Find a work of literature that interests you and read it critically.
Determine which aspects of the literature are substitutable. Choose one and substitute it for the same aspect in either reality or another fictitious story. If setting was chosen, choose another setting for the story to take place in. Reflect on the effects of this change on other aspects of the story.
Decide which parts of the story could be combined with parts of another story. Merge them into one hypothetical story and observe the changes.
Brainstorm on which aspects, other than the characters, of the story you wish to alter. Choose one or more and alter them. If plot was chosen, alter a specific event in the story. Contemplate how the characters would react to these changes.
Consider how a particular aspect of the story would change if one or more of the other aspects were to be modified.
Ask yourself how you could change the theme of the story. See how this change would affect the plot, characters and setting of the story.
Eliminate an aspect of the story. If you choose a character, determine how the plot would change with her absence. If you choose to eliminate a specific part of the setting, such as a house or a city, determine how the plot or the characters would change with this removal.
Observe the plot of the story as a timeline. Rearrange the order of different events in the plot and consider the impact this would have.