How to Develop a Great Story Idea
You’ve come to the perfect place if you’re looking for writing prompts or story ideas.
What I’m going to tell you, though, may surprise you.
Novelists must think differently than other types of authors. Hire a writer to get your idea in a written form through ghostwriting services of phantom writing.
Our goal is to create a universe in which our readers can get lost. However, it is easy to become overwhelmed before we even begin.
Do you have trouble coming up with ideas?
Is your list so big that you don’t know where to begin?
Writing fiction isn’t about following rules or tactics or someone else’s ideas on the internet.
It’s about a well-told story.
You can learn to notice ideas that are all around you. Then you’ll be able to write with confidence and enjoy the process.
How to Wrangle Your Big Story Idea
Suzanne Collins claims she got the concept for The Hunger Games while flipping between reality TV and military reports. Both showed blurry pictures of young people, and Katniss Everdeen showed up in her mind.
In 1990, J.K. Rowling was traveling by train from Manchester to London King’s Cross when she had the inspiration for Harry Potter.
The Sound and the Fury, according to William Faulkner, began with the picture of a young girl in dirty underwear, climbing up a tree, peering through a window at a family gathering. He had no idea who the girl was or what she was viewing, but she piqued his interest enough for him to write his tale.
I can’t promise you’ll come up with story ideas to rival those classics, but you WILL come up with narrative ideas. Here’s how it’s done
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Recognize the germ.
Most stories begin with a memory—a person, a problem, tension, fear, or conflict that sticks with you and evolves in your mind. That is the seed of an idea that can grow into your story.
My first book was about a judge who is prosecuting a man for a murder committed by the judge.
That was all I had, along with the obvious consequences. I had experienced guilt. I remembered being caught lying. I imagined the ultimate conundrum: being desperate to conceal the truth while being accountable for its stewardship.
Margo, the novel that launched my writing career, grew from that imagining.
Learn to identify bacteria as they arise.
When a unique idea sticks with me and grows, I know it has legs. I find myself telling my wife or boys the story and embellishing it each time. I lose interest in it if it fades or loses steam, and I know readers will as well.
If it piques my curiosity, I nurture and grow it until it becomes a manuscript, and then a book.
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Write it down.
Free-write without regard for language, clichés, redundancy, or anything other than getting down to the fundamentals. (In fact, remove your perfectionist hat and switch off your internal editor until you finish your first draught.)
Also, carry a writing pad, whether electronic or otherwise. Because I’m old school, I prefer the iconic MoleskineTM notebook. Ideas can strike at any time. Make a list of:
- Characters
- Setting
- Plot
- Twists
- Dialogue
- Anything that could add to your story
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Invent characters from people you know.
Fiction must be credible, even if it is set centuries in the future. That means your characters must be genuine in order for readers to believe your idea.
There are two failsafe methods for creating credible characters:
- Model them after people you know.
- Be fair to your adversaries.
Characters inhabit you as a result of the people you’ve met mixing and matching intriguing, weird, inspiring, and influential people A character could be a mix of one person’s gender, another’s appearance, another’s personality, and another’s voice…
Allow your villains to be one-dimensional and evil just because they are the bad guys. Create believable, suspicious characters. Give them the same motivations as your hero. The best villains aren’t aware that they are villains. They believe they are correct.
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Get writing.
Note-taking and research must come to an end at some point.
You must begin putting words on the page.
Try the Greyhound Bus Challenge for Writing Ideas
Perhaps you’re having difficulty coming up with a viable idea.
Consider a fork in the road in the middle of nowhere. What’s on the outskirts? Corn? How high is it? Dusty lands? Snow? Mud?
A Greyhound bus appears on the horizon and comes into focus. Where does it come from? What direction is it taking?
It comes to a halt at the crossroads. Is there anyone there?
Who gets to go?
A man? A lady? Is it a child?
How old are you?
Anxious? Excited? Scared? Relieved?
Are you transporting luggage?
Where do they come from? What are their plans?
- Are they suitably dressed for the weather?
- Are they fleeing something?
- Are they trying to find someone?
A character for your narrative should be taking shape by now. Choose the most difficult situation you can get them into and see where it takes you.
You Have What It Takes to Come Up With Great Story Ideas
Few things compare to being lost in a good story.
The fictional worlds and characters you and I create can live on in the hearts of readers for years.
I’m excited to see what you come up with. Further details click here ” Book Publishing Agent“
