How do you develop your story ideas?

[Anonymous]

So, KeePers, I’m curious how you all develop your story ideas. When you get that first spark of an idea, what’s your next step? How do you get that one spark into a full-blown plot and character cast?

@abigail-m @lucy @godlyfantasy12 @nova21 @writerlexi1216 @gracie-j @devastate-lasting @r-m-archer @scripter-of-kingdoms @libby @e-k-seaver @issawriter7 @kathleenramm @imwritehere1920 @mkfairygirl @anyone-i-missed @sorry-if-i-forgot-your-tag

[Linyang Zhang]

@joy-caroline Lemme run through a slightly embarrassing way of how I developed Under That Dusky Sky so far…

1. Cue me watching Monsters Inc. Seeing Randall, I think, “Well. I could do with some sort of character who can turn invisible who is super annoying and also a snitch.

2. Riding in a car a few weeks later, I’m thinking back to this one Webtoon I read that I really liked called Luggage. The characters were all different ages, which I liked a lot. “Say,” I said, “I think it’d be cool to write a quest with a grandma or something.”

3. Cue me daydreaming the whole time in the car and in the next few days.

4. By the end of the week, I have the characters and the basic plot. Now there’s just to writing it soon.

And…yeah. That’s usually how it goes. I watch a movie, and something happens.

Lately, it's been on my brain
Would you mind letting me know
If hours don't turn into days

[Anonymous]

@joy-caroline WHOA! Amazing question (admittedly, one I haven’t given much thought to. Lemme see…)!

So, I wrote down what my outlining process looks like here, but the gist would be better defined in these steps:

#1 Have an idea. Sometimes it’s a smell or a tune. Sometimes it’s a plot trope. Sometimes it’s a character. Sometimes it’s an emotion or a song. My ideas usually start out small, but the one I had today was something like this: What if Rapunzel wasn’t the innocent kidnapped princess she is in the fairytales?

#1.5 For my historical ideas, the next thing I think of is where/when I’ll set the story. That’s usually pretty easy, since most ideas hinge on certain periods, cultures, and events. In the off-chance that they don’t, I’ll narrow it down to an era and a continent or country, then just pick the one that fits. I have a thing for aesthetic years–like 1683, 1357, 1803–numbers that just look right together. It’s weird, but that’s how most of my time periods are chosen. Settings are usually pretty obvious. I want a western? Set it in the Wild West. Of course, then I have to a pick a state…but that all depends on the vibe I want. Usually I’m torn between Wyoming, Colorado, and Texas–but that’s irrelevant.

#2 Generate characters. For an idea like the one above, this would be the second step, but for my his-fic ideas, it’s the third. I almost always start with a name. Sometimes my idea is a name, or an appearance, or a career, or a philosophy, or whatever–so I’ll usually start with that. My charrie Rina started out as simply The Lady Pirate. From there, I thought up a name (after many different spellings and added/deducted middle names, I settled on Catherina Blackstone) and gave her a vague appearance. Before I begin writing, I’ll elaborate on their appearance and personality and backstory (unless I’m feeling super psyched about the story, in which case I’ll go so far as to write a chapter or two…but I have at least one idea a day, so that’s not always plausible). But until then, I stick with the basics.

#2.5 Repeat Step 2 until I have a hero, heroine, and antagonist. Sometimes I’ll add a couple friends, family members, characters to be featured in their own story one day…whatever I need at the moment.

#3 Come up with a plot line that makes sense. If I can pinpoint exactly what I want out of the story/characters and write it out in one coherent sentence, I’ve completed this process. However, it can take me up to six months and 20k to figure out exactly what I want from a story, so…

#4 Dilly-dally for a year, then return to the idea, write a couple crappy chapters, re-outline things, get pumped about the story and disregard my important WIP. Point out the three main events. You can call them the Beginning, Middle, and End, but my main events will vary. But there are usually three. For example, in Bound and Determined, my three main events would be:

• Heroine stows away on board a pirate ship to find her sister.
• Captain of the pirate ship captures a slaver (which, surprisingly, doesn’t have the sister on board).
• Captain is later arrested for piracy and thereby needs to be free from jail.

Of course, there are many more events, but that’s the gist.

#5 By this point, I’m ready to write. I am a pantser, so I don’t usually figure out what happens in a scene until I’m halfway through it. XD

But, yeah, that would be my process. I need to share one of my outlines with y’all one day so y’all can see how my deranged mind works what it looks like!

[Anonymous]

@devastate-lasting

Very interesting! Inspiration can definitely come from stuff you read, watch, or just things you observe from your surroundings.

@gracie-j

Cool! That sounds very detailed. I’m an outliner myself (mostly due to the genre I write), and my outlining process for The Apostle’s Sister was certainly not pretty, LOL. I get ya!

[Abigail.M.]

