 2025 at 10:28 am

99. This sounds like so much fun, I’m definitely going to give it a try, thank you!

    By hologramquickly39104872c4 on January 2, 2025 at 10:32 am

100. Thanks for this game. I used to love doing those word ladder puzzles when I was a kid, and I love your spin on turning it into a brainstorming tool.

     By andreesantini on January 2, 2025 at 10:32 am

101. Thanks, Jennifer. A neat way to let word play lead to ideas that get the creative juices really flowing.

     By instantfreely29b51b7a71 on January 2, 2025 at 10:34 am

102. this is a very cool idea! I love the way it morphs into a chain of possibilities.

     By christinemcdonnell62e02eaba7 on January 2, 2025 at 10:37 am

103. this is a very cool idea! I love the way it morphs into a chain of possibilities.

     By christinemcdonnell62e02eaba7 on January 2, 2025 at 10:37 am

104. Thanks Jennifer💌, lovely idea💯 I am trying now: rose, rise, ride, tide, tidy ☺️🤔

     By nurkoksal on January 2, 2025 at 10:40 am

105. Such a fun idea! Thank you!

     By curryelizabeth on January 2, 2025 at 10:40 am

106. can’t wait to try this

     By cynthiagradybooks on January 2, 2025 at 10:40 am

107. It’s a challenge to find two words that make real words on the steps in the middle of the ladder, but maybe nonsense words could become the subject of a story. I guess that’s my Storystorm idea for the day. Thanks for the challenge, Jennifer!

     By 1marth1 on January 2, 2025 at 10:41 am

108. love the word ladder to brainstorm. The best part is not only that it’s fun but you always have it with you when you have a few minutes to fill.

     By rachelcritchleya061056d76 on January 2, 2025 at 10:42 am

109. I’ve never done this exercise before and I am eager to try it. Thank you Jennifer!

     By Laurie Elmquist on January 2, 2025 at 10:42 am

110. Looking forward to trying this!

     By joanwaites on January 2, 2025 at 10:42 am

111. Looking forward to trying word ladder for more ideas even associated with MS currently revising. Thank you, Jennifer, for this post and info on your website.

     By diggerdynamo on January 2, 2025 at 10:43 am

112. Hi, Jenn. I love this! I’m in need of a jumping off point to create new ideas and this is right up my alley! Thanks!

     By Penny Parker Klostermann on January 2, 2025 at 10:43 am

     1. Yay! Happy to hear that, Penny! Good to see you here!

        By Jennifer Chambliss Bertman on January 2, 2025 at 3:51 pm

        1. Thanks, Jenn. This is dipping my toe back in … slowly!

           By Penny Parker Klostermann on January 9, 2025 at 2:45 pm

113. Thank you, Jennifer. Congratulations on A Good Deed Can Grow. I’m looking forward to reading it.

     I’m off to make a good ladder. A good ladder can grow!

     By Joyce Frank on January 2, 2025 at 10:44 am

114. I have never tried this before. Thanks for this tip!

     By greengirlblueplanet on January 2, 2025 at 10:45 am

115. Thanks, Jennifer! Sounds like fun. I will give it a try and see where it takes me.

     By Rona Shirdan on January 2, 2025 at 10:45 am

116. your ‘maybe’s’ are my ‘what if’s’

     Steve Heron Cheeky Magpie

     By steveheron on January 2, 2025 at 10:48 am

117. your ‘maybe’s’ are my ‘what if’s’

     Steve Heron Cheeky Magpie

     By steveheron on January 2, 2025 at 10:48 am

118. your ‘maybe’s’ are my ‘what if’s’

     Steve Heron Cheeky Magpie

     By steveheron on January 2, 2025 at 10:48 am

119. Love this idea. Feels very ‘Wordle-ly’ but creative.

     By nancykkkkk on January 2, 2025 at 10:49 am

120. What a great way to get your wackies out and onto the page! Thanks for the idea.

     By Helen Waters on January 2, 2025 at 10:52 am

121. What a fun idea-generating exercise. I can’t wait to see where this leads me! Thank you!

     By ptnozell on January 2, 2025 at 10:54 am

122. I used the word ladder with an idea I already had and came up with a direction for my story. Thanks for the suggestion, Jennifer

     By elyset20 on January 2, 2025 at 10:54 am

     1. Fantastic! That’s exciting to hear.

        By Jennifer Chambliss Bertman on January 2, 2025 at 3:52 pm

123. Thank you for this fun idea! I used word ladders with kids as a teacher but never for myself as a brainstorming tool. I’m off to give it a try.

     By rosecappelli on January 2, 2025 at 10:56 am

124. Fantastic Jennifer! My critique partners and I often come up with “random word lists” as prompts for stories, this is such a fun new way to come up with those lists, can’t wait to try.

     By tinefg on January 2, 2025 at 10:56 am

125. I don’t ever think I’ve heard of a word ladder but this is a very interesting way to brainstorm! Thanks

     By reedandwritekids on January 2, 2025 at 10:58 am

126. Ooh, I love this suggestion, Jennifer! I’m going to try it today for some Day 2 idea brainstorming!

     By Jessica Iwanski on January 2, 2025 at 10:58 am

127. Thanks we use word ladders changing one letter to generate names for branding products but I have never thought of doing it for brainstorming for kids stories 😍 Thanks!

     By info85dbf9caf9e on January 2, 2025 at 11:00 am

128. Jennifer,

     I LOVE this idea! I just did it and sketched out the story element for a new book! Woohoo! I’m keeping this idea in my bag of tricks!

     Hanging on to the ladder! 🙂

     By lucystaugler on January 2, 2025 at 11:01 am

     1. That’s exciting to hear! Keep climbing!

        By Jennifer Chambliss Bertman on January 2, 2025 at 3:53 pm

129. Thanks for this fun idea, Jennifer. It reminds me of doing “three word improvisation” exercises in acting classes, where you spontaneously link the three words together in a scene with a scene partner, which always led to lively hilarity and unexpected narratives!

     By meticuloussensationally3b44cbdcb6 on January 2, 2025 at 11:02 am

130. Jennifer, this is the GOAT of brainstorming tips! I can’t wait to give it a go!

     By Tracey Kiff-Judson on January 2, 2025 at 11:03 am

131. Interesting brainstorming technique…I also like the story concepts generated. Ani Guerra

     By Annie Guerra on January 2, 2025 at 11:04 am

132. Interesting! So we write down two short words that come to mind, modify them and see what we come up with? Or I use only one word right? I’ll try this out, thanks.

     By eleanorannpeterson on January 2, 2025 at 11:04 am

     1. For brainstorming, I would start with one word and go from there. But I would think any pattern that works for you to collect an assortment of words would work.

        By Jennifer Chambliss Bertman on January 2, 2025 at 3:54 pm

        1. I cheated a bit and Googled words with four letters. I think I may have an idea for a PB now. Thanks.

           By eleanorannpeterson on January 9, 2025 at 11:11 am

133. I like the way you think! This is a good strategy that I will use. Thanks for this idea!

     By lindakaychavezbooks on January 2, 2025 at 11:05 am

134. Sonja McGiboney – What a neat idea! I’ll use it for my writing club’s prompt this month.

     By Sonja McGiboney on January 2, 2025 at 11:07 am

135. what a fun story generating idea, Jennifer! Tbs k you for such a great post! 💕

     By ccspizzirri on January 2, 2025 at 11:07 am

136. I love word games! Thank you so much for this fun brainstorming idea!

     By ConstanceL on January 2, 2025 at 11:08 am

137. What a fun idea to come up with ideas, Jennifer. Can’t wait to get started!

     By pathaap on January 2, 2025 at 11:09 am

138. Such a fun idea and I loved reading all the different directions you dreamt up from one list of 5 words. I can’t wait to pick a starting word and try this, too! Thank you for today’s exciting & inspiring post, and your works look amazing.

     By bookclubhbhs on January 2, 2025 at 11:11 am

139. Ooooo, I can’t wait to do this (more than once). I gamified a lot of science topics for my HS students, so this is ‘write’ up my alley!

     By Lorraine McCown on January 2, 2025 at 11:12 am

140. thank you for the post and the fun idea! Headed to the page to try it now…

     By Michelle Howell on January 2, 2025 at 11:13 am

141. Great exercise, thanks for sharing!

     By kdrhowley on January 2, 2025 at 11:15 am

142. hi Jennifer!

     I love all the different paths one could go with this word game! Playing with words is super fun. Great idea and congrats on all your accomplishment.

     By jaimegpetru on January 2, 2025 at 11:15 am

143. Thanks for the jolt, jilt, tilt, tile, time to reflect today!

     By Jill Friestad-Tate on January 2, 2025 at 11:16 am

144. When I sit down to write, I never think of play (anymore) – isn’t that sad? So this post was (again) a reminder that playing is the first step in creating!!! I’ve never done one of these word games, so it’s on my list for things to try!

     By michelleleewritesmagic on January 2, 2025 at 11:17 am

145. I love this fun idea! Thanks for sharing it!

     By Andrea Mack on January 2, 2025 at 11:18 am

146. I love this fun idea! Thanks for sharing it!

     By Andrea Mack on January 2, 2025 at 11:18 am

147. I love this fun idea! Thanks for sharing it!

     By Andrea Mack on January 2, 2025 at 11:18 am

148. What a great way to start a brainstorming session! I play wordle and sometimes find an idea in my guesses. Thanks for sharing this wordplay game.

     By margaretsmn on January 2, 2025 at 11:20 am

149. I LOVE word ladders! I never thought of using them to generate story ideas. What a brilliant tool to throw in my bag of tricks. Thanks, Jennifer!

     By Sue Heavenrich on January 2, 2025 at 11:23 am

150. Such a fun idea, which would also work for kids.

     By Mirka H on January 2, 2025 at 11:24 am

151. Jennifer! This is great! I’ve never used this technique before. Thank you!! Kara M. Mitchell http://www.karammitchell.com instagram: @kara_m_mitchell 405.823.1649

     By karammitchell on January 2, 2025 at 11:24 am

152. Jennifer! This is great! I’ve never used this technique before. Thank you!!

     By karammitchell on January 2, 2025 at 11:25 am

153. What a fun brainstorming exercise! Thanks for sharing a unique and entertaining way to Storystorm some new ideas, Jennifer.

     By Lucretia Schafroth on January 2, 2025 at 11:25 am

154. Thanks Jennifer and Tara.

     By bethsbiblio on January 2, 2025 at 11:26 am

155. This is great! I’m actually excited to use this game in my kids’ homeschooling as we are talking about brainstorming! So much fun!!

     By aubreyalliethewriter on January 2, 2025 at 11:27 am

156. Thank you for the fun suggestion Jennifer. It will be interesting to see what comes out with the word ladder.

     By Colleen Owen Murphy on January 2, 2025 at 11:28 am

157. Great idea! I love this post. I think I will give it a try.

     By Janet Smart on January 2, 2025 at 11:28 am

158. This is brilliant Jennifer and so much fun. I’m going to be trying this out soon.

     By Claudine Pullen on January 2, 2025 at 11:28 am

159. Ooh, ooh, this is such a fun idea. Thanks, Jennifer!

     By Dea Brayden on January 2, 2025 at 11:29 am

160. Thank you, Jennifer, for sharing a great way to stimulate ideas. Today is a great day to try something new.

     By judyrubin13 on January 2, 2025 at 11:29 am

161. What a terrific idea and post. Thank you, Jennifer. I will give this a try.

     By Karin Larson on January 2, 2025 at 11:31 am

162. This is a fun idea and I gave it a try starting with the word hand. Thank you for this playful activity.

     By Alison McGauley on January 2, 2025 at 11:31 am

163. Fabulous brainstorming idea! Thanks for the specificity. A DEED CAN GROW looks wonderful, btw!

     By Claire A. B. Freeland on January 2, 2025 at 11:31 am

164. What a fun way to brainstorm! Thanks for sharing, Jennifer.

     By Teresa Rodrigues on January 2, 2025 at 11:32 am

165. What a fun way to brainstorm! Thanks for sharing, Jennifer.

     By Teresa Rodrigues on January 2, 2025 at 11:32 am

166. Such a fun idea, thank you! I can’t wait to try it!

     By julieagermain on January 2, 2025 at 11:34 am

167. I like how you put all the words together in your book-to-coat sample. That’s a great challenge–and not a bad result!

