What do you consider when developing your novel ideas? Let us know in the comments.
Uncomfortable wedding preparation between magic-wielding family members and those more on the Muggle side of things? A fairy prince who decides to abandon his responsibilities to become a street musician? Bored teenaged wizards throwing a graduation celebration?
- Build a team. If you want to actually finish writing your book idea, don’t make the mistake of trying to do it all on your own. Get a writing group. Find a writing class. Hire an editor to coach you through the process. Whatever you do, don’t try to write a book on your own. That’s a good way to never finish!
- Set a consequence. Set a deadline for when you’re going to finish your book (I recommend writing your first draft in 100 days), and then create a consequence for if you fail to finish by your deadline. Choose something painful. For example, for my last book, I wrote a $1,000 check to the presidential candidate I really didn’t want to win, gave it to a fellow writer, and told her to send it if I didn’t hit my deadline. I’ve never been more focused!
- Make a plan. Think through each step of the writing process, from the initial idea to how much you’ll write every day to the editing and even publishing process. A good book plan is more than just an outline. Learn how to write a book plan and get our free book plan worksheet here.
- Write! Now that you’ve laid a strong foundation, you’re ready to write! If you have a team, a hard consequence, and a plan, you’ll find that you’re focused, prepared, and ready to finish your book!
- Don’t stop. Most people want to write a book, but most people quit. Whatever you do, once you start, don’t stop writing (not even if you come up with a new, better book idea). If you keep writing and keep trusting the process, you’ll finish your book. Now, it might not be a very good book, but that’s what second drafts are for!
You can finish a novel if you follow the write process (sorry, I had to).
It’s Time to Finish Your Novel Idea
And what I’ve learned is that there really is a set of steps to ensure you actually finish. Here’s the process:
You want to write, but when you sit down to get started, you realize you don’t have a novel idea. Or perhaps you have so many, you’re having a hard time choosing the best novel idea. Or maybe, you already have a novel idea, but you just aren’t sure if it’s any good. Never fear, that’s what we’re here for.
- SET YOUR STORY IN TWO DIFFERENT WORLDS. Of the nine bestselling novels of all time, all nine are set in two different worlds. Think Harry Potter’s Muggle vs. Wizarding world. Or A Tale of Two Cities’ stable London and revolutionary Paris.
- WHAT SCARS DOES YOUR CHARACTER HAVE? We all have scars. To be a writer, Stephen King says, “the only requirement is the ability to remember every scar.” Tap into your own scars to unlock the scars in your characters.
- WHO DIES? Good writers don’t turn away from death, which is, after all, the universal human experience. Instead, they look it directly into its dark face and describe what they see on the page.
- MAKE YOUR MAIN CHARACTER AN ORPHAN. Think for a moment about all the great stories about orphans in literature and film. Orphans are uniquely vulnerable and thus have the most potential for growth.
- YOUR CHARACTER SEES A GHOST. What do Edgar Allen Poe, Ron Weasley, King Saul from the Bible, Odysseus, and Ebenezer Scrooge have in common? They all saw ghosts! Everyone wonders about the afterlife. Have fun with it!
- WHAT IS YOUR CHARACTER MOST AFRAID OF? Your character’s biggest fear is your story’s secret weapon. Don’t run from it. Write about it.
- YOUR CHARACTER COMES INTO AN UNEXPECTED FORTUNE. HOW DOES IT CHANGE HIS OR HER LIFE? Not all fortunes are good. Sometimes discovering a fortune will destroy you.
- YOUR CHARACTER BUMPS INTO HIS OR HER SOULMATE (literally, bumps into). In film, this is called the “meet cute,” when the hero bumps into the heroine in the hallway, knocking her books to the floor and forcing them into conversation.
- YOUR CHARACTER BEGINS A JOURNEY. Is that journey interrupted by disaster? Who hasn’t been longing to get to a destination only to be delayed by something unexpected? This is the plot of Gravity, The Odyssey, and even The Lord of the Rings.
- MONSTER. Monsters, whether people who do monstrous things or scaly beasts or natural disasters, always reveal what’s inside a person. Let your character fall into the path of a monster and see how they handle themselves.
The best novel idea doesn’t just come from a moment of inspiration. It might begin like that, but you also have to do the hard work to process, develop, and hone that idea.
To win one of the five autographed copies of OH BOY, YOU’RE HAVING A GIRL, simply leave a comment on this post or any of the posts related to the “How I Got OH BOY Published” series. I will pick five random winners throughout the month of June. (Winners must live in Canada/US to receive the book by mail. Please note that comments may take a little while to appear on the site
Having an idea and developing that idea into a marketable, publishable book are two different things. I learned this early in the process when trying to decide what kind of book I wanted to write.
Like many writers, I'd always dreamed of writing a book—a super power all of us have. And, like many writers, I put it off indefinitely to tend to other things, like softball and raising kids and watching reruns of "Friends." I had been honing my craft for years while writing a parenting blog, strengthening my voice and, slowly but surely, developing an audience for my writing. It took two major events life-changing events happening within the span of six months (the death of my dad and my sister-in-law) to kick me into gear. These events got me thinking, What if I die before I can live out my dream?
