How To Turn A Good Idea Into A Good Story
– One thing I think a lot of writers, especially those who haven’t discovered their own process for building their own stories, have a lot of trouble figuring out where to take their idea once it’s in the palm of their hand. Especially when it comes to fiction, figuring out where to start with the plot, characters, themes, etc., can be very confusing. There are a lot of blog posts and answered questions when it comes to starting a story, but I’ve found that in most cases, a very crucial stage in the writing process is overlooked. So now we’re here, and hopefully this post will help you all take your ideas, pick them apart, and turn them into potential. Enjoy!
Find The Value In Your Idea
You may have a perfectly good idea, full of potential to be the next big hit, but one thing that can really kill the growth of a story is when the writer neglects to decide what they want their story to be about. Not as in plot, but in theme and the overall message.
You cannot begin to write a story without figuring out what you’re trying to get across and expect it to be good. A lot of the time, this isn’t mentioned when giving advice because for most seasoned writers and authors, this is pretty commonly understood and after a certain amount of time, you don’t really need to think hard about what you’re trying to convey to the reader. This is because, as you grow and become more experienced in writing stories, the focus shifts from making a technically good story to a meaningful one. This is simply a symptom of growing more skilled as a technical writer and therefore not having to put as much energy and intention into something you know how to do regardless.
There are multiple ways to do this, as there are multiple ways for an idea to be born. Maybe you start with an idea for a plot and then move on to finding the message you can assign to it, or you start with an issue you’re really passionate about and develop a plot you feel will raise awareness of it in a narrative manner that people will connect with, or even starting with an experience in your own life and deciding to expand on it in a narrative that will share your own personal growth with the reader. There are so many ways you can go with this, but no matter how your idea is sprouted, you need to find and outline the overall message before you focus on anything else.
The themes of your story are supposed to shine through your characters and your world and your plot, so you have to figure out what the message is first so you can effectively entwine it into the various elements of your story. What do you want to teach the reader? What unique perspective are you offering? How will the plot and the context of this story convey your message to the reader in a way they can connect to?
Figure Out What Will Push Your Story
In most cases, there are about four different things that can drive your story. They all have a place in your story, whether they’re what really pushes the plot and keeps the story interesting, but for most stories, there’s one that is at the tippy top of that pyramid.
These four factors are all what make up a story, but it’s very difficult to completely explore every single aspect in one story. Yes, you have to touch on all four in order to have a developed story, but it’s practically impossible to have a fully-developed complex world with totally transparent character development as well as a colorful conflict that explores many themes and represents many different issues. Even in a series of books, each book usually focuses on developing one or two aspects at a time.
Once you’ve decided which one or two will actually push your story along, then you can begin the planning.
As mentioned before, you do have to spend some time on each of the 4 aspects, which means research and experimentation. These two things will really bring your vision into the story and help you explore all of your options.
This is where you explore all of the things you are considering your story. If you’re thinking of making it a period piece, this is where you’d research the logistics of that being possible. If your idea is one for a fantasy/science fiction story, then you might research ancient mythology or astronomy or theories, etc.
This is where you do some experimental writing to see if you have enough information or development in order to start writing your story. If you find you keep running into plot holes or find you don’t have information you need, then you go back to the research phase.
Now That You’ve Done Your Research…
It’s time to get writing! Your idea will only become a story if you actually write it. You’ve got the kinks worked out and the background researched and your idea developed (except for that little bit that can only come with writing). Now, you can start writing.
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