     By JenFW on January 2, 2025 at 11:34 am

168. Thank you for the brainstorming idea. Love it!

     By elizabethwilcoxsaba on January 2, 2025 at 11:35 am

169. Love this playful idea of word connections!

     By robineditorial on January 2, 2025 at 11:36 am

170. I can’t wait to try this brainstorming method out! It seems like something you can use over and over again!

     By Allison Strick on January 2, 2025 at 11:37 am

171. Love this playful word association idea 🙂

     By robineditorial on January 2, 2025 at 11:38 am

172. I’ve never heard of this game but how fun! Thanks, Jennifer!

     By Laya Steinberg on January 2, 2025 at 11:38 am

173. What a fun idea!

     By Lynn Baldwin on January 2, 2025 at 11:39 am

174. What a fun exercise!! I’m going to have my girls do it with me and see what we can come up with 🙂

     By Kelly A. on January 2, 2025 at 11:40 am

175. Jennifer,

     I’ve never tried a word ladder for story brainstorming. What a great idea!

     By lphunt on January 2, 2025 at 11:41 am

176. Thanks for the word ladder brainstorming idea! Climbing for inspiration right after this…

     By marywarth on January 2, 2025 at 11:41 am

177. What a cute idea, and imaginatiave.

     By brontebrown2 on January 2, 2025 at 11:41 am

     1. two a’s are enough in imaginative-

        By brontebrown2 on January 2, 2025 at 11:43 am

178. Two hooves up for this delightful post, Jennifer. I love the idea of the goat trying to get away from the noisy and paper-eating siblings by rowing out into the lake…and the stowaway. Go for it!

     By Gretchen McLellan on January 2, 2025 at 11:44 am

179. This is fun!

     By Laurel Santini on January 2, 2025 at 11:47 am

180. I’m excited to play with words today! Thank you for the inspiration, Jennifer!

     By heidikyates on January 2, 2025 at 11:48 am

181. I’m excited to play with words today! Thank you for the inspiration, Jennifer!

     By heidikyates on January 2, 2025 at 11:48 am

182. A great idea for getting those creative juices flowing!

     By Kylie Burns kysblog1 on January 2, 2025 at 11:48 am

183. Great brainstorming activity. I had a lot of fun with this one. This will be going in my writer’s toolbox. Thank you for sharing this idea.

     By Mary A Zychowicz on January 2, 2025 at 11:50 am

184. I love the reminder to play. This should be fun!

     By mariautumn7c81b37a0a on January 2, 2025 at 11:51 am

185. Oh this exercise looks like so much fun! I can’t wait to try it out. It would also be a fun exercise to use as part of a writing workshop for kids. I’ll have to put that in my toolbox. Thank you!

     By Carolyn Bennett Fraiser on January 2, 2025 at 11:52 am

186. Thank you Jennifer-such a fun writing strategy!

     By Sheri Delgado Preston on January 2, 2025 at 11:52 am

187. The word ladder and idea generation was a fun exercise. Thanks!

     By Sheila Keegan on January 2, 2025 at 11:52 am

188. I like the word ladder idea.

     Sharon Nix Jones

     By mommamoocow on January 2, 2025 at 11:54 am

189. play time! I love how you spun five words into so many possible story ideas-I’m gonna try it today!

     By stephaniealterjones on January 2, 2025 at 11:56 am

190. play time! I love how you spun five words into so many possible story ideas-I’m gonna try it today!

     By stephaniealterjones on January 2, 2025 at 11:56 am

191. This is a brilliant take on the random word story generation concept or word association story building concept – and can lead to such fun opportunities for word play and lyrical language – thank you! Can’t wait to apply this to my “this word needs to be in a story” list!

     By Karen Gebbia on January 2, 2025 at 11:57 am

192. wonderful idea!

     By vijikc on January 2, 2025 at 11:58 am

193. let’s play! I want to try this today!

     By stephaniealterjones on January 2, 2025 at 12:01 pm

194. Word ladders to generate so many great ideas! Thank you for the inspiration and making it so much fun!

     By Eric Herrington on January 2, 2025 at 12:04 pm

195. Thank you for this idea – I love puzzles and the idea of word ladder association can happen anywhere at any time. And as other commenters have said – great to use with kids.

     By Stephanie Wildman on January 2, 2025 at 12:04 pm

196. Oooh, I love word games! Thanks, Jennifer!

     By lauraortmanbrock on January 2, 2025 at 12:05 pm

197. Thank you for your inspiration and making it so much fun! Word ladders generate so many possibilities thank you!

     By Eric Herrington on January 2, 2025 at 12:06 pm

198. Thank you for your inspiration and making it so much fun! Word ladders generate so many possibilities thank you!

     By Eric Herrington on January 2, 2025 at 12:06 pm

199. Knew those countless hours spent playing WORDLE would come to some “productive” use one day 😂 Thanks for the fun brainstorming idea!

     By Yashika Mody on January 2, 2025 at 12:07 pm

200. Jennifer, you had me at “word play”! Such a simple, fun, creative way to generate ideas – thank you!

     By sue macartney on January 2, 2025 at 12:10 pm

201. An assignment I can do at the same time as my students and let them in on the brainstorming idea-great idea!

     By meganewhitaker21 on January 2, 2025 at 12:12 pm

202. Jennifer, this is such a great idea. Thank you so much! Can’t wait to get started on this.

     By Ronni Diamondstein on January 2, 2025 at 12:13 pm

203. This is a great idea! And I would definitely read a book about the goat in a boat!

     By msmyrafaye on January 2, 2025 at 12:13 pm

204. words matter!

     By kathleen moore on January 2, 2025 at 12:15 pm

205. Limitless possibilities! I love this! Will be looking for your book!!

     By Hannah Roy LaGrone on January 2, 2025 at 12:17 pm

206. Thank you for this fun idea. My mother-daughter book group loved Book Scavenger!!

     By kathleen moore on January 2, 2025 at 12:18 pm

     1. I’m so happy to know that! Thank you!

        By Jennifer Chambliss Bertman on January 2, 2025 at 3:56 pm

207. I love this idea and all the subsequent paths it can take! Thank you!

     By A. McKay on January 2, 2025 at 12:20 pm

208. This was great, Jennifer, thank you! I’m happy to have come up with a workable idea.

     By Sarah Hetu-Radny on January 2, 2025 at 12:20 pm

209. I love a good word puzzle and this was so fun. Thank you for the inspiration! I have Book Scavenger and Sisterhood of Sleuths on my never-ending TBR. I’m moving them to the top of the pile.

     By serendipityinstars on January 2, 2025 at 12:24 pm

210. thank you Jennifer for giving us such a fine

     design for sucess…👍

     By saintamovin on January 2, 2025 at 12:27 pm

211. There were so many stories out of those five words! This is great! Thanks for the game!

     By LaVern on January 2, 2025 at 12:29 pm

212. Can’t wait to try the word ladder. Thanks for the idea!

     By Laura Renauld on January 2, 2025 at 12:38 pm

213. Can’t wait to try the word ladder. Thanks for the idea!

     By Laura Renauld on January 2, 2025 at 12:39 pm

214. Thank you, Jennifer. I was unfamiliar with word ladders and loved playing with them. I had extra fun brainstorming my way to a nonfiction idea, as nonfiction is my passion.

     By carolynscombs on January 2, 2025 at 12:42 pm

215. What a fun brainstorming idea! I love word games!

     By Karen Pickrell on January 2, 2025 at 12:42 pm

216. What a fun way to get the brain cells awake and working!

     By chris109shestak on January 2, 2025 at 12:45 pm

217. a great idea to help with brainstorming. Thank you for sharing.

     By Barbara Schlosser Hill on January 2, 2025 at 12:46 pm

218. This seemed to simple and yet I found it hard to jump into this and make interesting word ladders. But will keep at it with ideas that work or go off in strange directions.

     By sheriradovich0384 on January 2, 2025 at 12:46 pm

219. That’s a fun word game to play! Thank you!

     By Angie on January 2, 2025 at 12:48 pm

220. Jennifer,

     thank you for sharing! The word ladder exercise is a great way to brainstorm new ideas.
     – Katie Marie

     By Katie Marie on January 2, 2025 at 12:50 pm

221. I love this idea! Can’t wait to try it out!

     By erozmus on January 2, 2025 at 12:53 pm

222. Jennifer, I’m a fan of the word ladder puzzles, so this makes perfect sense to me. Now if I can fire up my imagination to work as well as yours, this should prove very interesting! Thanks for the idea.

     By marty bellis on January 2, 2025 at 12:53 pm

223. this is a wonderful starting point! Thanks

     By supermario6 on January 2, 2025 at 12:53 pm

224. Thank you for teaching me a new way to play!

     By rindabeach on January 2, 2025 at 12:53 pm

225. Oo I love word games! Thanks for the fun idea to use them as brainstorming tools 🙂

     By jmoudahi on January 2, 2025 at 12:54 pm

226. Great idea!  So fun to do at breakfast with the kids.  Loads of ideas….

     By mariaordish on January 2, 2025 at 12:54 pm

227. thanks for sharing!!!

     By mlflannigan on January 2, 2025 at 12:55 pm

228. thanks for sharing!!!

     By mlflannigan on January 2, 2025 at 12:55 pm

229. what a fun idea. I love the way the story ideas blossom.

     By christinemcdonnell62e02eaba7 on January 2, 2025 at 12:59 pm

230. Jennifer, you have such a creative mind. Your approach to finding ideas looks like fun.

     By Shirley Menendez on January 2, 2025 at 1:00 pm

231. So much fun! I can see how this could get my creative juices flowing. Thanks!

     By lisakdaviswriting on January 2, 2025 at 1:02 pm

232. Ooh I had not heard of word ladder puzzles! Thanks for the inspiration!

     By emmelineforrestal on January 2, 2025 at 1:02 pm

233. I’ve heard many people talk about writing a vocabulary list for the story that they’re writing. But never when trying to get ideas to create a new story! This is great.

     By leslieevatayloe on January 2, 2025 at 1:03 pm

234. Interesting approach. Thanks for sharing.

     By Judy Cooper on January 2, 2025 at 1:03 pm

235. Thank you for these lessons about how both good deeds and good ideas can grow! ❤️

     By tracyschuldthelixon on January 2, 2025 at 1:05 pm

236. “Don’t judge your ideas in this early stage” what great advice! Too often we throw out an idea because it doesn’t seem “marketable”.

     By Tonya Pember on January 2, 2025 at 1:08 pm

237. Such a fun exercise! Can’t wait to try it with my 8-year-old 🙂 Also, please write all of those stories!

     By wordnerd153 on January 2, 2025 at 1:10 pm

     1. I’m glad it resonated with you. And thank you for the encouragement! I put them in my Storystorm list of ideas and just might pursue them this year!

        By Jennifer Chambliss Bertman on January 2, 2025 at 3:57 pm

238. What a creative way to brainstorm! Only day 2 and I’m enjoying myself so much! A lot of great takeaways!

     By Sandy Monroe on January 2, 2025 at 1:10 pm

239. This is a really fun exercise; it can be so hard to turn off that internal editor. Thanks for the reminder that this is a time to play!

     By hansenjc13 on January 2, 2025 at 1:17 pm

240. That is a very interesting idea. I might steal that when I am teaching my class about creative writing. I do something similar already with a different means of coming up with words in which we all write a simple story and see how people’s perspectives and imaginations shape their story despite having the same root words.