Having a good idea is only half the battle. Executing that idea into a book takes time, patience and plenty of caffeine. I started with an introduction, setting a goal of 1,500 words. If I couldn't come up with 1,500 words that opened the doorway to a book on the topic, then I shouldn't write it. Thankfully, I did write an introduction—and a reasonably solid one at that. It took me a couple of tries and a lot of editing, but once I cleared that hurdle I was confident I could write a full book on the topic.
1. Force Yourself to Sit Down and Think
To win one of the five autographed copies of OH BOY, YOU'RE HAVING A GIRL, simply leave a comment on this post or any of the posts related to the "How I Got OH BOY Published" series. I will pick five random winners throughout the month of June. (Winners must live in Canada/US to receive the book by mail. Please note that comments may take a little while to appear on the site
Every writer goes through moments of self-doubt. We're in a business that is designed to reject people over and over again, even the brilliant ones who go on to sell millions of copies. (Did you know Kathryn Socket's The Help was turned down 60 times before finally landing an agent and going on to be a bestseller—and a movie?) Keep in mind that you love writing and, no matter how hard it seems at times, you're doing it because you enjoy it. The more you do that and the more you believe in what you're trying to accomplish, the harder you'll work at it and the better your idea and your writing will be for it.
Like most writers, I come up with ideas for books daily. Could be from a magazine article that caught my eye. Could be from a conversation I overheard. Could be from a dream I had. One idea came from a joke written on a popsicle stick! But were any of these ideas actually any good? Thanks to the success of my parenting blog TheLifeOfDad.com, I knew that the book I wanted to write needed to be about parenting, so it helped me weed out the most ridiculous ideas and focus on the ones that were most likely built to suit my writing.
35. Compile a research summary of what to eat and why
Use your scientist-meets-foodie skills to create a guidebook with nutritional tips, health facts, and dietary inspiration.
13. Reveal your biggest failure
What did you learn? How can you help other people deal with fear, failure, or recovery and be resilient?
Maybe you haven’t brought your book ideas to life yet because you’re afraid it means hiding away, churning out page after page of a novel that may never be finished. But writing a book can mean anything you want it to—it’s not just for novels. There’s the old saying that we should write what we know, and you may know more than you think.
5. Explore your hometown history
What are the stories of how your town came to be? Highlight the famous people that put your town on the map, or include fun facts about local landmarks and insider tips for places you love.
POLITICS AND SOCIAL SCIENCE BOOK IDEAS
32. Write a religious memoir
Create a memoir based on personal events, learning, or transformations that led you to your current religious beliefs.
46. Publish a classroom curriculum you designed
Did you create lesson units that your students absolutely loved? What kind of project materials were successful, and how could other people use them? Make a workbook, ebook, or even a magazine that details your process.
17. Publish an educational photo book
Pair your most impressive photographs with interesting captions or stories of the local geography, history, flora, and fauna.
29. Explore new rules for dating
Take a lighthearted, compassionate, or serious approach to a popular topic. Depending on your area of expertise, you might include research, personal anecdotes, observations, or interviews.
- Create 100% unique cultures
- Avoid these worldbuilding mistakes
- Develop slang for your world based on what’s popular/trending/makes sense with the time it takes place
- Do NOT use common phrases like “train of thought” if trains don’t exist in your world
- Use unique names
- Don’t forget about diversity!
- Opt for an unexpected and different journey and outcome (many fantasy novels follow a similar formula)
- Write what you want to read!
- Schedule your writing time and follow those deadlines if you really want to finish
#3 – And to top it all off, they give you a medal for it.
You can literally make up anything you want. This is why fantasy is my preferred genre to write in.
These are 100% original, never-before-seen creative writing prompts you won’t find anywhere else.
30 Dystopian Writing Prompts
Human curiosity is what makes this genre so incredibly popular. We always want to figure out what happened. Mystery books are natural page-turners because we just aren’t satisfied until we find out what happened.
We all had a childhood and we all have a family – even if we’ve decided to adopt friends to be a part of our family.
Contemporary writing is all about forming connections with readers.
40. Explain 10 things you learned about cooking
What do you know about baking the perfect cake? Got tips and tricks for southern barbecue? Write what you know.
41. Tell your story of getting out of debt
Did you learn financial lessons the hard way? People of all ages are eager to know how you did it.
49. Create an interior design guide book
Put your creative instincts in print by sharing your style advice and favorite trends, from Boho chic to French country to modern minimalist.
32. Write a religious memoir
Create a memoir based on personal events, learning, or transformations that led you to your current religious beliefs.
BUSINESS AND MONEY BOOK IDEAS
8. Talk about special events
Maybe you’ve been to over 30 Pearl Jam concerts, and you have the set list and a memory for each one of them. Maybe you hosted a speakers’ series at your school. Maybe you attended a rally and the conversations inspired you.
42. Write about securing investments for a project
You organized a first-of-its-kind fundraiser or wrote a grant that save the day. Offer your best money advice to project leaders everywhere.
3. What’s happening in your day-to-day life?
Are you going through a big transition? Is there a weekly routine or yearly celebration that means something to you? Don’t overlook these things. Sometimes what has the most universal meaning is actually the most particular and personal.
Maybe you haven’t brought your book ideas to life yet because you’re afraid it means hiding away, churning out page after page of a novel that may never be finished. But writing a book can mean anything you want it to—it’s not just for novels. There’s the old saying that we should write what we know, and you may know more than you think.