@joy-caroline

Ooh, awesome question!:D I wish I had an awesome answer for it, but my process (if it can be called that) is kinda messy and changes depending on the project. For instance, my current novel started out as an idea from a photo I saw in a magazine. Then much later on, I drew up a few pages of illustrations of my MC, symbols, home, possessions, and animal companions. I’d write chapters here and there, take hundreds of notes, and procrastinate. I originally was going to make Lila (the MC’s nearly adopted sister) the protagonist and have it told through her POV with The Snow Warrior as the secondary character. But once I came to my senses, I reversed that. I also needed a more or less love-interest for the MC, so after a lot of conflict over his character, I created Filip. I created Anton because I needed someone to play the inventor/doctor and after fleshing out his character, he became one of my favorites. The final member of my immediate cast, Morio, just managed to fall into place.
And other side characters were placed as required.
Now I’m still a little fuzzy on what the main plot/goal of the novel will be, (even after three years and a NaNoWriMo), but lately, I’ve been making some breakthroughs with the aid of Russian folklore, Pinterest boards, and character dynamics, (quite an assorted combination huh?)

But anyway, my process for flash fiction looks rather different. When I was inspired to write my flash fiction, Broken Things I started by writing out the concept which already included the two characters in the piece. I wrote about half of it before I became stumped with how it ought to end and how I could word dialogue without it coming off as unnatural. Much later, I went back, finished the first draft, and rewrote it. (The process I went through to write An Atlantic Adversity took less time but a lot more work). So yep, though it’s not much of a process, that’s how most of my flash fiction is created.

I guess you could say my ( tidying my very messy process as neat as I can here ) process is: 1#Inspiration/idea 2#write basic concept down 3#determine what characters I’ll need for the time being 4#take a thousand notes (more or less) 5#write out important/semi-important scenes, (often out of order 6#procrastinate 7#return to WIP and continue.
Steps 6 and 7 are often repeated many times before I can call the piece finished or at least ready for draft two 🙂

[Jenna Terese]

@joy-caroline

I always do a lot of brainstorming with a new idea (a.k.a. brain dumping into a journal). I basically just kinda write down whatever little ideas come to mind for the book idea, and when I feel like I have a good amount, I might try to arrange the ideas into plot points. At the same time I work on the characters too, figuring out their backstory and internal conflict and how it intertwines with the plot. 🙂

I'm a Kapeefer 'TIL WE'RE OLD AND GREY!
www.jennaterese.com

[Kads]

@joy-caroline Ahhh, you will not get a simple answer for this, but I’ll talk about how The Travelers’ Caravan series came together for me. (Side note: still on book one.)

So. One day I was on the treadmill. I was daydreaming about this one character/persona I had, and I was like, “What if she had friends?” In the very, very, very, VERY first idea I ever had of Bren, she was actually my Legend of Zelda persona. XD And I was like, “well what if she had companions? what would they do together?”

I explored these characters. I thought about names, personalities, everything I could. And eventually I came up with a storyline.

I daydreamed about the characters whenever I could. What did they do? What were their pet peeves? What did they like? I fleshed them out in my head, and soon I began to draw them too. (They all looked VERY different in those original ideas than in what they do now.)

I thought about existing characters (in books, shows, etc) that might be kind of an inspiration for my own characters. Marge, in my book series, is actually kind of based on Cara Dune from the Mandalorian! (Side note again: she looks like her too, but I had Marge’s appearance in mind before the Mandalorian came out XD)

Then I began to work on plot more. I’m still in this stage, however much farther along than I was when I started (obviously). And I began to think about historical events that may have happened in my world around this time. This stage was when all of the other book/character ideas came to me, and I drafted in my head a little bit. I drew lots of the characters and thought about them while drawing. (Still do that.)

In the very first draft of my novel, it felt much more contemporary, what with dialogue, worldbuilding, scenes, etc, and so I stopped there (about 45 pages in) and redrafted it from the beginning. I’ve changed many, many plot points, quite a few major ones too, and took out scenes entirely that were in the original writing. I’m happy with the path I’m on right now, and I know the novel will undergo lots more change, too, but it feels so much more fantasy-like and less contemporary.

I also bounce ideas off of my friends, I have one in particular whom I talk to my writing about all the time (my best friend lol). She suggests things that might make the story better, I once gave her a lecture on the entire timeline & plot of all my books (that I had in mind at that time) to her, it took almost an hour I think XD but she listened and suggested things for my stories. I’m very happy I’m friends with her.

I kind of mix and match stages sometimes. If a new character comes to me, plot is sure to follow. Or sometimes it’s vice versa. Ideas just… happen to me all the time.

Hope that kind of provided insight into what I do XD

• This reply was modified 3 years, 7 months ago by Kads.

staring at the fields
if nothing's really real
i'll make the winter now my home

[Anonymous]

@joy-caroline Thanks! I guess I don’t realize how detailed I can be, since I’ve pantsed my books in the past, but with me new projects, I can be more of a plotter. Oh, I know all about crazy outlines!

[GodlyFantasy12]

@joy-caroline UMMMM

 

 

……ehhhh

 

heh…..

 

ermmm…..

