Once, we received an odd email. It had three lines, and it was from someone who wanted us to write books.
OK. That’s great. The email was not written well. The spelling was poor. All punctuation was off. However, he didn’t care about that. His email title was “Book Ideas”, and it was just a request to get help. He wanted to share his ideas about writing a book.
The thing was this.
He said he was certain he was an excellent writer. However, he had not actually written anything. Worse, even worse, he admitted that he did not have any ideas for stories. Maybe we could help him?
Right. Yes. It is, I am sure.
We all know what it’s like to feel stuck and uninspired when our ideas don’t seem to be coming. This post will explain how to overcome that problem.
Where do book ideas come from? How can you tell if they are good enough? How can you improve on your ideas?
These are big questions. Let’s try to answer them. Here are some simple ways to get high-quality ideas that work.
They’re sure to work because you came up with them. You already know the ideas. We’re only going to help you locate them.
Let’s start.
Book Ideas: How to get them and what to do next
Note down your ideas, daydreams and favorite books.
– Read your genre to learn the market
– Get started with your ideas and start writing down your thoughts about the future of your book.
– Give your ideas time to develop – don’t rush it!
– Develop your writing skills.
How to have ideas: The good news
Take this as an example. This is not about forming an idea. It’s about recognising the one or more you have. Let’s get started.
Make lists:
Things to daydream about
– Your personal interests (medieval Churches, IT Security, Tattoos).
– Your expertise areas
– Your current passions.
– The things you loved as children (amazing how often the parent can predict the adult child, so look back and see what you love in the past).
– Books that you loved as children;
– Books you love now.
Make lists. These lists should not be completed in a single session of half an hour. They should be created slowly over time. Let them simmer. Most likely, there will be something bothering you. You will have something that sticks with you even after you’ve finished all your lists.
You have an idea.
Good, huh? Keep following us. We are just getting started.
How to Handle Books Ideas (What to Expect).
Inspiration is never fully formed. Writing can be messy. Many novels never reach their full potential. Most of the books have to be cut from rock.
You can decide to make development fun and easy, but it is okay. Ideas take time. You can’t jump from one point to another. It is not an incubator. It is an incubator.
Your idea is not found. It grows.
While we’ll discuss that in more detail, let’s first ask ourselves. Is your idea for a book worth reading?
Before you begin writing, ensure that your idea has enough strength to get you published.
There are techniques to help you decide if your idea will be strong enough.
Learn the Market
It is important to research the topic, niche, or genre you will be writing about. Take the time to read widely. Keep up-to-date. Keep up-to-date.
It is a big mistake to not do this. Many new writers also don’t. These are books you should read.
Get started with development
Write down everything you know about your book and the interests that you would like to see in your story. It might seem very small at first. It could be as little as:
Antarctic Setting
– Seismology
Secret Weapons Testing
While it lacks characters, arcs or meaningful development, it’s an initial step.
It’s exciting. Already there’s an excitement. This stew might become something extraordinary.
Keep going. You can do whatever you want.
You can use this to help you brainstorm ideas for characters and plot development. Write down any ideas, themes, settings or plot events that come to your mind.
You will be surprised at what you discover.
An example: First attempt
You can try out different things. You might end up writing something like this:
Ex-SAS, now seismologist.
Baggage From the Past (a Mission Wrong? ).
– Meets Olga, glamorous Russian geologist.
These are your thoughts.
You can take a look at your reactions.
Personally, I think the ex Special Forces seismologist could make a good character. However, the glamourous Russian Olga is a little too clichГ©. I feel I’ve seen her too often before. I find the “baggage in the past/mission failed” element to be dangerously cliche.
That’s fine. Remember, this is all a learning process. You can experiment with things, feel how they feel, then discard them.
You should throw out stuff if you want to show that you don’t have the bad stuff.
Add explosions…
An example: Second attempt
Let’s try it again. Perhaps we will start to sketch something similar.
Leila is an ex-Special Forces member and a British seismologist.
– She enjoys extreme adventure like skydiving and climbing.
– She is sampling cores of ice to see if earth disturbances are past.
– She searches for strange, inexplicable tracks – too recent.
– Multinational team with many scientists.
Russian scientist, quiet, unnerving. …
… and so on.
Although we may not be able to nail everything on the list, it is the forward-back process that leads to rewards. It helps you make future connections (e.g. Perhaps Leila decides she is the only woman on this team. Or she may need to prove herself. ).
A list like this will only work if you feel an uncontrollable excitement over your notes. If you feel this fade, then something is wrong.