     By Matthew Lasley on January 2, 2025 at 1:19 pm

241. Absolutely looks like so much fun. Thank you for such a creative game idea in search of a story.

     By dlapmandi on January 2, 2025 at 1:19 pm

242. What a fun brainstorming tool. Loved how you shared your thinking about the words and how you were able to get so many ideas from the words. Thank you!

     By bevbaird on January 2, 2025 at 1:20 pm

243. Ahh! I love a new story starter game for when I’m stuck. This is such a simple but fun idea. I can’t wait to get to work! Thank you!

     By Amy Moore on January 2, 2025 at 1:23 pm

244. Fun is exactly what I need more of in my writing life. Thank you!

     By Sandy Lowe on January 2, 2025 at 1:26 pm

245. interesting

     By Svapna Sabnis on January 2, 2025 at 1:33 pm

246. Thank you for the great idea.

     By cassiazaven on January 2, 2025 at 1:37 pm

247. I love this brainstorming word tool!

     By KrisTarantino on January 2, 2025 at 1:41 pm

248. This is a wonderful idea, thank you for sharing!

     By markielhayes on January 2, 2025 at 1:42 pm

249. Thanks! This is a very fun activity. We may do it in our writing group!

     By karenleewyoming on January 2, 2025 at 1:42 pm

250. Jennifer, thank you for the excellent exercise. I forgot how fun it is to create word ladders! Besides being excited about where my words will take me, my big takeaway is not to judge my imagination!😊

     By Gail Aherne on January 2, 2025 at 1:44 pm

251. Okay, I am going to try this, but I got kinda lucky today in that my idea came from something my nephew said!

     By Megan McNamara on January 2, 2025 at 1:44 pm

252. What a fun idea. I am definitely going to try this. Thank you.

     By bsenenman on January 2, 2025 at 1:45 pm

253. Fabulous way to spark my imagination. Thank you!

     By okonke28a8a229c9 on January 2, 2025 at 1:50 pm

254. Love this idea! Thank you!

     By kelpellico on January 2, 2025 at 1:55 pm

255. This was great! Thanks, Jennifer. I love how you walked us through so many examples of how a single word ladder can be used. I’m looking forward to trying out that technique!

     By JF Hall Writes on January 2, 2025 at 1:58 pm

     1. I’m glad that was helpful! I know I sometimes think I’ve tapped the limits of my thinking, and pushing my imagination to keep going never fails to surprise me.

        By Jennifer Chambliss Bertman on January 2, 2025 at 4:00 pm

256. What a unique way to come up with a story idea!

     By Teresa 何 Robeson on January 2, 2025 at 2:01 pm

257. I used to create word ladders as puzzles for my magazine writing submissions. Thank you for the fun way to play with words.

     By Danielle Hammelef on January 2, 2025 at 2:04 pm

258. This is a fun idea for getting the imagination going.

     By Trine Grillo on January 2, 2025 at 2:06 pm

259. This is fun! I love the idea of word ladders for ideas.

     By Amy Martinez on January 2, 2025 at 2:08 pm

260. Such a fun exercise that produced a zany idea for me—thank you!

     By jhall2018 on January 2, 2025 at 2:14 pm

261. I love word puzzles too! I also enjoyed hearing you “think aloud” in your post. It’s always fun for me to see the creative process! Thank you!

     By kelliannedy on January 2, 2025 at 2:15 pm

262. How fun! What a great exercise whenever I have a few minutes.

     By susanzonca on January 2, 2025 at 2:19 pm

263. I love wordplay and I love this idea!

     By juliereich on January 2, 2025 at 2:19 pm

264. I love wordplay and I love this idea!

     By juliereich on January 2, 2025 at 2:20 pm

265. Terrific idea! Thanks for sharing!

     By Lisa Billa on January 2, 2025 at 2:21 pm

266. Wordplay is moving from pure imagination into storytelling. This is the “fun part” of what we do, which we kidlit folks often forget struggling through the long-haul to publication. Thanks for reminding us why we do what we do for as long as we do it. Cheers!

     By marshaelyn on January 2, 2025 at 2:28 pm

267. As a remedial reading tutor, I often do this word play with my students. But I’ve never thought of it as a story generator. I’ll definitely have to try it out on my inner child and discover a story idea or two.

     By Marie Prins on January 2, 2025 at 2:28 pm

268. Thanks for sharing your playing with words idea and wishing you continued successes in your writing life.

     By Carol Gordon Ekster on January 2, 2025 at 2:31 pm

269. thanks for the idea!

     By jennaejo on January 2, 2025 at 2:35 pm

270. I will have to try this activity. It’s part of my way of thinking. Thank you for sharing.

     By Diane McBee on January 2, 2025 at 2:37 pm

271. Thank you for that fun and creative brainstorming technique!

     By helenlysicatos on January 2, 2025 at 2:38 pm

272. What a wonderful idea to play with words. I never heard of word ladder. Thank you!

     By joanswanson58 on January 2, 2025 at 2:41 pm

273. Great idea! I use word ladders with my students but never thought to use it as a brainstorming technique for my own writing. Thank you!

     By Christina Dankert on January 2, 2025 at 2:44 pm

274. What a great idea! I’ve used word ladders for different things, but I love the brainstorming idea. Thanks, Jenn!

     By Ellen Leventhal on January 2, 2025 at 2:49 pm

275. JENNIFER: I LOVED taking a ride through your creative process with the different scenarios you came up with—and with just a few words for inspiration! THANK YOU for reminding us that ALL words “. . .  are all worthy of [our] imagination!” I ESPECIALLY LOVE the INSPIRATION to “. . . play with words! Entertain your inner child. Be silly. Be absurd. And most importantly: Make it fun!” That’s truly what it should come down to for all of us: to make it fun, so our readers will also have fun reading our stories. THANK YOU!!!

     By Natalie Lynn Tanner on January 2, 2025 at 2:49 pm

276. Okay, this was such a fun word puzzle for generating picture book ideas! Your ideas were so cute, and it was good to see how you connected the words you came up with together to form a little story. 🙂

     By Olivia Fisher on January 2, 2025 at 2:49 pm

277. Great idea! Thanks for sharing!

     By Cathy Stefanec Ogren on January 2, 2025 at 2:51 pm

278. Great front row seat to a story spinning journey like no other, Jennifer. Thanks for suggesting a word game and no censor for the purpose of generating ideas. Thanks, Tara, for inviting Jennifer to post in StoryStorm 2025.

     By marty on January 2, 2025 at 2:53 pm

279. What a fun way to brainstorm story ideas.

     By cathy on January 2, 2025 at 2:56 pm

280. What a clever idea to generate stories!

     By Sandy on January 2, 2025 at 2:58 pm

281. This was a lot of fun! I haven’t used word ladders before. Thank you for sharing!

     By Darla Christie on January 2, 2025 at 3:01 pm

282. Thank you for sharing, Jennifer. This is definitely a new way to generate ideas. I can totally see this working.

     By theliah1 on January 2, 2025 at 3:02 pm

283. Can’t wait to get the ladder started. Thanks for sharing an excellent and repeatable idea.

     By thehugbooks on January 2, 2025 at 3:03 pm

284. Love this! And so simple =)

     By Neha Thakkar on January 2, 2025 at 3:11 pm

285. I used that technique for teaching spelling, but it really comes in useful to free the brain for writing. Very clever! Thanks, Jennifer Chambliss Bertman.

     By Judy Abelove Shemtob on January 2, 2025 at 3:14 pm

286. Such a clever idea! Thanks, Jennifer!

     By tenacious1ac9ccdf2f on January 2, 2025 at 3:21 pm

287. I like the word play aspect, and the way a word ladder encourages thinking indifferent directions. So often a story shows up, but it needs some “play” before it can really be worth the writing time. Thanks!

     By Writer on the run on January 2, 2025 at 3:25 pm

288. I love playing with words so this will be a fun exercise.

     By kellietheridgeauthor on January 2, 2025 at 3:25 pm

289. I love wordplay, and this seems like a great way to go beyond the original idea! Thanks Jennifer

     By Writer on the run on January 2, 2025 at 3:31 pm

290. I always skip the word ladders in my puzzle books. No more! What a great way to brainstorm. Thank you, Jennifer. –Kim Peterson

     By naturewalkwithgod on January 2, 2025 at 3:31 pm

291. What a great way to generate some fresh (absurd) ideas! I love it!

     By nazalibhai on January 2, 2025 at 3:32 pm

292. Well that was fun! And…it generated more than a few wacky ideas for a picture book! Thanks Jennifer.

     By Leslie Degnan on January 2, 2025 at 3:41 pm

293. Terrrific idea, and I especially liked the questions you asked yourself in your brainstorm. Going off to build my ladder right now!

     By Buffy Silverman on January 2, 2025 at 3:42 pm

294. This intrigues me! Tonight when I have some me time, I intend to get my trusty notebook and start a word ladder. Thank you Jennifer!

     By sjmcc2 on January 2, 2025 at 3:43 pm

295. This was something I had not done before! I’m going to play with is some more. Thanks for sharing!

     By smfossett on January 2, 2025 at 3:45 pm

296. This was such a helpful blog post. Thank you! I am a huge fan of your Book Scavenger series. I recommend it to my 6th grade students all the time! It was so fun writing with you. xoxo

     By Maria Johnson on January 2, 2025 at 3:46 pm

     1. I’m so happy to know that, thank you! And I’m glad this brainstorming idea was helpful too!

        By Jennifer Chambliss Bertman on January 2, 2025 at 4:02 pm

297. Love this idea. I love using games to inspire me.

     By ofmariaantonia on January 2, 2025 at 4:06 pm

298. Love the title and cover of your new book. Congrats!

     Good way to get some great words working together…and maybe even a rhyme or alliteration from your fun process.

     By Alicia Shawn Gagnon on January 2, 2025 at 4:09 pm

299. Excellent brainstorming prompt, Jennifer! Thank you!

     By Kaye Baillie on January 2, 2025 at 4:12 pm

300. Wow, the word ladder was such a fun way to brainstorm! Thank you!

     By Mother Moon on January 2, 2025 at 4:16 pm

301. Jennifer, this is such a fun idea. I love word play and having taught phonics for so many years we did this with tiles and chalk boards and other manipulatives. So many memories of little people who are now all probably taller than I am. I hope to see you at an event soon!

     By authorlaurablog on January 2, 2025 at 4:26 pm

302. Words really can take you anywhere. Thank you for showing us your thought process. I could feel myself starting to care about the goat.

     By ljtouche on January 2, 2025 at 4:30 pm

303. I love doing these kinds of word plays. Thanks!

     By elliehuynha1479c3539 on January 2, 2025 at 4:32 pm

304. This is fun! I’m off to make a ladder or two or maybe even three! Thanks for this brainstorming session, Jennifer.

     By Mona Pease on January 2, 2025 at 4:37 pm

305. A word list sounds fun. Thank you =)

     By Angel Gantnier on January 2, 2025 at 4:38 pm

306. Great idea! I love just looking at words and seeing what ideas come from them.

     By kellyleedoyle on January 2, 2025 at 4:43 pm

307. thank you! Never did a word ladder like this, but sure played with a 4-letter one today. Great fun/idea generator.

     By Bronte on January 2, 2025 at 4:44 pm

308. How fun – at the beginning of the month 30 does seem daunting! Amazon – Babylon – we’ll be gone – tag along? – sing a song!

     By robincurrie1 on January 2, 2025 at 4:51 pm

309. Thanks Jennifer. This is such a great tip for idea generation and how to easily build and change. Excited to try it.

