Ideas are EVERYWHERE. Some are in plain view, some are hiding. But they are out there. Sometimes, you need a little push—a whisper in the wind. That's why writers need to keep eyes, ears, and mind open because possibilities are endless.
You could have a book filled with ideas to use later. Deciding which idea to use when could be the hard part—for you. What's easy for one author can be hard for another, in all areas of writing. It doesn't make one better than the other, just different. After all, we are in different levels of every piece of the craft. I struggle with marketing, that's my kryptonite.
Every story starts with an idea. That idea could be made for the plot or the character, but it's always the idea that comes first. I won't tell you, it has to be one or the other because that's wrong for anyone to tell you that. It would be like telling you to start with your left foot when you walk. It doesn't even matter which comes first as long as you get there.
Not all ideas will work. Some are meant to be twists in a story. Some are meant to open a story, but don't serve any other purpose. Some ideas are meant to get you started and may not even be used for the story at hand. I know, what's the point for that kind of idea. Am I right? But even those ideas can be important to an author. We could be stuck and an idea that is wrong for the story could be the only thing you can think of. It happens. Did you know you can twist ideas to work for you? I know you've heard me say this once or twice, but asking that "what if" question can turn that idea into something different. I love that question.
What if Superman couldn't fly? What if his weakness was flowers instead? Those would change his story, wouldn't they? Now, what if Superman's story was a romance instead of fantasy? You can start with one story already loved by the world and twist it enough to spark a new idea and come up with a totally new one! All by asking "what if".
So, how do you choose which ideas to use?
Ask yourself these questions...
Does it fit the genre of the story I'm writing? (if not, save it for another story)
Does it push the story forward? (if not, save it for another story)
Is this idea fitting for the character? (if not, can it work for a different character? If not, save it for another story). If you notice, I'm telling you to save the ideas. Don't toss them out. You can be getting great ideas, don't toss them out. Even if they seem crazy.
Does this idea reveal something important? Or does it make the reader question motives? If you want the reader to question why the character is doing something, it could work for the story. Those are great for mysteries because you don't want them guessing too quickly or too easily. But you also don't want to make them struggle too hard for the answer. Somewhere in the middle is good, just enough to get them to turn the page.
Does the setting idea work for the story plot and characters? Can you make it work?
Does the idea work for the time setting? Sometimes idea can work for any time setting, some may not.
That can get you started. Remember, keep asking yourself questions. Think of your characters to be real people set in real places. How does your idea affect them? Does it make you excited? If the idea doesn't pull an emotion from you, ask yourself why not. If you're not excited about the idea, it may not be for the story at hand. Think about it before putting it into play.
Any questions I forgot to mention? Include them below. Thank you!
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