We’ve all heard the advice—once you get done with the first
book write another one. It’s great advice. After all once you’ve finished a
story, gotten through the editing, and sold it there will be people who will
want to see more from you. Agents look for authors who have more than one story
in them. Give enough stories or a good enough story and people remember your
name and will pick up your next book based on your name alone. So even before
selling your first novel writing another one is a fantastic idea.
But what happens when you just can’t think of another one?
What if things aren’t sparking in your brain and you don’t know where to turn
to get that next killer idea?
People say there are ideas all around. At the grocery store.
In the way a spouse or child says something. Books. Movies. But how are you
supposed to take those ideas and turn them into something you can actually use?
Sure we’re writers, we’re creative, we let things percolate,
but sometimes those fleeting ideas just aren’t good enough for a real story.
At least, they aren’t the way they are now. But what if you
added to them? Transformed them into something that stunning?
Let’s take an idea of someone walking into a grocery store,
grabbing an armful of candy bars and cutting in line to get out. Is this a
story?
Yes, though not a very interesting one at the moment. Other
than it making you frustrated and perhaps even angry with them, no one cares
that person cut in line or why they’re buying candy bars.
But let’s take that person and put them outside the store
and then let’s jump in their head. They drive up, running late for a meeting
with children.
Still not that interesting.
But what if those children were refugees? Possibly from
another planet? What if this was the first time they’d ever been on Earth and
this person had to keep them quiet and happy so the rest of the world didn’t
find out about them?
That moment in the store may never get put into a book, but
it can certainly spark the idea for one. All you have to do is start asking
hypothetical questions. Answer them. Think about them. When you get an answer
ask more questions. The story will start to take shape, whether it’s Sci-fi,
Fantasy, Contemporary, Romance, etc. Every person will come up with different
answers to the questions and form a different story. Just don’t let yourself
stop asking the questions.
It’s all about seeing things in a different way.
Talking about seeing things in a different way, here’s
something a friend of mine came up with the other day. They took an ordinary
pepper and turned it into . . .
Bowser
Frankenpepper
Little Babushka
Hulk
Kermit the Frog
Ogre
Oscar the Pepper
Popeye
Teenage Mutant Ninja Pepper
AND
The Grinch!
Hope you enjoyed. I know I did.