     By Summer Quigley on January 2, 2025 at 4:56 pm

310. This is such a fun idea! Thank you for sharing, Jennifer.

     By emilysunli on January 2, 2025 at 4:59 pm

311. Oh this has been such fun! Thank you, thank you.

     By Cari on January 2, 2025 at 4:59 pm

312. Thanks for this fun post, Jennifer. Totally intrigued by the possibilities of your ideas.

     By katecarroll11 on January 2, 2025 at 5:00 pm

313. Thanks for this fun idea!

     By Bettie on January 2, 2025 at 5:01 pm

314. How fun is this! I can see this to be a very productive idea and a fun way tl come up with stories. Thank you for this idea.

     By loriwilliamswritingfb07af7163 on January 2, 2025 at 5:06 pm

315. Love this!! Near Asheville, NC, at the Carl Sandburg House, the staff members let visitors read books to the goats, so I found your word ladder delightful! It really is a thing to read books to goats!

     By deniseaengle on January 2, 2025 at 5:09 pm

316. I love word play and will definitely be using this activity to generate story ideas. Thank you!

     By catlady45 on January 2, 2025 at 5:16 pm

317. stare – star – bar – ba – baaaaaaaa!

     By Patti Ranson on January 2, 2025 at 5:16 pm

318. I love words, word puzzles, word games, and playing with words, so this will be a fun exercise. Thanks for sharing!

     By Aileen Stewart on January 2, 2025 at 5:17 pm

319. Great tips! I’m going to give this activity a try!

     By Linda KulpTrout on January 2, 2025 at 5:22 pm

320. Word play- a fun and creative way to generate story ideas! Thank you, Jennifer!

     By mrbellasgmailcom on January 2, 2025 at 5:24 pm

321. Thank you for the examples. It was really helpful to see your brainstorming process.

     By amandalittleauthor on January 2, 2025 at 5:28 pm

322. This is a wonderful exercise, Jennifer! I love word ladder puzzles (I’ve also heard it called “word golf”) and I’ve used it to help me generate poem ideas, but never stories! So I’m eager to give this a shot and have fun playing with language. Thank you for this inspiring post!

     By Stefan Karlsson on January 2, 2025 at 5:30 pm

323. I love playing with words so this is a wonderful activity for me! Thank you!

     By LaurenKerstein on January 2, 2025 at 5:31 pm

324. Such a great way to generate story ideas. Thank you, Jennifer!

     By sarahscribblesatherton on January 2, 2025 at 5:35 pm

325. What a helpful post. Thank you! I can’t wait to play around with my ladders.

     By Nadine Poper on January 2, 2025 at 5:35 pm

326. I love word puzzles and this was so fun to read, thank you!

     By rozanark on January 2, 2025 at 5:38 pm

327. Great tip, love the stream of consciousness as a new idea is hashed out!

     By Andi Chitty on January 2, 2025 at 5:40 pm

328. WOW! What a great idea and I appreciate you sharing the different paths the five words might take.

     By jumpbaby on January 2, 2025 at 5:43 pm

329. Sounds like a fun way to stretch and come up with unexpected ideas. Congratulations on your sweet book.

     By Shirley fadden on January 2, 2025 at 5:43 pm

330. Well, that was fun.🤩

     By Cathy Lentes on January 2, 2025 at 5:46 pm

331. Love this idea and plan on filling a few pages with word ladders.

     By Finding Damo on January 2, 2025 at 5:49 pm

332. Love this brainstorming technique! Thank you for the amusing way to gather ideas.

     By jenweingardt on January 2, 2025 at 5:50 pm

333. So fun. I like the divergence-onto-different-paths part. Thanks for sharing!!

     By Danya Vasquez David on January 2, 2025 at 5:59 pm

334. I love this exercise! And it was great to see your thought process with the different examples.

     By Holly Bauer on January 2, 2025 at 6:05 pm

335. What a unique way to come up with ideas. Each group of words can zing off in so many different directions. Thanks for the idea, Jennifer!

     By bkidd8 on January 2, 2025 at 6:06 pm

336. Love the ladder concept! thanks!

     By Carmen Swick-Author on January 2, 2025 at 6:09 pm

337. what a clever one! Thank you!

     By Sally on January 2, 2025 at 6:20 pm

338. Jennifer! This is an excellent tip on how to have fun creating ideas through word ladders.

     Thank you.

     Suzy Leopold

     By Prairie Garden Girl on January 2, 2025 at 6:21 pm

339. Gosh, I love this!

     By Ali V. (they/them) on January 2, 2025 at 6:23 pm

340. I love word play. Your ladder approach is new to me. Can’t wait to give it a try.

     By dianemungovan on January 2, 2025 at 6:24 pm

341. I love this! I have used word ladders for phonics, but I’m delighted by the ideation process. This would be great in the classroom for oral language development and writing as well.

     By Laura on January 2, 2025 at 6:24 pm

342. Love this idea. Thank you!

     By Stacy S. Jensen on January 2, 2025 at 6:26 pm

343. I Love this idea and can’t wait to work on some word ladders for inspiration. Thank you Jennifer for sharing such an amazing idea.

     By Andrew Fairchild on January 2, 2025 at 6:26 pm

344. Thanks Jennifer! I’m gonna try this!!!

     By Jany Campana on January 2, 2025 at 6:35 pm

345. Okay, yes! A practical puzzle to unleash your creativity? I’m game! Thanks, Jennifer!

     By abby mumford on January 2, 2025 at 6:35 pm

346. Thank you Jennifer! I’m looking forward to trying the game and seeing what ideas it sparks!

     By fleischmana6 on January 2, 2025 at 6:38 pm

347. it’s really fun. I tried generating story ideas with the word ladder and ended up with a crab on a farm. Still figuring out what he is up to there 🤔

     By mvonkoenig on January 2, 2025 at 6:40 pm

348. Word ladders are fun, I am going to try and get some sparks!

     By Pam Barton on January 2, 2025 at 6:43 pm

349. What a fun idea with the Word Ladder! And waaayyy easier (or so I hope as I haven’t made it yet) than Wordle, lol! Looking forward to building my l ladder & seeing what ideas are waiting on each rung for me.

     By yangmommy on January 2, 2025 at 6:55 pm

350. Yes! I love wordle so this is right up my street 🙂

     By wheresthedinnerlady on January 2, 2025 at 6:56 pm

351. Fun word game/puzzle in it’s own right – and definitely neat to try and piece together the words I find 🙂

     By Melissa L Lettis on January 2, 2025 at 6:58 pm

352. What a brilliant ideas generator. This was so much fun!

     By helen16hayden on January 2, 2025 at 7:02 pm

353. I love the advice not to think about the viability or commerciality of the idea – just get silly. I often get tangled in thinking about themes and commercial potential when sometimes you just need to write without an end purpose. Just write for the joy of playing with the words!

     By Fiona Bannatyne on January 2, 2025 at 7:10 pm

354. I love Wordle. What a great way to use the concept to generate ideas.

     By susanzonca on January 2, 2025 at 7:10 pm

355. This sounds like fun… I bet I could start with a common name and change one letter at a time until I come up with a name that sounds good for a character in a fantasy novel.

     By Tamara A Alba on January 2, 2025 at 7:13 pm

356. This is a great idea, Jennifer! Thank you for suggesting it. Surprises are fun, and fun is a great starting point for any writer. Thanks so much!

     By writeremmcbride on January 2, 2025 at 7:14 pm

357. Jennifer, thanks so much for helping to make creating ideas for stories fun! I love words and now I can use a simple method of playing with words to generate five or more ideas to use to create fun stories, especially when I’m experiencing writer’s block.

     By seahorsecoffeeelektra79018 on January 2, 2025 at 7:21 pm

358. I love word games & am ready to try this out!

     By alanadevito on January 2, 2025 at 7:23 pm

359. I love the ideas you generated from the list of words with the goat!

     By Vivian Vandevelde on January 2, 2025 at 7:26 pm

360. What a fun exercise to try! Thanks!

     By Bethanny Parker on January 2, 2025 at 7:29 pm

361. Make.It,Fun.

     Ana Archi

     By anaarchistories on January 2, 2025 at 7:30 pm

362. What a simple idea to generate a multitude of stories!

     By Dannielle Viera on January 2, 2025 at 7:30 pm

363. This is a brilliant way to create a new story idea and one I intend to do (I love Wordle and wordplay is soooo much fun). Thank you for the chance. Susan Burdorf

     By Susan Burdorf on January 2, 2025 at 7:32 pm

364. I’m going to use tonight’s Wordle to try this out. So fun!

     Thank you.

     By Shelley Isaacson on January 2, 2025 at 7:35 pm

365. So fun!Thank you.

     By Shelley Isaacson on January 2, 2025 at 7:36 pm

366. Amazing idea!! Thank you!!

     By Lisa Riddiough on January 2, 2025 at 7:37 pm

367. Thank you!

     By Shelley Isaacson on January 2, 2025 at 7:38 pm

368. Thank you soooo much for sharing this original and fun idea generating formula!!!

     By cravevsworld on January 2, 2025 at 7:41 pm

369. It will be fun to see if your goat with a book makes it into a picture book! Thanks for the brainstorming idea

     By chaunceyelephant on January 2, 2025 at 7:52 pm

370. I’ve never tried this idea before, but I love word games. Feels right up my alley. Thanks for a new brainstorming tool I know I’ll use.

     By Amy Fellner Dominy on January 2, 2025 at 7:54 pm

371. This is really an interesting and unique technique to generate ideas. Thanks for sharing, Jennifer.

     By Linda Evans Hofke on January 2, 2025 at 8:08 pm

372. This is such a great idea! Now to see if I can find a random word generator to come up with a random (appropriate) four letter word 🙂 Thanks for the tip!

     By Erik Ammon on January 2, 2025 at 8:08 pm

373. I love the idea of the word ladder–what a great way to make brainstorming even more fun! Thank you!

     By Diane O'Neill on January 2, 2025 at 8:09 pm

374. The Word Ladder game sounds incredible! I love word games, and I’m surprised I’ve never heard of this one.

     By storyfairy on January 2, 2025 at 8:10 pm

375. Such a fun idea! Thank you!

     By Jennifer Weisse on January 2, 2025 at 8:13 pm

376. Good way to get some creative action going when faced with a blank page.

     By shiny694294aa4c on January 2, 2025 at 8:18 pm

377. Thanks for the word play! Great idea 🙂

     By Danna Smith on January 2, 2025 at 8:27 pm

378. great idea! I already have my one idea for today but why not more?

     By Bhandi on January 2, 2025 at 8:31 pm

379. what a fun idea! I can’t wait to try it! Also, a goat in a boat is a great image.

     By kirstenbockblog on January 2, 2025 at 8:34 pm

380. Jennifer, I love this word play idea. I bet you’ve challenged kiddos with this. I started with beet and went from there. Thank you.

     By MDalphin Williams Creative.Com on January 2, 2025 at 8:36 pm

381. This is great advice coming from a master of puzzles, mysteries, cyphers and clues hunt. Thank you, Jennifer, for the insight into your process.

     By ralucasirbu on January 2, 2025 at 8:42 pm

382. Wow! I love the questions you came up with, Jennifer. That’s something I want to get better at doing, asking questions of my characters and playing more with the ideas.

     By Amy M. Miller on January 2, 2025 at 8:49 pm

383. I admit I found it annoying at first. It’s too much like Wordle. But the more I read, the more I could see how it generates ideas. I think I’ll give it a try.

     By sallymcclure on January 2, 2025 at 8:59 pm

384. I like the playfulness of this and the way the story ideas grew

     By christinemcdonnell62e02eaba7 on January 2, 2025 at 9:14 pm

385. I love word games and story ideas, so this is a double winner for me. Thanks Jennifer!

     By boonewrites on January 2, 2025 at 9:16 pm

386. such a fun brainstorming idea!

     By Josie Gawlowski on January 2, 2025 at 9:25 pm

387. Thanks for the post. I’ll give it a try!

     Cindy S

     By schumerthc on January 2, 2025 at 9:30 pm

388. Thanks Jennifer! I love word games/puzzles and this sounds like a fabulous — and fun — way to get the ideas rolling!

