I recently listened to a MasterClass put on by the Duffer Brothers—the original creators and writers of Stranger Things—in which they teach participants how to develop an original television series. I am not really interested in developing an original television series, but I am interested in Stranger Things and how something so massive started out as just a small idea, so I pulled up a chair and listened to them talk through their writing process from the initial inspiration all the way to final product.

One of the early lessons was centered around how to come up with an idea which actually does translate to my everyday writing work. Their main suggestion? Don’t focus on what is popular right now. Instead, pay attention to what you love now and even what you grew up loving in the past.

They listed three movies that have inspired their work—Monsters, Panic Room, and Signs—and discussed how, early on, they tried to figure out why they were drawn to those films specifically.

They referred to this as the “connective tissue.”

What thread connected these three films they loved? Ultimately it was the theme of something ordinary (e.g. the basic dynamics and core needs of a family) meeting something extraordinary (e.g. monsters, thieves, aliens). This theme—ordinary meets extraordinary—would go on to inform the work they created, which, at this point, has culminated in four seasons of ordinary kids in an ordinary town going up against an extraordinary supernatural realm of adversaries.

I did this exercise recently. I made a list of all the things I am inspired by (even including Stranger Things which felt appropriately meta) and then worked backward to figure out if there was a thread connecting each thing. You can see my example below, which has resulted in some new writing ideas—just as the Duffer Brothers predicted it would.

So, your creative challenge this month is to try this out.

Take a close look at the songs, movies, television shows, books, conversations, and general occurrences that inspire you. Then, try to figure out what all these things have in common. What theme do they share? What is their connective tissue? And ultimately, how can you infuse that inspiration into something of your own creation?