This week was intense for my "day job" and on top of that, I totally lost my voice, so there wasn't much writing happening over here. But in the midst of not-writing, I did have a couple of flashes of brilliance.
Flash of Brilliance #1
This one was thanks to Project Mayhem and their "I Have A Dream" contest. In the process of rewriting my query once again to enter (because I hadn't revisited the query for a over three months and I'm a little obsessive about these things), I suddenly got a flash of brilliance.
Okay, it remains to be seen whether it is brilliant or not, but now I know how tweak the novel to bring out something that was missing from my main character's motivation. So, participating in the contest was definitely worthwhile. Thank you, Project Mayhem!
Writing Tip: If you get stuck when revising, going back to the query can help keep you focused on where the story is going. See also a great blog post on this from writer Janice Hardy in a guest post over at QueryTracker: How Much Can You Really Tell From a Query?
Flash of Brilliance #2
Sometimes keeping something in your novel because "it's cool" can lead to problems. The character ends up doing something to fit the cool scenario instead of the story coming from the character.
In my second flash of brilliance this week (and again, it remains to be seen whether it really is brilliant or not), I realized that one of the "cool" scenes in my novel didn't fit. I ended up cutting and rewriting to create a couple of scenes that fit better with what my character wants, making her reasons for acting much more personal and meaningful to her, and not just convenient for the plot.
It's so great that what I'm learning about from blog posts and my reading -- I'm currently reading agent Mary Kole's Writing Irresistible KidLit -- is finally starting to sink in.
Writing Tip: It really does all come back to what the main character wants, because that's what drives her decisions and actions.
So, when was the last time you had a flash of brilliance?
Showing posts with label ideas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ideas. Show all posts
Friday, January 25, 2013
Friday, November 23, 2012
Tips for Picture Book Writers: Stuck for Ideas?
I'm doing pretty well in collecting picture book ideas for PiBoIdMo, but now that it's geting closer to the end of the month, there's a little pressure to get that notebook filled. In case you're struggling too, I have a great resource to help you out.
Rick Walton, author of the new picture book I Need My Own Country!, has an amazing online picture book course with lots of tips and strategies for picture book writing. I love this quote:
Rick's website includes a fantastic compliation of places to get more ideas. Some suggestions from Rick's list:
For the full list, check out Step 7: Find More Ideas for Stories.
What resources do you turn to when you're stuck for ideas?
Rick Walton, author of the new picture book I Need My Own Country!, has an amazing online picture book course with lots of tips and strategies for picture book writing. I love this quote:
"The farther you go, the deeper you dig, the more creative the ideas get."
Rick Walton, Step 4: Brainstorm Story Ideas
Rick's website includes a fantastic compliation of places to get more ideas. Some suggestions from Rick's list:
- Adapt a Folktale, Fairytale or Fable
- Answer a Question
- Start wth Random Characters, Conflicts, Locations (this one is so much fun)
For the full list, check out Step 7: Find More Ideas for Stories.
What resources do you turn to when you're stuck for ideas?
Friday, November 9, 2012
Dealing With Weak Story Ideas
I've been enjoying PiBoIdMo (Picture Book Idea Month) and getting a good start on filling my notebook with ideas. But I know some of the ideas I've jotted down aren't strong enough to carry an entire story.
I usually write them down anyway. I often find that some of my stories result from ideas that connect or resurface again later, maybe in a different, more interesting way. Often, ideas that come back again and again in my notebook are the ones that I end up developing into a story.
In fact, taking two apparently unrelated ideas (neither of which is strong enough to be a story on its own) and trying to see how to bring them together is a fun, creativity boosting idea that might result in something interesting.
So, my writing tip for today is to write down all your ideas, no matter how lame they seem at the time. You never know when they'll be useful. What do you do with ideas that are just not strong enough to stand alone as a story?
In case you're interested, here's my November writing goal update:
PiBoIdMo: Although I try to come up with a new idea every day, some days I'm on a roll and get several, while other days I end up with nothing. I figure it will all average out in the end.
Mini-NaNoWriMo: I haven't made much progress with my Mini-NaNoWriMo this week and I'm trying not to let that get me down. I've been doing many other (non-writing) important things. But I'm still enthusiastic and planning to continue to try to keep my focus on writing.