     By jbbower on January 2, 2025 at 9:40 pm

     1. Wow,Jennifer, Thank you for reminding me to be silly, something I struggle to do. A word ladder is such an unusual way to generate ideas. I’m off to be embrace silliness.

        By Nancy Ferguson on January 2, 2025 at 9:45 pm

389. Silly and absurd–words that make me smile. Thanks for the fun idea!

     By Peggy Dobbs on January 2, 2025 at 9:46 pm

390. this sounds like a super fun way to brainstorm!

     By Celeste on January 2, 2025 at 9:48 pm

391. Loved the brainstorming activity! Thank you!

     By Mary Beth Rice on January 2, 2025 at 9:53 pm

392. Such a great idea! It could work in a classroom as well. I now have two of your books on hold at my local library. Thank you!

     By redreadsandwrites on January 2, 2025 at 9:59 pm

393. This is such a wonderful and fun idea! Thanks for sharing how you get from words to story idea.

     By Monica Acker on January 2, 2025 at 10:03 pm

394. Can’t wait to try this fun brainstorming exercise! Thanks for sharing, Jennifer!

     By Steena Hernandez on January 2, 2025 at 10:06 pm

395. Love this fun way to brainstorm. Thanks Jennifer!

     By sharonkdal on January 2, 2025 at 10:07 pm

396. Such a creative way to brainstorm…it’s effective and super fun! Thank you!

     By debjohnson21 on January 2, 2025 at 10:09 pm

397. I have to be honest, I’ve never done a word ladder! Fun to challenge our brain storming in a new way. Thank you.

     By brilliantviewpoint on January 2, 2025 at 10:09 pm

398. What a fun idea! Thank you!

     All my best,
     Laura Handy

     By creativelygrandac7385f53e on January 2, 2025 at 10:17 pm

399. I admit I’ve never done a word ladder! It sounds like fun! I love the examples too! Thanks for sharing this.

     By Karen on January 2, 2025 at 10:18 pm

400. My Cat Sat on a Mat and I gave her a Pat and she hit me with a Bat.

     By Stephen S. Martin on January 2, 2025 at 10:23 pm

401. I love this idea and I’m definitely going to try it more than once. Thanks, Jennifer

     By Mary Ann Cortez on January 2, 2025 at 10:24 pm

402. Thank you for introducing us to a fun word play and brainstorming idea. I tried it! I started with the word story and in 7 words I ended with fart, and thought it best to end there. Happy writing!

     By jnlcave on January 2, 2025 at 10:31 pm

403. What a fun way to spark a story!

     By kathleengauer on January 2, 2025 at 10:31 pm

404. what a fun idea!

     also my family and I love your book!

     thank you,

     Amy Mucci

     By brightwishbooks on January 2, 2025 at 10:33 pm

405. I smiled through all of your story iterations… thanks! Who knew word ladders could bring so much fun?

     By lodobocreates on January 2, 2025 at 10:34 pm

406. I love doing word ladders with my students. I did not even consider using it as a tool for brainstorming. Brilliant! -Jess

     By Jess on January 2, 2025 at 10:37 pm

407. This is a such a fun idea — and one that could easily put to use in a waiting room, or when entertaining kids, or just to get the creative juices flowing at the beginning of the day. Thanks much!

     By Dawn Prochovnic on January 2, 2025 at 10:38 pm

408. Thank you Jennifer for reminding us to have fun❤️❤️❤️Sent from my iPad

     By emmiewerner on January 2, 2025 at 10:38 pm

409. What a fun idea generation activity! Thanks so much for sharing and thoroughly explaining how to play.

     By Daniella Kaufman on January 2, 2025 at 10:39 pm

410. I play with words all the time, even keeping a word bank for all projects Iʻm working on. This post was fun!

     By kamalani3 on January 2, 2025 at 10:48 pm

411. What a fun idea!

     By coachrochelle on January 2, 2025 at 10:49 pm

412. What a great brainstorm-storystorming idea! Thank you. So looking forward to the few weeks.

     Tarja Helena Nevala

     By tarjahelenanevala on January 2, 2025 at 10:50 pm

413. This is such a wonderful idea! I love playing with words and combining ideas with brainstorming fun! Thanks for sharing!

     By imagination4lf on January 2, 2025 at 10:57 pm

414. Thanks, Jennifer! Yes, it’s all about play. My imagination is running wild.

     By Andy Wowor on January 2, 2025 at 10:59 pm

415. A very inspiring way to think! Thank you

     By gattodesign on January 2, 2025 at 11:03 pm

416. A very inspiring way to think! Thank you

     By gattodesign on January 2, 2025 at 11:03 pm

417. Great blog post – will definitely try this. Thanks so much for the idea!

     By jentarr08 on January 2, 2025 at 11:04 pm

418. Love the idea of playing, having fun! Loosens up the imagination, thanks so much Jennifer! 🙂

     By farida189 on January 2, 2025 at 11:08 pm

419. I found this very helpful! Thank you!

     By elise304 on January 2, 2025 at 11:20 pm

420. I found this to be both fun and helpful! Thank you!

     By elise304 on January 2, 2025 at 11:21 pm

421. Jennifer,

     that was super fun! And I really do know a goat that lived on a sailboat at Ft Myers Beach, Florida. Hmmm…

     By symanths on January 2, 2025 at 11:21 pm

422. Jennifer,

     that was super fun! And I really do know a goat that lived on a sailboat at Ft Myers Beach, Florida. Hmmm…

     By symanths on January 2, 2025 at 11:21 pm

423. Jennifer, first–I am SO impressed by how easily the “What if…” questions come to you to lead you in the right directions to story build 😀 LOVing this idea, not just for me, but to have fun with my granddaughters! Word ladders, here we come! 😀 Thanks!

     By writersideup on January 2, 2025 at 11:26 pm

424. What a fun exercise! Thank you!

     By anchance on January 2, 2025 at 11:29 pm

425. Thank you, Jennifer, for the brainstorming game!

     By stefsenn77yahoocom on January 2, 2025 at 11:30 pm

426. This might just bring on a goat idea. Thanks!

     By brintonculp on January 2, 2025 at 11:33 pm

427. What a fun and challenging exercise! Thank you for sharing!

     By Christine Letizia on January 2, 2025 at 11:36 pm

428. Great exercise -thank you!

     By Poupette on January 2, 2025 at 11:41 pm

429. What fun! My word ladder lead me to: wind, wand, sand, said, slid

     Where to next? 🙂

     By Jenn Gaulding on January 2, 2025 at 11:41 pm

430. Oooh I got a new journal for Xmas and am going to play some word games in it now!

     By Deena on January 2, 2025 at 11:43 pm

431. Great idea with the word association/ladder. I created a Junior Fiction cat detective character after a child I was assisting in the classroom slightly misspelled a word. It led my mind into a word association exercise and I came up with the character’s name! Thanks for your post.

     By puppeteriabooknook on January 2, 2025 at 11:45 pm

432. Interesting idea! Reminds me of word chains we teach at school. Thank you!

     By tinamcho on January 2, 2025 at 11:51 pm

433. I love word games but have never done a word ladder. Thanks for sharing this.

     By Christine Van Zandt, MILKWEED FOR MONARCHS (Beaming Books, 2024) on January 2, 2025 at 11:59 pm

434. What a fun! Off we go and where we land…who knows?!

     By Yehudit Sarah on January 3, 2025 at 12:00 am

435. This is really silly and fun! Reminds me of when students have to use their spelling words to create a story. You’ve given me a different kind of idea. 🙂

     By Dena Davis on January 3, 2025 at 12:09 am

436. I love word games, and this is a terrific idea. I can’t wait to try it and see what happens. Thanks for a great post.

     By rosihollinbeck on January 3, 2025 at 12:11 am

437. thanks for showing the multitude of places that a fun romp can lead with this sun word game. I’ll give it a whirl!

     By S. K. Wenger on January 3, 2025 at 12:19 am

438. What a fun way to gather ideas–I found two.

     By Judith on January 3, 2025 at 12:30 am

439. Love this! Thank you!

     By michellehlosardo on January 3, 2025 at 12:32 am

440. This sounds like a really fun way to brainstorm! I’m going to have some fun with it for sure! Thanks, Jennifer!

     By Patricia Toht on January 3, 2025 at 12:33 am

441. Thank you Jennifer for a fun way to play with word puzzles that can generate endless story ideas!

     By Angela Martinelli on January 3, 2025 at 12:45 am

442. Thanks Jennifer! Love these ideas😊

     By seschipper on January 3, 2025 at 12:47 am

443. Thank you Jennifer for this fun word game idea. I think it may lead to some story drafts.

     By apichardo56 on January 3, 2025 at 12:53 am

444. What a fun idea! Thanks for sharing!

     By Bri Lawyer on January 3, 2025 at 1:01 am

445. This is a wonderful idea! My inner child is having a blast. Thanks!

     By joyfulKG on January 3, 2025 at 1:05 am

446. Thanks Jennifer, this is great! I particularly liked that you kept going back and getting mu.tiple ideas from one word list.

     By Artelle Lenthall on January 3, 2025 at 1:05 am

447. That is a truly fun way to come up with ideas. I will be trying it out over the next few days.

     By Andrea Wearne on January 3, 2025 at 1:12 am

448. I love your word ladder and the mental paths you took to generate story ideas. I will definitely give this a try.

     Thanks for your suggestion and thanks for participating!

     By jantsuhr on January 3, 2025 at 1:22 am

449. I love this, can’t wait to start my ladder to see where it will take me..,

     By hodgeh77 on January 3, 2025 at 1:43 am

450. Oh my goodness, what a great idea! Thank you!

     By wyszguy on January 3, 2025 at 1:48 am

451. Oh my goodness – what a great idea! Thank you!

     By wyszguy on January 3, 2025 at 1:49 am

452. Thanks for sharing your word ladder and thought process…I appreciate the reminder to not be judgmental at this early stage of idea generating!

     By Beth Elliott on January 3, 2025 at 2:13 am

453. Oh this was SO fun! At first I felt stuck, but then I was able to incorporate even that feeling of “stuckness” into my PB plot idea! I LOVE what came from this thank you!

     By beyondthesmalltalk955835710 on January 3, 2025 at 2:31 am

454. I tend to judge ideas harshly.This word game is playful and frees my imagination. Just what I needed. Thanks so much!

     By carmelamccainsimmons on January 3, 2025 at 2:43 am

455. I love word ladders! Thanks so much for this idea!💗

     By Janice Woods on January 3, 2025 at 3:47 am

456. Fantastic idea! I can’t wait to play with this! Thank you for the advice!

     Allison Rozo

     By allisonrozo on January 3, 2025 at 3:52 am

457. This is such a simple but clever idea! Thank you of sharing 🙂

     By cjfriess on January 3, 2025 at 5:16 am

458. That’s not how my mind works. Thanks for sharing.

     By reluctantspy on January 3, 2025 at 5:45 am

459. I love the idea of the word ladder to spark creativity, but what I like more is the concept of ‘writing a story just to entertain or please yourself. So often we put pressure on ourselves to write something that works – but writing for fun should be what it’s all about, right? Thank you, Jennifer.

     By kellie906ce70f01 on January 3, 2025 at 6:10 am

460. I love these fun ideas. I would also love a list of four letter word ladder puzzles :-).

     By sharongiltrowauthor on January 3, 2025 at 6:10 am

461. HI and thanks. This is something I haven’t ever tried. Wish me luck having fun.

     By flewk1 on January 3, 2025 at 8:14 am

462. Thanks for this great idea, Jennifer!

     By Becky Shillington on January 3, 2025 at 8:15 am

463. Such a fantastic idea using a word ladder to generate ideas! I have gone off in such unique and random directions with this – thank you so much!

     By Robynn Hyde on January 3, 2025 at 8:43 am

464. this was fun!

