Hi, I’m Lindsey. I love helping people discover their superpower, create compelling content, and feel excited about pitching and networking. I teach people how to pitch like a boss, network like a VIP, and write like an Oscar winner. Subscribe to my weekly newsletter for actionable creativity and career tips.
What the Golden Girls can Teach You about Brainstorming
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Hi Over the weekend, I stumbled across a delightfully unexpected book: Death by Cheesecake: A Golden Girls Cozy Mystery by Rachel Ekstrom Courage. Yes, that Golden Girls. Blanche, Rose, Dorothy, and Sophia have traded witty one-liners over cheesecake for sleuthing and solving cozy crimes. Be still, my storytelling heart! So how can The Golden Girls inspire your next great idea? Let’s dig into the creative brilliance behind this book—and what you can steal (I mean lovingly borrow) for your own writing projects. 1. 👵 Reuse Old Projects The Golden Girls originally aired from 1985–1992. That’s practically ancient in TV years. Most spin-off novels or comics are released while a show is still hot and trending. But The Golden Girls have never truly left us. Thanks to non-stop reruns on Lifetime, Hallmark, and now streaming on Hulu, these fabulous Floridians have spent the last 40 years quietly building a new generation of fans. 💻Writer Takeaway: Dig into your creative attic. Do you have old projects with characters you still adore? Maybe they deserve a comeback. Could they go on new adventures? Reconnect with past readers? Is there a nostalgic spark you could reignite? Ask yourself: Do I have any projects with a built-in audience just waiting to be delighted again? 2. 🔍 Switch Up the Genre Usually, spin-off books stick to their source material’s genre. The defective detective Monk became mystery novels. Star Wars spawned galaxies of sci-fi. But Death by Cheesecake doesn’t play by those rules. While The Golden Girls mostly tackled friendship, family, and the occasional Miami dating disaster, this new novel drops them into a murder mystery. Why not? 💻Writer Takeaway: Could your project take a left turn into a totally different genre? Could your rom-com couple solve a supernatural mystery? Could your space opera be reimagined as a historical epic? Genre hopping can breathe new life into familiar characters and bring in brand new readers. Don’t be afraid to stir the pot. After all, cheesecake pairs well with a good murder. 3. 📚 Try a Format Flip Let’s give Disney a slow clap. They took a decades-old TV series and reimagined it as a book series. Boom—new life, new audience, new merch. The possibilities? Endless. 💻Writer Takeaway: Is your story stuck in one format? Maybe it’s time for a glow-up. Turn that screenplay into a novel. Or a novel into a graphic novel. Or a podcast. Or a coloring book. (Seriously—have you seen the Golden Girls coloring books?) Could your romantasy series get a middle-grade prequel? What about a card game spinoff of your magical world? Go wild. Think weird. Dream big. 🚨 Check Your Contracts Before you skip down the adaptation path, check your contracts. Make sure you know what rights you actually own. It’s much easier to keep your options open when you negotiate up front. (Future you will send you a thank-you card.) Final Slice of InspirationIf four sassy seniors can make a comeback as amateur detectives, anything is possible. So dust off your old ideas, remix your genres, and imagine your story in a brand-new format. Your next creative breakthrough might be hiding behind a rerun and a slice of cheesecake. More FunThe Golden Girls Episode Guide How to Get Jobs Writing Movie Novelizations In Case You Missed ItPerspective Loop Adjacent: More Story Twists & Turns The Perspective Loop: Fun, Twisty, Turny Structure Is Your Clutter Killing Your Creativity? Watch me evaluate pitches on The Dialogue Doctor podcast! Cheers, Lindsey Thanks for reading! You can share this article here. Was this week's newsletter useful? Help me to improve! Click on a link to vote: 👍Super! - 😐 Meh - 👎 Not my jam |
Hi I'm Lindsey Hughes
Hi, I’m Lindsey. I love helping people discover their superpower, create compelling content, and feel excited about pitching and networking. I teach people how to pitch like a boss, network like a VIP, and write like an Oscar winner. Subscribe to my weekly newsletter for actionable creativity and career tips.
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Hi Reader, This week’s newsletter is brought to you by my Current Obsession – The Residence on Netflix. No spoilers here! This delightful whodunit teaches a masterclass in an often-overlooked story structure: The Perspective Loop. If you’ve seen The Residence, you know it’s not your average murder mystery. The show combines campy fun with a twisty, character-driven narrative that loops back on itself again and again like a well-plotted game of Clue meets Knives Out with quick cuts,...
Hi Reader, Paperwork is the bain of my existence. I struggle to not let it pile up. But I have noticed how much better I feel when my office is organized and (mostly) clutter free. Clutter can affect our anxiety levels, sleep, and ability to focus, making us less productive. Cluttered spaces can trigger a sense of overwhelm and a feeling of being out of control, leading to increased stress and anxiety. Who knew the pile of unopened mail on your desk was having such a negative impact on you?...