I usually write them down anyway. I often find that some of my stories result from ideas that connect or resurface again later, maybe in a different, more interesting way. Often, ideas that come back again and again in my notebook are the ones that I end up developing into a story.
In fact, taking two apparently unrelated ideas (neither of which is strong enough to be a story on its own) and trying to see how to bring them together is a fun, creativity boosting idea that might result in something interesting.
So, my writing tip for today is to write down all your ideas, no matter how lame they seem at the time. You never know when they'll be useful. What do you do with ideas that are just not strong enough to stand alone as a story?
In case you're interested, here's my November writing goal update:
PiBoIdMo: Although I try to come up with a new idea every day, some days I'm on a roll and get several, while other days I end up with nothing. I figure it will all average out in the end.
Mini-NaNoWriMo: I haven't made much progress with my Mini-NaNoWriMo this week and I'm trying not to let that get me down. I've been doing many other (non-writing) important things. But I'm still enthusiastic and planning to continue to try to keep my focus on writing.
Friday, October 12, 2012
A Backpack of Story Ideas
The other day I found a purse that I'd stopped using last year when I got a new one. There was lots of stuff still inside - pens and notepaper, receipts, a few coins, some candies, a favourite pen that I thought I'd lost, and some lip gloss I hadn't seen for a while.
It got me thinking about how my daughter's backpack is filled with all sorts of things - forgotten homework and parent notices, erasers, socks, precious pencils worn down to stubs, candy wrappers (no leftover candies here), stones, and many odds and ends that have no significance to me, but are (or were at some point) important to her.
It would be cool to use a prop like this to generate story ideas.
From one backpack or bag you can begin to develop a character: Why is she saving rocks, does she have a rock collection? Does she want to be prepared to defend herself? Is she collecting it for her bug house? Thinking about why the character has that specific item helps to establish some of her emotions and motivation.
It might also spark a story: What's something cool a character could discover in their mom's purse? Why are they snooping in their mom's purse? What should they do about that thing they found in the purse in the attic? Why does that boy's backpack always have a weird smell? Is there something alive in there? And many more. Does it give you a few ideas?
I don't often sit down and generate all the possible ideas that can come from a single item, but it's a fun way to get the creative juices flowing.
Do you ever think about what's inside your character's backpack or purse?
It got me thinking about how my daughter's backpack is filled with all sorts of things - forgotten homework and parent notices, erasers, socks, precious pencils worn down to stubs, candy wrappers (no leftover candies here), stones, and many odds and ends that have no significance to me, but are (or were at some point) important to her.
It would be cool to use a prop like this to generate story ideas.
From one backpack or bag you can begin to develop a character: Why is she saving rocks, does she have a rock collection? Does she want to be prepared to defend herself? Is she collecting it for her bug house? Thinking about why the character has that specific item helps to establish some of her emotions and motivation.
It might also spark a story: What's something cool a character could discover in their mom's purse? Why are they snooping in their mom's purse? What should they do about that thing they found in the purse in the attic? Why does that boy's backpack always have a weird smell? Is there something alive in there? And many more. Does it give you a few ideas?
I don't often sit down and generate all the possible ideas that can come from a single item, but it's a fun way to get the creative juices flowing.
Do you ever think about what's inside your character's backpack or purse?
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
I is for Ideas
Ideas come from everywhere – a snippet of a news article, dream, a bit of overheard conversation, your own brain making a connection between something you’ve read and something else that happens…The list goes on and on. If you’re actively engaged in writing, you probably have a system for collecting ideas. Maybe index cards or a writing notebook. But once you have your ideas, what do you do with them?
As you begin to develop your idea into a story, think about the type of story problem it creates. It’s a good bet that if there’s romance or a lot of violence related to your story idea, it’s more suitable for a YA story. If it’s too “cute”, with really one only problem, it’s likely more suitable for a picture book or an easy reader.
You can also think about the developmental issues middle grade readers are facing as a guideline for whether your idea is suited to middle grade readers.
Of course, an idea is only a starting point. How do you know if your idea is worth developing into a story?
