Week 1 – The Spark of an Idea

 

I have always been fascinated with the writing process.  That is one of the reasons I’ve enjoyed the author interviews on this blog.  If you have read enough of them, you will see what I mean.  They are all doing the same thing, writing novels, but they all have their own path they follow.  There are subtle differences as to their methods.  But as a writer, we all know there are, basic steps to take to complete a novel and those steps are what I want to cover with this series of posts.   

Each week I will cover some aspect of novel writing.  This week, let’s look at where to start.  Some writers start with characters and others have a plot.  I generally picture a scene that won’t let me go.  The current novel that I am working on started that way.  It was the basic what if scenario. 

What if a woman came home to find her husband dead in their bed and she had proof that he’d been with another woman? And then what if all the evidence points toward her as the main suspect in his murder?  Like an onion, I started peeling back layers of the story. What makes it look like she’s guilty?  What did the crime scene look like?  What happened between them to make others think she could be capable of murdering him?  What really happened and who really killed him?  What kind of person could have something like this happen to them?

The questions are endless. 

Some other suggestions for story ideas are:

1. Reading – Have you ever read a book that started out pulling you in but half way through you felt like something was missing?  The jacket blurb and even that first chapter or two didn’t go where you thought the story should have gone. It’s disappointing but it also could be one way to determine what you need to write.   Maybe you like the premise but didn’t care for the way it was developed.  Take the premise and make it your own.  Now is the time to develop and write the story you want to read. 

2. Movies and television – Basically the same thing can be done with movies and television.  Take the idea and write something that satisfies you.  I’m not suggesting you plagiarize but its okay to share a premise and make it your own.

3. Read or watch the news.  It’s great if you write mysteries.  Take a real crime and fictionalize it.  The article will only tell you the skeleton of the story.  Create your own characters, locations, reasons for committing the crime and even change the murder method.  Create your own mystery.

Don’t stop at reading the crimes. Read the letters to the editor, advice columns, local politics, and the good feel stories about your area. Did that letter to the editor sound as if the writer was upset about something? Upset enough to do something about it?  Advice columns are full of quirky questions that make you wonder about the writer and whether it could really be true.  Local politics can give you a wealth of ideas. Corruption and power can thrive in your stories.

4. Personal experiences in your own life and in the lives of family and friends.  Of course, you’ll need to be discreet and fictionalize the situations you can’t write it down verbatim.  Besides most true life, adventures usually are too boring without using a little creative imagination to juice it up.  Many writers have received feedback from others telling them it wasn’t believable when in reality it did happen but that doesn’t necessarily make it a good story. 

5. Journals – Write down something about your day.  If time doesn’t allow you to write daily try to write down the interesting stuff, the things that have touched your life or your world that day.  Put it aside and when you’re looking for ideas, go through your journal entries and see what calls to you. 

6. Dreams – I started keeping a dream journal a few years ago.  I don’t seem to remember most dreams but the ones that I do remember I write down.  Like your regular journal, read them occasionally for new ideas.  I think this could be a great source for mystery and horror writers, especially those nightmares that wake you in a tangle of sweaty sheets.

These are just a few ways to find that spark of an idea.  The ideas that won’t let go until you do something with them. 

YOUR ASSIGNMENT –

Take a few days to work on your next story idea.  I hope you enjoy this project and feel comfortable sharing questions and suggestions along the way.

Next week, I will cover how to develop those ideas.

Virginia

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Tags: A Novel in 52 Weeks, Spark of an Idea