     By Laura on January 3, 2025 at 8:48 am

465. So fun! Thank you for sharing, Jennifer!

     By Annelouise on January 3, 2025 at 8:57 am

466. Inspirational. I already have an idea. Thanks.

     By gattodesign on January 3, 2025 at 9:12 am

467. So simple yet so effective! Thanks so much!

     By Donna Williams Marx on January 3, 2025 at 9:17 am

468. What a creative brainstorming idea, Jennifer! Perfect was to start the day. Thanks for sharing!

     By Deborah Agranat Sullivan on January 3, 2025 at 9:35 am

469. Great idea! Could produce a lot of story seeds. Thanks, Jennifer!

     By Leslie Santamaria on January 3, 2025 at 9:39 am

470. I thought I commented, but I don’t see it. I like this idea!

     By amyhouts on January 3, 2025 at 9:45 am

471. This was fun, thank you, Jennifer! I don’t know if any of ideas are good yet but it was definitely fun playing. …and congrats on your books! Can’t wait to read some of your books and your latest picture book – I love Holly Hatam’s illustrations!

     By Claudia Sloan on January 3, 2025 at 9:55 am

472. This was fun to try! Thanks for the unique exercise.

     By nrompella on January 3, 2025 at 10:08 am

473. Love the idea of playing with words leading to brainstorming- and a word ladder is such a fun way to do so!

     By marthaej on January 3, 2025 at 10:10 am

474. Love the idea of playing with words leading to brainstorming- and a word ladder is such a fun way to do so!

     By marthaej on January 3, 2025 at 10:10 am

475. I love playing with words. Super!

     By Kathryn LeRoy on January 3, 2025 at 10:27 am

476. Thank you, Jennifer for sharing your great storming idea! I love word puzzles and will be trying this idea for sure.

     By Marlena Leach on January 3, 2025 at 10:35 am

477. I love this idea for word generation, very Seuss-ish (: I also love the idea of the goat in a coat in a boat story! And your Photoshop image was perfect! :’D

     By kwillette13 on January 3, 2025 at 10:49 am

478. What a great actionable idea for puzzling out new story ideas. Love it!

     By safajar on January 3, 2025 at 11:15 am

479. hahah this is so fun and I really hope the goat in the boat gets a published story! Thank you for the fun inspiring and for bringing beautiful books into the world

     By Kaitlyn Leann Sanchez on January 3, 2025 at 11:30 am

480. such an easy but brilliant writing exercise! Thank you!

     By Nicole Garnett on January 3, 2025 at 12:12 pm

481. I love word games so I can’t wait to try this out. Thanks for your post.

     By Linda B on January 3, 2025 at 12:17 pm

482. Thanks for the brainstorming inspiration! Sheila Path-McMahon

     By Sheila McMahon on January 3, 2025 at 12:17 pm

483. I really enjoyed your post, Jennifer. This is a really simple tookl that I can see myself using often. I’m going to use this to come up with todays idea. Thanks!

     By cathystenquist on January 3, 2025 at 12:33 pm

484. Excellent post. I have 4 new ideas and a new way of coming up with more!

     By Cindy Faughnan on January 3, 2025 at 12:42 pm

485. What a fun idea, Jennifer…now to just decide on that first word:)

     By Daryl Gottier on January 3, 2025 at 1:08 pm

486. What a fun brainstorming activity! I love word games, and I need the reminder to let ideas flow, to quit judging those ideas as they emerge. Thank you, Jennifer.

     By Laurie Seaford on January 3, 2025 at 1:10 pm

487. Thanks for sharing this little exercise! I’m looking forward to trying it out!

     By paulajbecker on January 3, 2025 at 1:15 pm

488. I love word ladders, but bever thought of it as a ladder of inspiration-Thank You!

     By thoroughly4e1a92dc04 on January 3, 2025 at 1:24 pm

489. I LOVE this idea! I’m definitely going to use it. Thank you.

     By Valarie Giogas on January 3, 2025 at 1:35 pm

490. Word Ladder! What a super idea! I had never thought of this before but you clearly show what a great way of brainstorming this is. I can’t wait to try it. Thank you so much. T

     By tanjabauerle on January 3, 2025 at 1:46 pm

491. What a creative approach to brainstorming! Thank you for this!

     By Heidi Chupp on January 3, 2025 at 1:58 pm

492. Fabulous exercise! Word ladders will be a part of my ideas tool kit. Thank you!

     By joni1818 on January 3, 2025 at 2:01 pm

493. I think this is the first time I’ve heard of a word ladder, but I love the idea! Thank you for sharing!

     By Elayne on January 3, 2025 at 2:44 pm

494. I love this post!

     Elizabeth Brown

     By Elizabeth Brown on January 3, 2025 at 2:48 pm

495. I was skeptical about this activity, but I came up with a fun idea. Thank you! 😊

     By Adriana Gutierrez on January 3, 2025 at 2:52 pm

496. What an interesting challenge!

     I’m diving in…

     By Charles Trevino on January 3, 2025 at 3:04 pm

497. What a fun way to cultivate ideas! I’ll give it a try!

     By jensubra on January 3, 2025 at 3:22 pm

498. I’ve never heard of word ladders, but when i tried a couple the words came naturally. This is a fun way to start brainstorming story ideas. Thanks for this new challenge.

     By michellesteinberg on January 3, 2025 at 4:03 pm

499. Thanks, Jennifer. Coincidentally, I saw a calendar yesterday called Lambies in Pajammies and Goats in Coats.

     By sandwichalmost3f2d1ab050 on January 3, 2025 at 4:10 pm

500. I like the idea of word ladders. I work a lot with words, as I teach spelling and word construction, so I like this exercise. I may figure out a way to try it with my students.

     By Michelle Dragalin on January 3, 2025 at 4:25 pm

501. Thanks! I enjoyed generating words in my ladder – it helped me to quiet my rational brain and play.

     By fearlessbda0d2d850 on January 3, 2025 at 5:22 pm

502. (I left a comment yesterday but it didn’t post.)

     This would be a fun activity for kids too!

     By Kimberly. Storyteller on January 3, 2025 at 6:05 pm

503. What a perfect way to get ideas flowing – I loved what I came up with!

     By Mari Richards on January 3, 2025 at 6:10 pm

504. I am so trying this! What a fun idea

     By nicolesalterbraun on January 3, 2025 at 6:22 pm

505. I love this idea because I have always loved play on words and wordle types of activities. I can see doing this regularly with endless possibilities manifesting !!! Thank you for the strategy!

     By njrfahmy on January 3, 2025 at 6:25 pm

506. I love the way you showed us how to get different stories from the same five words. Creative! Thank you.

     By fivetwoone on January 3, 2025 at 6:39 pm

507. Great advice! Play with words! Entertain your inner child.

     By staceygustafson on January 3, 2025 at 6:46 pm

508. This is so helpful to get the imagination going and having fun playing with words.

     By bentleycc650 on January 3, 2025 at 7:25 pm

509. This is such a fun exercise!

     By Ashley Sierra (@AshleySierra06) on January 3, 2025 at 7:40 pm

510. It’s amazing how you took your simple words into three different story ideas…what a fun way to brainstorm! Thank you for sharing!

     By Srividhya Venkat on January 3, 2025 at 8:00 pm

511. Looking forward to playing around with words. Thanks for the suggestion!

     By srkckass on January 3, 2025 at 8:05 pm

512. Can’t wait to see what you do with your “goat”. teresa mi schaefer

     By teresa.mi.schaefer on January 3, 2025 at 8:15 pm

513. I absolutely love the goat in the boat idea. I really think you could write something wonderful with that. I can’t wait to play around with this idea on my own. Thank you!

     By Janette Johnson Melson on January 3, 2025 at 8:50 pm

514. This is wonderful- thank you!

     By Andrea Yomtob on January 3, 2025 at 9:00 pm

515. I like your idea of using 5 words with 1 letter changed each time to inspire a story. This made me think of starting with one simple word and four other words that rhyme with it. It’s another fun way to be inspired by word play!

     By ssjaslove on January 3, 2025 at 9:29 pm

516. Such a fun post and creative ideas. Thank you!

     By Donna Cangelosi on January 3, 2025 at 9:30 pm

517. What a fun way to come up with a story idea! I love word games and this is something I’ll try.

     By authordebradaugherty on January 3, 2025 at 9:37 pm

518. such a fun idea!

     By wren creations on January 3, 2025 at 9:49 pm

519. What a fun method for brainstorming that I’ve never tried before! Thank you.

     By Becca McMurdie on January 3, 2025 at 10:07 pm

520. This one was a lot of fun! I am going to use this one again and again!

     By brisklyd47fd463d1 on January 4, 2025 at 12:47 am

521. This was fun!

     By Mary Jane Muir on January 4, 2025 at 2:10 am

522. Thank you, Jennifer! I loved the brainstorming ideas/examples that you came up with the picture of the goat in a boat is adorable! Hope gets a story!

     By Maria Marshall on January 4, 2025 at 2:13 am

523. Thank you, Jennifer! I loved the brainstorming ideas/examples that you came up with the picture of the goat in a boat is adorable! Hope gets a story!

     By Maria Marshall on January 4, 2025 at 2:13 am

524. Thank you, Jennifer! I loved the brainstorming ideas/examples that you came up with the picture of the goat in a boat is adorable! Hope gets a story!

     By Maria Marshall on January 4, 2025 at 2:13 am

525. Thank you, Jennifer! I loved the brainstorming ideas/examples that you came up with the picture of the goat in a boat is adorable! Hope gets a story!

     By Maria Marshall on January 4, 2025 at 2:13 am

526. What a fun way to brainstorm – thanks for sharing and walking us through the process to see how multiple ideas can spring up from just a few words.

     By Jocelyn Rish on January 4, 2025 at 6:07 am

527. I climbed down into a word ladder rabbit hole. Now to come back up with a bunch of ideas and a new daily brain game. Thanks Jennifer!

     By Kelly Hibbert on January 4, 2025 at 8:22 am

528. I climbed down into a word ladder rabbit hole. Now to come back up with a bunch of ideas and a new daily brain game. Thanks Jennifer!

     By Kelly Hibbert on January 4, 2025 at 8:22 am

529. I LOVE the word ladder exercise and playing with it now! I can’t wait to see where the word LOOK leads!

     By thelisahealy on January 4, 2025 at 8:59 am

530. I LOVE the word ladder exercise and playing with it now! I can’t wait to see where the word LOOK leads!

     By thelisahealy on January 4, 2025 at 8:59 am

531. I really enjoyed learning about the word ladder and using that to brainstorm ideas. I struggled to come up with five going from the word “fern” to other words. I guess you keep trying until something sticks? Thanks!

     By Jessie D. Phillips on January 4, 2025 at 9:40 am

     1. I feel like you can bend the rules a little if you get stuck. Change two letters one time or replace one letter with a digraph like ch or st and go from there.

        Fern, Firm or

        Fern, Stern

        By Janette Johnson Melson on January 4, 2025 at 11:44 am

        1. So helpful! Thanks so much!

           By Jessie D. Phillips on January 5, 2025 at 8:28 pm

532. A word ladder! How fun! Thank you for this wonderful post.

     By jilltatara on January 4, 2025 at 10:11 am

533. A word ladder! How fun! Thank you for this wonderful post.

     By jilltatara on January 4, 2025 at 10:11 am

534. I had some fun with this one! I like that you can just start with one word- it’s structured brainstorming.

     By Lauri Meyers on January 4, 2025 at 11:11 am

535. Word ladder: STORY, STORE, STORM, STORK, SPORK.
     This story is about a stork who ran into a store to get out of the pouring rain of a storm and bought a spork because it couldn’t decide whether to eat fruit salad with a spoon or a fork.
      