Questions. A good idea should generate lots of questions in your mind. What characters to do you need to create conflict related to your idea? What place could the story take place to make this idea more interesting? What would happen if…?
Enthusiasm. You need to feel excited about your idea and the way it can develop into a story. If you’re writing a novel, you’ll likely have to live with the idea for months, maybe even years, if you count revisions. It should be something that you’re passionate about, so you can bring that passion to your readers.
Research. Even though your enthusiasm for the idea is always critical, it’s often a good idea to do a little research and see what other books have been published on that topic. It can help you see what your idea needs to make it suitable for the middle grade market. And it gives you an idea of what’s already been done.
Uniqueness. As you develop your idea into a story, it really helps to have something that makes it unique – an unusual twist, an exotic setting, something that will surprise the reader. You might have to spend some time, generating “what ifs” related to your idea to develop it into something interesting.
How do you know when you want to turn your great idea into a story?
Links:
A great list of some considerations when trying to develop an idea that stands out.
Jami Gold asks some good questions to help with idea development.
Over at the Nouveau Writer blog, there are some strategies for stretching ideas by looking beyond the obvious.
Brian Yansky writes about the importance of waiting for several ideas to connect when trying to shape them into a story.
David A. Kennedy suggests some strategies for generating new ideas.
When you’re stumped, Rick Walton’s Rock Canyon University Free School of Writing For Children has these awesome lists of activities and places to help get your brain in gear.
Nathan Bransford blogs about the drawbacks of settling for your first idea.
Mary Kole clarifies the difference between a situation and a plot.
My crit buddy Christina Farley has an interesting post about finding the right idea.
Kristen Lamb has a great post on testing out your story ideas before you start writing.
Another interesting link:
Although not really on the subject of ideas, this blog post about the difference between the book category Middle Grade and the age of kids in middle school is interesting.
As you begin to develop your idea into a story, think about the type of story problem it creates. It’s a good bet that if there’s romance or a lot of violence related to your story idea, it’s more suitable for a YA story. If it’s too “cute”, with really one only problem, it’s likely more suitable for a picture book or an easy reader.
You can also think about the developmental issues middle grade readers are facing as a guideline for whether your idea is suited to middle grade readers.
Of course, an idea is only a starting point. How do you know if your idea is worth developing into a story?
Questions. A good idea should generate lots of questions in your mind. What characters to do you need to create conflict related to your idea? What place could the story take place to make this idea more interesting? What would happen if…?
Enthusiasm. You need to feel excited about your idea and the way it can develop into a story. If you’re writing a novel, you’ll likely have to live with the idea for months, maybe even years, if you count revisions. It should be something that you’re passionate about, so you can bring that passion to your readers.
Research. Even though your enthusiasm for the idea is always critical, it’s often a good idea to do a little research and see what other books have been published on that topic. It can help you see what your idea needs to make it suitable for the middle grade market. And it gives you an idea of what’s already been done.
Uniqueness. As you develop your idea into a story, it really helps to have something that makes it unique – an unusual twist, an exotic setting, something that will surprise the reader. You might have to spend some time, generating “what ifs” related to your idea to develop it into something interesting.
How do you know when you want to turn your great idea into a story?
Links:
A great list of some considerations when trying to develop an idea that stands out.
Jami Gold asks some good questions to help with idea development.
Over at the Nouveau Writer blog, there are some strategies for stretching ideas by looking beyond the obvious.
Brian Yansky writes about the importance of waiting for several ideas to connect when trying to shape them into a story.
David A. Kennedy suggests some strategies for generating new ideas.
When you’re stumped, Rick Walton’s Rock Canyon University Free School of Writing For Children has these awesome lists of activities and places to help get your brain in gear.
Nathan Bransford blogs about the drawbacks of settling for your first idea.
Mary Kole clarifies the difference between a situation and a plot.
My crit buddy Christina Farley has an interesting post about finding the right idea.
Kristen Lamb has a great post on testing out your story ideas before you start writing.
Another interesting link:
Although not really on the subject of ideas, this blog post about the difference between the book category Middle Grade and the age of kids in middle school is interesting.
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