The story development process is one that requires constant experimentation.
You draw something.
It’s easy to feel it.
Does it feel good? OK, great. Add depth to the sketch. You can add a character or a plot point. Add more information about the setting and challenges.
Is it wrong? OK. Now, get rid of the feeling. You can try something else. Or, if the antagonist you’re looking for is not available, leave it and find another topic. You’ll notice that when you focus on one aspect of your story (say the settings), the antagonist will also suddenly appear. Each story supports and illuminates the other.
How to give your story the “X-Factor”.
As you do this, keep in mind that readers will always be looking for something different and new.
They will be grateful!
To do this, ensure your story ingredients contain a rogue or unexpected element. It will lift your story and give you a thrill of excitement.
The rule applies to all major-selling novels from the last few years. Consider romance plot ideas as an example.
BORING TALE: A normal American teenage falls in love and marries a normal American man.
GREAT STORY: An American teenager falls in Love with a Vampire.
You can have two versions of the exact same thing. The other is too boring to be shared in a room. Twilight was another YA sensation.
You might also like crime novel ideas
BORING STORY: A journalist investigates a Swedish murder.
GREAT STORY: A bisexual journalist and Aspergers, rape survivors, and computer genius come together to investigate the murder of a Swedish man.
The Stieg-Larson Millennium trilogy was ignited by the “rogue element”, Lisbeth’s kickass character.
It goes on. It is possible to look at any recent bestseller and see the surprising ingredient that made it a global success.
You can also do the same trick yourself.
You can always add something new to your story if you feel it is too predictable.
Let’s get on with the Arctic idea. Lets say your draft story is something along these lines.
FIRST DRAFT OF STORY:
Leila, a British seismologist ex-Special Forces, is sampling Antarcticice cores.
She discovers evidence for recent blast activity – possibly human-caused.
She believes that Russian scientists are testing a new kind of nuclear device.
She conducts an investigation.
The situation is getting worse.
It ends in dramatic shoot-out.
How do you feel about that? I would guess that you thought that it was OK but didn’t set your pulse racing.
Everything is just as you would expect. It’s almost as if we have already read the story plan and feel like we know what to expect.
You may have read the same book.
Now let’s try our rogue-element strategy to see what happens.
STORY WITH ROGUE-ELEMENT
Leila, an ex British Special Forces seismologist samples Antarctic ice cores.
She discovers evidence of disturbances in recent times that are not understandable.
The camp is also being robbed – unexplained
First, the Russian team was suspected. However, Arkady, a Russian commander, is caught up in a storm and it appears that Leila as well as Arkady are going to die. However, they are miraculously saved by fresh kerosene.
Arkady and Leila believe that they are dealing with Scott’s ghostly Antarctic expedition.
They realize that Scott’s souls are stuck in the ice, and they are desperate to escape. Arkady and Leila use their technical know-how to free the ghosts.
How’s that?
It’s something I don’t know about personally, but I did just think of it.
That story was unexpected. It’s unlike anything you have ever read before. It already has an effect on your imagination that is unlike the original.
If we could take the story’s bones and do some creative work with them, we might be able to create something truly extraordinary. It would be a story no one has ever seen before and that nobody will ever forget.
This is the short moral of the story:
Yes, story development can be intuitive and trial-and-error. There are many dead ends. But it isn’t random. The formula for good stories is as simple as this:
Your passions + a rogue element = a great story
Our idea generator can help you structure this process. It’s easy to use and almost always works.
The next step is character development and character arch. The plot development is more than what you originally thought. We have articles about plotting a novel and seven basic plots.
Don’t forget to give yourself time
Take some time to read your book.
If it takes more than one week, you’re not doing enough. While three months is a good time, six months is fine.
Jack Kerouac is known for his On the Road draft in twenty-one day. He pondered his thoughts for many years.
My most famous novel (Harry Bingham writing) was a two-year project that I completed, and then it was finished in just two months. So development is important.
Inspiration is about time, care and effort.
Technique Matters, Too
New writers often give up on projects when they start too quickly and realize that things aren’t working. However, they may not be able to analyze why things aren’t working and give up.
That’s not only false, but it is also shameful.
Writing books is a time-consuming task that requires patience. Writing books is difficult and requires patience. Some writers take a lot of time to learn how to do it.
What is the most advantageous outcome?
Simple:
– Get expert help
– Meet supportive writers-friends
– Improve your technique
You’ll be surprised to learn what the result is. Jericho Writers was created to support writers like yourself.