     By 8catpaws on January 4, 2025 at 12:36 pm

536. I am playing a game called “Wordzee online that is similar to the word ladder. Love it!!

     By Amy on January 4, 2025 at 12:49 pm

537. What a fun way to start the ball rolling on coming up with ideas!

     By Eileen Mayo on January 4, 2025 at 12:53 pm

538. Love this idea!

     By Laurel Ranveig Abell on January 4, 2025 at 1:01 pm

539. Oops, my comment on Day 1 was meant for this post: I found this exercise so useful! Loved the grounded nature of the activity, the tip not to worry too much, and the transition into idea generation. Thank you.

     By Em Gilliam on January 4, 2025 at 1:08 pm

540. I love word puzzles and will definitely add this fun one to my list!

     By JoLynne Whalen on January 4, 2025 at 1:08 pm

541. Thank you Jennifer! I came up with a fun new idea using your word puzzle suggestion!

     By laurakbower on January 4, 2025 at 1:08 pm

542. So much fun! I love this idea. Thanks, Jennifer! I can’t wait to try this out.

     By charlineburga on January 4, 2025 at 1:11 pm

543. I love word games but haven’t tried this yet. Thanks for sharing!

     By Christine Van Zandt, MILKWEED FOR MONARCHS (Beaming Books, 2024) on January 4, 2025 at 1:22 pm

544. I love your suggestion. It reminds me of writing for Edpub with vocab lists. They were good inspiration for stories. Thank you!

     By Sydnie Kleinhenz on January 4, 2025 at 2:31 pm

545. done!! thanks

     By Patricia Tiffany Morris on January 4, 2025 at 2:32 pm

546. Jennifer, this was a really fun storystorming exercise. Thanks for sharing.

     By Angela De Groot on January 4, 2025 at 2:33 pm

547. Love this idea. Have never done a word ladder before.

     Thanks so much for the actionable inspiration!

     By ellenbari on January 4, 2025 at 3:29 pm

548. Great Way To Brainstorm 🙂

     By theinfamousmissbeth on January 4, 2025 at 3:30 pm

549. What a fun way to brainstorm!

     By alamarre7571bc92b on January 4, 2025 at 3:41 pm

550. Jennifer, You are very creative with all the ideas you had based on only five words. I love playing word games and once tried to create a story out of one of my wordle guesses. You might also STARE around your room and pick four things you see and add an emotion word to create a story. These are all fabulous ideas. I think I’ll do one right now! Thanks for your post.

     By Marilyn Wolpin on January 4, 2025 at 4:14 pm

551. Fabulous idea – I tried it and generated three story ideas. Thanks for the inspiration- it’s a strategy I will use again!

     By Jamie Donahoe on January 4, 2025 at 4:29 pm

552. Love words and love fun! What a great combination for brainstorming!

     By beaumontsd2 on January 4, 2025 at 4:59 pm

553. Great brainstorming exercise–thanks for sharing!

     By Sara Matson on January 4, 2025 at 5:15 pm

554. I love this idea of getting from one word to another in as few moves as possible! It got my brain turning! Thank you!

     By Brenna Jeanneret on January 4, 2025 at 5:43 pm

555. Thanks, Jennifer. I can’t wait to make a word ladder and see where it takes me.

     By michelerietz on January 4, 2025 at 6:03 pm

556. Thanks for the fun post! And I appreciate the reminder not to judge ideas at this early stage. It’s way too easy to fall into that trap.

     By Jacqueline Adams on January 4, 2025 at 7:50 pm

557. Oh, I love this idea! I often write poems from my Wordle guesses or use word pools as poem prompts, but I never thought about using a group of words to spark a story idea. Thanks for this fun strategy! What a great post!

     By mbhmaine on January 4, 2025 at 8:29 pm

558. Wow what a fun and easy way to get the gears working. Thanks for sharing!

     By krnchun on January 4, 2025 at 9:18 pm

559. clever idea – and I like the goat in a boat story line 😊

     By stacyallen on January 4, 2025 at 9:35 pm

560. A playful way to unstick stuck ideas!

     By Susan Claus on January 4, 2025 at 10:10 pm

561. Great post!

     By Sylvia Mary Grech on January 4, 2025 at 10:32 pm

562. I never heard of a word ladder before….I like it. Thanks for the clever advice, and congratulations to you and all involved in creating A Good Deed Can Grow. I like the idea, the title and the good karma it implies. Please enter me in the drawing for this book. Thanks! Peace, Annie

     By Annie Lynn/AnnieBirdd Music, LLC on January 4, 2025 at 10:48 pm

563. Love this idea and the examples. Can’t wait to try it!

     By kurtzmom548513 on January 4, 2025 at 10:58 pm

564. Ohhhh, I’ve never tried this for idea generation and am so excited to give it a go. Thanks, Jennifer!

     By brittanypomales on January 5, 2025 at 12:06 am

565. This is such a great idea! I often use word ladders with my students to reinforce spelling concepts, but I’d never thought to use them as a brainstorming tool. Can’t wait to give it a go!

     By sdscottwritere2ea7c1ce4 on January 5, 2025 at 1:30 am

566. What a fun post, Jennifer! Thank you for sharing. I loved the goat on the boat with coat and boots trying to read a book. Haha

     By Suhasini Gupta on January 5, 2025 at 3:24 am

567. I definitely will be playing the word ladder game. Thanks, Jennifer.

     By jimchaize1 on January 5, 2025 at 9:12 am

568. Love this game and all the fun directions it can take you in! Thanks for sharing!–Abby Wooldridge

     By Abby Wooldridge on January 5, 2025 at 9:15 am

569. Such a fun activity for generating story ideas! Thanks for sharing!

     By Joy Pitcairn on January 5, 2025 at 9:20 am

570. Word ladders . Wow thanks I’m going to climb one today!

     By kiwijenny on January 5, 2025 at 9:27 am

571. I love this idea Jennifer! Thanks for sharing 🙂

     By cjfriess on January 5, 2025 at 10:19 am

572. This was a fun activity to try. Thanks for the idea.

     By Charlotte Glaze on January 5, 2025 at 12:55 pm

573. Thank you!

     By Pradeep Velugubantla on January 5, 2025 at 1:24 pm

574. I’ve never heard of word ladders. How fun, I love puzzles, especially ones that will help me come up with new ideas. Thank you.

     By Dayne Sislen, Children's Book Illustrator on January 5, 2025 at 2:14 pm

575. This is such a fun way to brainstorm! Endless possibilities! Thank you.

     By kathleenplucker on January 5, 2025 at 3:00 pm

576. Jennifer, thanks for the reminder of word ladders. I remember using them while teaching. They are fun!
     I loved your thought pattern as your brain meandered through story ideas with the pile of words. Validating, too, because my mind has worked the same way with 10 thoughts at once! Glad to know I’m not alone.
     Also, I appreciate when you said not to judge your thoughts or think about who likes what or what’s in the marketplace now, etc. This is a reminder I need still—“Entertain your inner child. Be silly. Be absurd. And most importantly: Make it fun!”
     Perfect timing, thank you!

     By Maureen Chu on January 5, 2025 at 3:36 pm

577. I definitely want to try out the idea of a word ladder to be able to generate new ideas for new books.

     By carmen2750 on January 5, 2025 at 3:52 pm

578. Thank you for taking us along into this brainstorming process!

     By Karen Finch on January 5, 2025 at 5:01 pm

579. You do make it fun!!!

     By jcherney3 on January 5, 2025 at 5:12 pm

580. I like word games. It can be a great way to generate ideas.

     By Hélène Sabourin on January 5, 2025 at 6:12 pm

581. Thanks for the brainstorm inspiration!

     By Jan Milusich on January 5, 2025 at 6:48 pm

582. Lovely, thank you!

     By timeless102 on January 5, 2025 at 9:21 pm

583. I love puzzles and word play. I can’t wait to try this out. Thank you for sharing!

     By lbsimaginarium on January 5, 2025 at 10:18 pm

584. word ladder- great idea

     By Angie Whitmore on January 5, 2025 at 11:23 pm

585. This is brilliant! Thanks so much! I’m excited to give this a try.

     By Acamy Schleikorn on January 6, 2025 at 1:44 am

586. What a fun way to approach idea generating! One thing leads to another and another…I actually wrote a G.O.A.T. story months ago…I am going to pull it off my shelf, take another look and ask more questions…Thank you!

     By optimisticd396080380 on January 6, 2025 at 2:53 am

587. Great idea! Thank you so much for sharing.,

     By effiekoliopoulos on January 6, 2025 at 6:03 am

588. Great idea! Thank you so much for sharing.,

     By effiekoliopoulos on January 6, 2025 at 6:04 am

589. Great idea! Thank you so much for sharing.

     By effiekoliopoulos on January 6, 2025 at 6:05 am

590. So fun! I just got two new story ideas! 🙂 Thanks, Jennifer!

     By thedillard5 on January 6, 2025 at 8:50 am

591. Fascinating to see where your brainstorming led you. Thanks for sharing this creative process!

     By adavis6385 on January 6, 2025 at 8:54 am

592. I love this playful way to brainstorm ideas! Thanks for a great post!

     By Jane Dippold on January 6, 2025 at 9:15 am

593. Fun AND useful! Thanks for sharing.

     By elisederstine on January 6, 2025 at 9:30 am

594. I’ve never heard of this before. Thank you for such a great idea!

     By Jennifer Vento on January 6, 2025 at 9:53 am

595. That’s a fantastic word play idea! Just reading your word play was stretching my thinking! Thank you!

     By clcoate on January 6, 2025 at 11:35 am

596. This was a fun exercise! Thank you.

     By daydreambelievin on January 6, 2025 at 12:39 pm

597. Thank you Jennifer, this looks very much like something I can do, and a fun way to kick start a new PB idea. And I also live in Colorado at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains (the Springs) and love it here! Congratulations on all your books that are out in the world!

     By Katie Schwartz on January 6, 2025 at 12:50 pm

598. Thanks for the book recs.

     By KarenL on January 6, 2025 at 12:59 pm

599. Playing with words is so much fun! Thank you for the inspiration, Jennifer!

     By Rebecca Colby on January 6, 2025 at 1:19 pm

600. What a whimsical way to jumpstart creativity. I like to focus on STEM stories and would love to see where this can take me. Thanks for the suggestion! 🙂

     By susaninez0905 on January 6, 2025 at 1:45 pm

601. Word ladders are new to me, but they sound like a great tool to use, especially when the dreaded writing block hits!

     By rekrall@yahoo.com on January 6, 2025 at 2:56 pm

602. What a cool brainstorming activity! Thanks for sharing!

     By Rebecca Gardyn Levington on January 6, 2025 at 3:03 pm

603. A fun way to kickstart creativity, and an important message – HAVE FUN along the way! Thanks Jennifer!

     By Laura Wippell on January 6, 2025 at 3:05 pm

604. It’s nice that you can start with a word that makes an appealing protagonist (although the word ladder will be challenging if you were hoping to write about pterodactyls).

     By Janet Frenck Sheets on January 6, 2025 at 3:19 pm

605. As a reading teacher, I work with word ladders often…but to use this as a brainstorming technique is fabulous

     By anakellyinla on January 6, 2025 at 3:35 pm

606. I used word ladders with my students all the time. I never thought about using them for story ideas. Thanks!

     By valerieschultz023gmailcom on January 6, 2025 at 4:09 pm

607. Thanks for this idea. Excited to try it!

     By K.A. on January 6, 2025 at 5:08 pm

608. What an amazing way to keep being switched on. Thank you for sharing.

     By Marianna Kassai on January 6, 2025 at 5:17 pm

609. Thank you Jennifer! I love this idea. I started it in my living room and got inspiration for words from objects there. I like the idea of taking it to other settings or places and getting inspiration.

     By Mandie S on January 6, 2025 at 6:41 pm

610. Thank you for sharing.

     By kkeppol on January 6, 2025 at 7:42 pm

611. I love this idea! It has just enough structure to keep me from staring at a blank page, but plenty of room for fun daydreaming.

