Alright fellow writers welcome back! I’ve given some real thought to this weeks post. I’ll let you in on a little secret. A lot of the time I determine a topic for the next post and I have no idea how to write it till I spend the whole next week thinking and researching. So this weeks post I hope is informative. I tried to think of the easiest way to explain this and I’m sure its just as confusing as the first time. So here we go.
Getting Started: Turning An Idea Into A Novel
I’ve met too many other writers who tell me, “I wanted to be a writer. I have a great idea but I have no idea how to put it down on paper.” Well good for you. You had an idea. I’m sure that idea is great. But it doesn’t really do you any good unless you write it down. If you have an idea but you haven’t written anything then your not really a writer. You’re an idea generator. So the simple advice on how to turn an idea into a novel is to take your idea and write. Write that sucker. Write it even if the sentence your writing doesn’t sound right. Write it even if your not sure the chapter your working on fits with the rest of the ones you’ve written. The simple way to turn an idea into a novel is to write the novel that story is for.
Besides. You can always edit the crap out later.
Turning an idea into a novel doesn’t really have a specific set of step by step instructions. Sorry about that. But here, lets try something. Here’s your idea. (I pulled it off of a search on google images).
Now that sounds interesting doesn’t it? Peaks your interest. What’s up with the new guy? Is he some sort of monster in disguise? Is he a secret assassin undercover on some secret mission? Is he an alien? Does he work for some secret organization of Varuga? (There’s some more anime references for you). And what’s up with the main character office worker? Are THEY some sort of monster? Were they granted some special ability by a secret organization? Are THEY a spy? An assassin? Or was our poor main character born this way and ostracized all their life because of this strange ability? (There’s a typical backstory if I ever saw one). Why does this main character have this power? What do they use it for? To know which people to take on and which to not? To know which people to con and which to not? Is our main character a secret undercover con artist?
I just came up with some great ideas that if pondered on a bit more could essentially become a great book. I know that every writer has their own way of turning a great idea into a greater novel. But here’s how I do it. I ponder that idea for a while. I think Who, What, Where, Why, When and Why. (Got to think why twice. Motivation is important for character development). If I can’t think of some intriguing options for the idea in my first several hours of contemplating, then the great idea doesn’t strike me as a great novel. Maybe next time. Once I have these great questions like the paragraph above. I expound on the questions I have already thought of. What if the new guy in the office is working for some secret organization of Varuga? If he is then what’s his angle? He getting paid? No? Then what’s their motivation? Why are they doing it? Yes? Then why do they need the money?
This actually sounds like a good book. This might be used later.
One of my favorite book ideas that I am still working on is called Expired. I decided to take up the challenge of one of the writers that I followed on the internet. They said to take a really common prompt that almost every writer would know and write a new book. So I took this prompt.
This prompt is used everywhere. I have seen several different types of stories surrounding this prompt. My story (to give the briefest detail because this one’s still a WIP) involves people born with more than one soul. When their date comes around they don’t die. Instead one of their souls dies. If they only had two then they are left to live their lives normally with a new death date that is administered by DEATH. (I don’t remember what that acronym stood for but I remember thinking it was a pretty cool idea). If they had more than two then they are taken in to become a specialized unit of trained villains. Trained villains. Yep. Still working on that one.
Anyway, what I was trying to say is that turning an idea into a novel isn’t hard. Its not scary. It just takes a little work just like every other thing in the writing world. A little effort can go a long way if you really try.
Turning an idea into a novel has a lot of similar points to my growing plots post. And idea is just an idea. Its not a full story. Its not a novel. But you’re a writer, right? I don’t know if you know this, but we writers have a magical ability. Its called creativity and imagination. When used rights these powers can give us immense strength. Something as simple as the sentence “What if the stars in the sky are actually pinpricks in a blanket and we are some giants science project.” (believe it or not my friend said that to me once while we were star gazing) can be transformed into an actually interesting story. But see that’s your job. You’ve got the super powers. So use them.
That’s all I have for this weeks post. I hope that you guys actually found it interesting. I know that I loved writing it. Next week we are going to hear about the NAQ’s. The questions that young writers don’t ask but they should ask. These are questions that seem pretty simple but you don’t really think of them that often. So. I hope you come back next week. And tell others about it. As usual:
Get Up, Get Writing, and Get Published. See you next week!