How to find an idea for a book or a story is a question posed to virtually every author, both by interested readers and by aspiring writers.
In this post, I’ll tell you how I work, and pass on the advice that has helped me the most.
Write what you want to know.
Conventional wisdom is to write about what you know. You’ve probably seen this catchy phrase on other writing sites, or heard authors and teachers utter it. Many would have you search for story ideas in your experiences, in the knowledge that you currently possess.
In my opinion, that advice isn’t wrong . . . but it’s not right, either.
Starting out, when I deliberately tried to write about what I knew, I was too bored by my ideas to continue beyond a few chapters. Nothing held my attention, because I hadn’t let my curiosity lead the way.
Instead, ask yourself, “What if?”
Creative writing is not like journalism, historical writing, technical writing, or any other fact-based content. Even as I write this post, I approach the task from a different angle than I would a piece of fiction.
That’s because ideas in fiction do not come from asking, “What is?”
As fiction writers, we ask, “What if?”
We’re always asking that question, including in our daily lives. We take in information and find connections between seemingly unrelated things. Taking a couple of facts and turning them upside-down or spinning them in a new way is a source of amusement to the creative writer.
More than that, it’s fulfilling, satisfying.
How to get an idea from “What if?”
What are you curious or passionate about? Which subject interests you enough to research it and then explore its possibilities through the experiences of fictional characters?
What if a priest and a rabbi really did walk into a bar, and it wasn’t a joke? What if the sky did fall?
What if someone pays a hitman a substantial amount of money to commit a different kind of crime? And what if, outside of his comfort zone, he makes a mistake and angers his vengeful client? This became my first novel, No Hard Feelings.
What if two armed-robbers plan to steal from a powerful crime boss, and go so far as to kidnap him? What if, instead of coming to his rescue, the crime boss’s underlings decide they want the money for themselves? There you have my second novel, Mr. Moneybags.
What if a teenage boy, seemingly destined for a career as a stock car driver, gave up his dream of racing to become a U.S. Marshal, after his father was murdered? What if, as a marshal, he now learns the identity of the killers and has the means (and the bullets) to chase them down? Those questions became my third novel, Mean Bones.
I always begin with a character and a situation. The situation has to be something I’m interested in, not something I already know. I must be motivated to spend 300-plus pages exploring an idea.
It is the What If’s in life that nourish a writer. So, dig into those questions and be nourished.
Let the characters do the work.
Once you have a situation, create and flesh out characters. When I say “flesh out” I mean really get to know them. Their hopes and their dreams. Their fears, habits, priorities, goals, weaknesses, strengths, routines, etc. When the story opens, what is their status quo?
A story is worth telling if a character’s life is irrevocably changed by what happens. The events and relationships that your characters experience in the novel should push them to their emotional and/or physical limits.
If they make it out alive (I write crime fiction, remember), they will never be the same, either for better or for worse.
Often, you’ll find that the best protagonist is one who personifies the major themes of the story. Keep that in mind as you develop them.
When the characters are well-sketched, drop them into their starting positions and turn them loose. If you know who they are, they’ll direct the story through their interactions. Of course, writers who prefer to outline will start with more concrete plans, where as “pantsers” (myself included) like to sit back and watch the story unfold.
You will always write about what you know.
So, what about that popular phrase I mentioned at the beginning? After all, it’s popular for a reason.
I believe that, because our characters come from us, it is impossible not to write about what we know. Our experiences, thoughts, questions, understanding, empathy, etc. will always come through in the people we create. We don’t have to force it.
I try to never manage my characters. I set them in motion, often in pursuit of the same, mutually exclusive goal, and record what they do. If I know Characters A and B, then I’ll be able to write Character A’s reaction when Character B does or says something dramatic. My stories build one reaction at a time.
The key to getting this far, though, is to write from a standpoint of curiosity. Never stop asking, “What if?”
I think writers are more interested in asking questions than providing answers. Questions are dramatic, answers are not. Questions are dangerous conflicts, answers are safe resolutions. The question is fire, the answer a bucket of cold water that extinguishes the excitement.
The question, not the answer, is the story.
Read in order to write.
It’s also important to maintain your creative health. I have never heard of, read, or met a successful author who was not also a prolific reader. Often, they even have other creative hobbies, outside of the world of books.
It’s crucial for us to recharge our artistic batteries with the work of others.
I enjoy drinking coffee and reading on weekend mornings (or at night before bed, or when I’m waiting somewhere, or at any other waking moment). I also play the bass guitar in a band and write song lyrics. When I need inspiration for my fiction writing, or simply a break and a step back, I grab a book or my bass.
Writers are not assembly lines.
In today’s world of rapid release publishing, that is sometimes difficult to see. Self-care is as important for our creative lives as it is for any other aspect of our existence.
Take a break and recharge. You might be surprised by the ideas that will come.
Use real places for idea inspiration.
Ever visit a city, town, or famous building and think about using it as a story setting?
That is another form of “What if?” question. What if a character encountered an interesting situation at this location?
When I was developing the idea for Mean Bones, I was inspired by the North Carolina mountains and the town of North Wilkesboro. For all my Queen City crime novels, I spend time in Charlotte, where the books are set, and come back to the page, ready to work on the next story.
What are some places of interest to you? The idea you’ve been looking for might be there.
Look at society for an idea.
I would never advocate turning a work of fiction into a preachy manifesto. Your novel shouldn’t be a political brochure or a soap box disguised as a book.
That said, often a story can be derived from an issue or aspect of society that you feel needs to be discussed.
The trick is to make sure the characters represent and personify the social commentary you want to include. Don’t write a treatise. Write a story that proves your point through the events and people involved.
“My idea has to be original!” and other dumb things we tell ourselves.
I’ve seen many aspiring writers become paralyzed by the fact that their idea is not 100 percent original. They feel it’s been done before. They’re convinced they won’t be a real artist unless they redefine what it is to tell a story.
Rookie authors worry about originality. Veteran writers have, somewhere along the way, learned the truth: there is no such thing as an original idea.
Every idea has been done before. You can boil any story you’ve ever encountered down to one of a handful of plot types.
What will be original is your specific execution of an idea. Nobody else on this planet is you, so nobody else can approach a story the same way that you would.
Don’t let the myth of originality stop you from charging ahead. Start your story. Create your characters. Allow your experiences and perspectives to come through in the writing and make an old idea new.
For some reason, this seems to be a trade secret. They ought to teach this in more writing classes.
We are not bigger than the story, the story is bigger than us. Don’t lose sight of that by thinking that you’re an artist. You very well might be one, but the moment you call yourself that, you may as well hang up your pen.
Looking for a new thriller?
Check out my supernatural thriller, The Nowhere Game!
Check out my Queen City Crime Series, available on Amazon in Kindle Ebook and print paperback.
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Authors who prefer present tense often say that it creates high immediacy. Present tense makes it feel like the story is happening “right now.” The effect is magnified when you combine present tense with first person narration, which also heightens immediacy.
When I edit a manuscript (and before I send a manuscript to my editor) I spend most of my time analyzing every scene in the novel.
Another example…