     By Teresa Fales on January 6, 2025 at 8:02 pm

612. I’ve just noticed that none of my comments after day one are showing up. So we’ll give this another try…

     thanks for an interesting and fun post. I will definitely try this some time.

     By Linda Evans Hofke on January 6, 2025 at 8:57 pm

613. Thanks for the word play assignment!

     By susan8f64e325b6 on January 6, 2025 at 10:31 pm

614. I always find these sorts of games that get us thinking outside of our regular thought patterns fun and thought-provoking. Jeff Tweedy shares some interesting ones he uses in his book How To Write One Song. It’s how he came up with a line like, “I am an American aquarium drinker.”

     By nycbgriffin on January 6, 2025 at 11:23 pm

615. I love word puzzles! Thanks for the fun idea.

     By Carrie Tillotson on January 7, 2025 at 2:26 am

616. Such a fun beginning, full of possibilities! This is a great technique for mixing unexpected elements into a story idea. Thank you Jennifer.

     Robin Perkins

     By Robin Perkins on January 7, 2025 at 9:07 am

617. I can’t wait to play!!!! Fantastic idea, so practical and fun. Thank you for sharing!

     By Alicia Meyers on January 7, 2025 at 10:25 am

618. What begins as random, wacky fun, could be gold! Love word play. Thanks Jennifer.

     By lsmwrites63 on January 7, 2025 at 12:04 pm

619. What a great idea for stirring up those creative juices! Thanks for sharing!

     By Laurie Bouck on January 7, 2025 at 12:47 pm

620. Thanks, Jennifer! What a cool, creative idea! I love word games and brainstorming! Thanks for putting them together to help us build a story idea.

     By Lisa M. Horn on January 7, 2025 at 1:47 pm

621. Thank you so much for this post! I love your idea of picking a word and changing a letter to give you multiple words to create an idea from. It is such a fun idea, and a great way to come up with new ideas. I appreciate you sharing with all of us!

     By ashleydbankhead on January 7, 2025 at 2:16 pm

622. This is so much fun! Thank you for this post. It’s so good, it’s getting printed out and tacked to my idea board.

     By nazb0e1d8afb704 on January 7, 2025 at 2:43 pm

623. I never did a word ladder before, and have I been missing out! I tried one after reading your post and they are fun! I also got a new idea from the exercise. Thank you!

     By jenwritespbs on January 7, 2025 at 3:08 pm

624. Having three goats, they are always on my mind, so this post made me chuckle. Thank you for the post and supporting the kidlit community!

     By brigitus6620 on January 7, 2025 at 3:43 pm

625. I love this idea! Also a fun game to play with my daughter!

     By fortunatelymango1b9bf8d04a on January 7, 2025 at 4:16 pm

626. “Make it fun!” is aways great advice!

     By ashleystormbooks on January 7, 2025 at 4:20 pm

627. I’ve never used the word ladder to generate ideas, but I will give it a try. Thanks for the advice!

     By Tatum Evans on January 7, 2025 at 5:40 pm

628. Hi Jennifer! I love the idea of not judging your ideas but just letting them run free and play for a while. This is a great thought. Thank you!

     By Deborah Collins on January 7, 2025 at 7:15 pm

629. I used to love doing word ladders with my second grade students! I’ve never thought of using them for brain storming before, but what a fun, semi-restrained free-association word game! Thanks for the idea.

     By leahrosekessler on January 7, 2025 at 7:18 pm

630. I used to love doing word ladders with my second grade students! I’ve never thought of using them for brain storming before, but what a fun, semi-restrained free-association word game! Thanks for the idea.

     By leahrosekessler on January 7, 2025 at 7:26 pm

631. The idea of using a word ladder in this way is inspired! Doing the puzzle itself is a great way to shift my brain into creativity. Thank you!

     By lzgodfrey on January 7, 2025 at 11:44 pm

632. Fun!

     By libbydemmon on January 8, 2025 at 12:02 am

633. Thank you for this tip! I had never played this word puzzle game before so I tried it, and now I have 4 more ideas on my list. Thanks again for sharing.

     By Viviane Elbee on January 8, 2025 at 12:45 pm

634. That was a fun word puzzle game! Thank you. In addition, I now have a bunch of goat boat ideas.

     By Aimee Larke on January 8, 2025 at 2:25 pm

635. This was such a fun post to read, I love how you clearly exemplified your inspiration “technique”. How creative! I can’t wait to try it. Thank you for your time and ideas.

     By Mariana Ríos on January 8, 2025 at 2:51 pm

636. Love playing with words! Appreciate a new way to do it!

     By margiemarkarian27 on January 8, 2025 at 4:09 pm

637. Jennifer – thanks for a great post! I love this word/idea generation game and will try it for sure! And thanks for sharing how you puzzle through the words to find creative ideas.

     By Melissa Stoller on January 8, 2025 at 4:14 pm

638. Thank you, Jennifer! Great post!!!

     By Laura De La Cruz on January 8, 2025 at 4:32 pm

639. Writing should be fun, at least playing with ideas!

     By Susan L. Fink on January 8, 2025 at 7:21 pm

640. Thank you for your time and talent! I am looking forward to having fun with your word ladder idea. All the best with your future writing projects!

     By Carla Gullett on January 8, 2025 at 9:56 pm

641. You had me at ‘game’. I have done latter puzzles before but never thought of using them for getting story ideas.

     By Michelle S Kennedy on January 9, 2025 at 12:30 am

642. This post is a lot of fun. I love the idea of using word ladders for brainstorming PB ideas. Thank you, Jennifer!

     By Sarah Meade on January 9, 2025 at 9:10 am

643. I’d never heard of a word ladder. Thanks for the idea!

     By jasmithwriter on January 9, 2025 at 12:16 pm

644. What a fun writing exercise! Looking forward to trying it out. Thanks!

     By Susan Schade on January 9, 2025 at 7:53 pm

645. I love finding new ways to play with words! Lots of options for a rhyming story, or one with a fun word rhythm, too! Thanks for sharing!

     By Jenn on January 10, 2025 at 12:40 pm

646. I love finding new ways to play with words! Lots of options for a rhyming story, or one with a fun word rhythm, too! Thanks for sharing!

     By Jenn on January 10, 2025 at 12:40 pm

647. This is a unique way to brainstorm! I love word ladders, so I will definitely try this. Thanks for such a fun post.

     By Debbie Moeller on January 10, 2025 at 5:12 pm

648. Excellent exercise! I played around a bit and think this is one I’ll come back to again! Love fun brainstorming ideas! Thank you, Jennifer!

     By Tonnye Fletcher on January 11, 2025 at 5:08 pm

649. This exercise sounds like great fun. I can hardly wait to try it and see where it takes me. Thank you!

     By littleseedsread on January 12, 2025 at 6:13 pm

650. such a fun and novel exercise, thank you!

     By sylviaichen on January 14, 2025 at 1:15 pm

651. This was fantastic! Had to get a little creative and add an extra letter to move from Duck to Tree but I got there and came up with an idea on the way 🙂

     By librarymusthaves on January 14, 2025 at 1:37 pm

652. I love this word ladder brainstorming idea. Thanks for sharing.

     By Janet Halfmann on January 14, 2025 at 7:12 pm

653. I love the way your mind works. How fun! Thank you!

     By Jamie Bills on January 15, 2025 at 11:03 am

654. This is so helpful! I’m excited to play with words and see where it takes me. Thank you!

     By marcihersel on January 16, 2025 at 12:56 pm

655. I love word ladders. We use them in LA education all the time. I never gave any thought to applying them to my own writing!

     By peasecja on January 17, 2025 at 7:00 pm

656. I’m going to try this. Thanks!

     By Nicole Neahring on January 17, 2025 at 9:22 pm

657. Thanks so much for introducing me to Word Ladders. My Inner Child is excited to try one!

     By lwbendor on January 18, 2025 at 12:56 am

658. What a fun idea, it will be a fun idea to make some great stories we didn’t even think about yet.

     By Denita Johnson on January 19, 2025 at 8:30 am

659. Love the idea of playing with words leading to brainstorming- and a word ladder is such a fun way to do so!

     By marthaej on January 19, 2025 at 6:51 pm

660. I hadn’t heard of word ladders before. Based on the weather I went: snowy, towns, toons, moons, omens. You said to go quickly and I’m not sure there’s a PB here yet, but I’m going to play more!

     By Wendy Greenley on January 20, 2025 at 11:43 am

661. WOW! How interesting. I have not heard of word ladders before. I really like how you use them to brainstorm! I’m going to give this a try. Thanks so much. Congratulations on your books.

     By Sherry Edgeberg on January 20, 2025 at 1:22 pm

662. This is such a fun exercise! Thank you – I have been playing around with it. And congrats on your success.

     By Cindy Greene on January 21, 2025 at 8:27 am

663. You’re right, this was fun although I kept choosing mediocre words. It feels like a good way to flex those creative muscles before getting down to work. Thanks!

     By Goodreadswithronna.com on January 21, 2025 at 7:05 pm

664. Thank you Jennifer for a great way to end writer’s block. I love playing word games

     By Leah Marks on January 21, 2025 at 8:29 pm

665. Fun!

     By Michele Helsel on January 23, 2025 at 11:31 am

666. What a fun new way to brainstorm! Can’t wait to give it a try, I may disappear down an interesting new path for the afternoon!

     By kcollazo on January 23, 2025 at 2:22 pm

667. This is a technique I’ve never heard of. Thank you for sharing

     By aturner513 on January 24, 2025 at 4:17 am

668. What a great idea! I’m four stanzas into a new picture book that came from this post. Thank you!

     By Myrna Foster on January 24, 2025 at 7:24 am

669. What a great brainstorming technique – thank you!

     By Jen Lynn Bailey on January 27, 2025 at 8:15 am

670. This playful approach to brainstorming might be just the trick when I’m feeling stuck… thanks for the new idea.

     By louiseaamodt on January 27, 2025 at 9:38 am

671. I especially like the visual of the goat floating in a boat and the idea of turning words into games. A Good Deed Can Grow sounds amazing and a good energy to put out in the world.

     By topangamaria on January 27, 2025 at 2:47 pm

672. I’m ready to play! How ideal, wonderful & fun paths to skip along simply enjoying the story-making JOY. Who doesn’t LOVE a fun game!! ! I’m in. Thank you for setting up the game board & pieces.

     By fortress11art on January 28, 2025 at 9:17 am

673. This was a fun exercise!

     By Jenn Gautam on January 28, 2025 at 9:17 pm

674. Thank you for sharing!

     By kkeppol on January 30, 2025 at 5:26 pm

675. Fun brainstorming idea! Thanks for sharing!

     By laurelneme on January 30, 2025 at 6:17 pm

676. This is such a fun idea for brainstorming! I have gotten so many Story Storm ideas with this technique this year, and I’m definitely going to add it to my creativity toolbox for future moments!!

     By Veronica Bartles on January 31, 2025 at 7:50 am

677. This really was a fun (and helpful!) exercise–thank you!

     By Kaitlin on January 31, 2025 at 10:11 am

678. I’m so glad I went back to reread your posting. I never highlighted the most important parts for ME. Love this strategy; gonna use it! Thanks Jennifer

     Reply

     By madisu2021 on January 31, 2025 at 3:14 pm

679. Such a fun idea!

     By amanda p on January 31, 2025 at 7:48 pm

680. love this!

     By kamillasjodin on January 31, 2025 at 8:55 pm

681. I’ve loved word puzzles my whole life! Thank you for reminding me of something that makes my mind sparkle!

     By deniseaengle on January 31, 2025 at 9:55 pm

682. sometimes i have to go for a walk to find my inner child again. thanks for reminding me.

     By TerriMichels on February 1, 2025 at 4:04 pm

683. I love this idea!

     By Jeanette O'Toole on February 7, 2025 at 4:14 pm

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