A Novel Idea: New Story Ideas


 A Novel Idea is hosted by Sky and Ashley, and features weekly prompts for writers. You can find out more and join the link-up at their blogs!

This week’s prompt: 
When you first get a story idea, what is the first thing you do? How do you develop it further? Do you write it down and let it simmer for a while, or do you start writing right away? Do you use Pinterest, outlining, or brainstorming in your plotting process, or do you just wing it? Tell us everything!
When I first started writing, I would jump right in and start writing the ideas (and often they were left abandoned because I didn’t know enough about them yet). Now, I try to let the story simmer a bit before I start writing it. I usually scribble down what the ideas are for later reference.

That face you make when five new
story ideas show up at once.
There are some stories, though, that I have to get the scenes written down because I know they won’t be there when I come back to them! Sometimes these are just bits of flash fiction or something I may come back to later to use in another story.

I’m more of a pantster, and sometimes plantser. I like knowing some of what will happen but sometimes knowing everything at the beginning makes it difficult to get back into the story. So my outlines are usually simple, with a note or two about each chapter and what might happen in it.

I don’t make Pinterest boards when I first get a story idea. Most of my storyboards are for stories I’ve already written at least one draft of. For those that aren’t written yet, I try to figure out the story in my head first, so I have a better idea of what I want the storyboard to include, and usually edit it as I draft.

I like making writing playlists to for each project too, and these are usually made without a plan. I just add songs to them as I hear them and am reminded of the story.

Comments

  1. Ohhh I LOVE that gif. THE ACCURACY IS SO STRONG OMG. 😂 I get book ideas all the time and I generally either write them on a sticky-note on my wall or just hope for the best that they stick around. hehe. If they get a title and characters and start growing...then I start a file on my scrivener for them. And then it's all DOOM. THE IDEA HAS CAUGHT ME. I love that you make playlists too!! That's really awesome. And not a skill I've ever managed.😂 Also pinterest is life when it comes to plotting. I'll often pin a really cool picture and then figure out a way to work it into the story just because I liked the photo. hehe.

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  2. It takes me forever to get good book ideas. Like, I think they'll be cool and then they won't be at all. My latest WIP was actually based on an idea I had years and years ago and randomly found saved on my computer. I wrote down the story and here it is, a novel, later. I think it is fun to look at people's Pinterest boards for stories but I never do it myself, haha...

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