 

*clears throat multiple times and sips hot tea apprehensively* so……

The way I plot/get my ideas is This:

 

They just come to me. Honestly most of my ideas come thru talking to someone about my story or characters, etc, listening to music and inspiration from other things. It’s hard for me to pinpoint exactly how I do what I do because still being a bit of a newbie I have tried quite a few things so….really all I can say is my best ideas usually come from talking about my story, listening to music, and my own imagination and inspiration and such. Sorry if this isn’t exactly the answer u want lol.

#IfMarcelDiesIRiot
#ProtectMarcel
#ProtectSeb

[Anonymous]

@abigail-m

I definitely relate to that process! Mine is very messy as well. Thank you for sharing. Honestly I’m still a little fuzzy on the plot of The Apostle’s Sister. Obviously it’s about Paul’s sister and her multiple struggles with his ministry, but I kind of want there to be a huge main conflict, if ya know what I mean.

@jenwriter17

I did the same thing when I first got the idea for The Apostle’s Sister. I assembled all of the events in Paul’s life and asked a bunch of “what-if” questions. Some of them quite ridiculous, lol. But that’s how you come up with a good bouquet of ideas!

@scripter-of-kingdoms

Your friend sounds awesome!

SAME. I am changing so many plot points in the second draft of The Apostle’s Sister, including a couple major ones. So I totally get you!

@godlyfantasy12

Ideas can come from so many places, that’s for sure. I’ve gotten ideas from the most crazy and random events. Music can be a huge inspiration. Thanks for sharing!

[Issabelle Perry]

@joy-caroline

AWESOME QUESTION, girl!!!!!!!!!!!! I’ve got a post about my writing process coming up on my blog in April as a collab I’m doing, so it’ll give you a more in-depth idea. But for a summary, I’m gonna have to be honest and say that it’s different for every book I write. Since all stories are different, they all require a different way to write them. Mostly what I do is just spend some time with my charries in their world. Something a lotta people don’t know about me is that I enjoy acting and do a lot of it in plays at my church. Gonna be honest, I enjoy acting waaaaay more than writing. Being an author was God’s plan, not mine. Anyway, I will basically spend HOURS in my room acting out my entire story from start to finish. By doing this, I’m able to get more into the main characters head (and even some of the side characters!) and see the story from his/her eyes. Now, I must admit, I don’t write any of my planning down, so whatever were the most memorable scenes will usually be the only things that end up in the final story. Then I’ll go through this process again and again, even while I’m writing the story. So the plot does drastically change from the first time I do it. But the moments I have the most fun acting (and then later have the most fun writing) are usually what 85% of my stories are filled with. And then I learn a lot about my characters and their world while I’m actually writing. It’s where I finally get to see what’s in my head come alive on paper. (Fun fact: the first time I acted through Into the Lamp, only one scene from the original plot actually made it into the story. From there, not only did the plot change but even a lot of the support characters did to!! In case your wondering that scene was the one where Colin first went to Arthenlay [wasn’t named that until later] with the whole near-death experience happening. XD) Hope that sorta gives you an idea. 😉 I’m not a normal writer and don’t really write in a normal way, but that’s what I do!!!!!!!

God gives His hardest battles to His strongest soldiers.
TeenWritersNook.com

[Anonymous]

@issawriter7

That’s very cool that you act out the scenes to your story! I have never tried doing that. (Probably ’cause it seems kind of weird to be acting out all these different characters by myself, LOL.) Thanks for sharing your process!

[Issabelle Perry]

@joy-caroline

Thank you!!!!! Lol, well let’s just say I don’t normally want anyone watching, though I think it has made me a better actress! Though, I will say it gets really crazy when I try to act out the fight scenes and has resulted in one too many bruises. XD But, hey, this is me. I’m a crazy wacko nut. Did any of us really think I’d do anything in a normally sane way? 😉

God gives His hardest battles to His strongest soldiers.
TeenWritersNook.com

[Katherine]

@devastate-lasting That’s how I am most of the time! My WIP started out with me asking a “what if-then what would happen” question after I watched a Disney Channel episode.

@joy-caroline Awesome forum topic!!!!!!😀 Normally, characters come to my mind first. So I ask questions. I ask them what their life is like and what their world looks like. (If it’s fantasy, I ask what exist and what is real in their world. If it’s realistic, I ask what their surroundings/settings are.) I spend time in their mind to see how they view the world. Somehow, in discovering the character’s lifestyle, I find a plot for the story. I also make a lot of notes as I am learning things about the characters and their world and anything I come up with for the plotline.

"It looks like a fairy world"~Meg from Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
Fall in love with Jesus

[ella]

@joy-caroline Ooo, awesome question!!  Hmm, let’s see.  Well, a lot of my inspiration comes from the little things:

• characters in movies
• pictures
• people (on the street, at school, at the grocery store/park)
• prompts/aesthetics on Pinterest
• dialogue
• weird “what if” questions that know one but me would ask myself, lol
• the news
• song lyrics

After the spark, I’ll write them down somewhere and then I start daydreaming (in class but don’t tell anyone i said that) and the idea will just build on itself.  I also have so many idea notebooks from over the years that I can just flip through, get inspired, and build off some of the ideas.  Music and movies are the best inspirers for me personally though.

what we do in life echoes in eternity
-gladiator, 2000

[Author]

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