Is Your New Story Idea BIG Enough?
We've all been there. You've got this great idea for a book, so after a few days or weeks of solid planning, you start sharing a little bit about the plot with your trusted someone, and that's when it happens. The Blank Look. Or the I'm-Trying-To-Be-Polite smile. Or worse, the That's-About-As-Interesting-As-Lint grimace.
You might try to cajole them into liking your idea, or embellish the idea a little bit with improvisation, or remind them of how interesting it is. The thing you shouldn't do however, is ignore the blank look. Your beta reader's initial response to the idea shouldn't be taken lightly. (A shout out for my daughter, Kaitlin, for being blunt with me about what works and what's Dullsville when I discuss story ideas with her.)
Here are a few options about how to improve your premise:
1) Ask your beta reader to be honest. What did she like or not like about your idea? Brainstorm the parts that weren't exciting to him or her and ask lots of "What if..." questions. Through your discussion, you might be led to a bigger story with more tension or interesting setting.
2) Look over the taglines of books in your genre on Goodreads and compare it to your own idea. Be honest with yourself. For example, when I read the description for Boy Nobody by Allen Zadoff (June 11, 2013), I realized how BIG his story is in comparison to my idea. A teen boy who assassinates strangers? Wow - no dweeby video game player here. While I still love my shiny new premise, I know I have to make it even bigger to keep up with the elusive and ever-changing "YA market." Here is the tagline from Boy Nobody:
They needed the perfect soldier: one who could function in every situation without fear, sympathy or anger; who could assassinate strangers and then walk away emotionally unscathed. So they made Boy Nobody-a teen with no name or history. The perfect soldier.
3) When you're fresh and have your caffeinated drink of choice nearby, open a blank Word document that says, "XYZ Story Plotting Ideas," and let your imagination rip. Don't hold back--after all, you're the only one who is going to see this. Make up careers for your characters and/or his family and friends. Write the word OR.... a lot. Example of free-flow plotting ideas: Maybe my MC Patrick can work at a yogurt shop and meet the girl of his dreams (named Suze or Prinda?)....OR maybe he could work at a cemetery and meet the girl of his nightmares. Maybe she's the caretaker's daughter and she's home from college. Her best friend dies and he needs to comfort her. OR his friend dies and she sees his grief. (You get the idea). Don't limit yourself because one idea often bounces off another.
4) If after all the brainstorming and plotting, your idea just doesn't feel like it's going anywhere, you have two choices: a) write a few chapters to see if you're still excited by the idea, or b) put it on hold for now and keep thinking. I've had a few stories all plotted out, but the execution of the story wasn't making me all that excited. It felt boring and so I decided to shelve it temporarily. If I'm bored writing it, I can only shudder at what the reader would think. Know when to say STOP.
5) What has worked for YOU in the past?
Best of luck fleshing out your next story idea. Remember, go big or go home. You can always tone the story down later if the readers in your critique group tell you that your story exhausts them. Better that than having to wake them up to finish your chapter. :)
'Til next time,
KYM
You might try to cajole them into liking your idea, or embellish the idea a little bit with improvisation, or remind them of how interesting it is. The thing you shouldn't do however, is ignore the blank look. Your beta reader's initial response to the idea shouldn't be taken lightly. (A shout out for my daughter, Kaitlin, for being blunt with me about what works and what's Dullsville when I discuss story ideas with her.)
Here are a few options about how to improve your premise:
1) Ask your beta reader to be honest. What did she like or not like about your idea? Brainstorm the parts that weren't exciting to him or her and ask lots of "What if..." questions. Through your discussion, you might be led to a bigger story with more tension or interesting setting.
2) Look over the taglines of books in your genre on Goodreads and compare it to your own idea. Be honest with yourself. For example, when I read the description for Boy Nobody by Allen Zadoff (June 11, 2013), I realized how BIG his story is in comparison to my idea. A teen boy who assassinates strangers? Wow - no dweeby video game player here. While I still love my shiny new premise, I know I have to make it even bigger to keep up with the elusive and ever-changing "YA market." Here is the tagline from Boy Nobody:
They needed the perfect soldier: one who could function in every situation without fear, sympathy or anger; who could assassinate strangers and then walk away emotionally unscathed. So they made Boy Nobody-a teen with no name or history. The perfect soldier.
3) When you're fresh and have your caffeinated drink of choice nearby, open a blank Word document that says, "XYZ Story Plotting Ideas," and let your imagination rip. Don't hold back--after all, you're the only one who is going to see this. Make up careers for your characters and/or his family and friends. Write the word OR.... a lot. Example of free-flow plotting ideas: Maybe my MC Patrick can work at a yogurt shop and meet the girl of his dreams (named Suze or Prinda?)....OR maybe he could work at a cemetery and meet the girl of his nightmares. Maybe she's the caretaker's daughter and she's home from college. Her best friend dies and he needs to comfort her. OR his friend dies and she sees his grief. (You get the idea). Don't limit yourself because one idea often bounces off another.
4) If after all the brainstorming and plotting, your idea just doesn't feel like it's going anywhere, you have two choices: a) write a few chapters to see if you're still excited by the idea, or b) put it on hold for now and keep thinking. I've had a few stories all plotted out, but the execution of the story wasn't making me all that excited. It felt boring and so I decided to shelve it temporarily. If I'm bored writing it, I can only shudder at what the reader would think. Know when to say STOP.
5) What has worked for YOU in the past?
Best of luck fleshing out your next story idea. Remember, go big or go home. You can always tone the story down later if the readers in your critique group tell you that your story exhausts them. Better that than having to wake them up to finish your chapter. :)
'Til next time,
KYM