Figuring out what to write about

[sunandshadow]

(Edit: New question on page 2: How do you determine which of several ideas is the best one to write about?)

What if you know you want to write a novel (perhaps someone has dared you to and will pay you if you actually finish) but you don't know what you want to write about. Or you have some vague ideas but not enough to start writing. What exercises might you do to figure out what you would like to write? (In particular, to figure out what your plot should be about?) What things do you need to know to start writing?

[aadams73]

I play the "what if" game. What if X happened, then X occured? It triggers some good ideas. I found once I started using ideas, I had more ideas(if that makes sense). It's just a matter of flexing different parts of your brain That's my theory and I'm sticking to it. :)

[alleycat]

That's a very odd reason to write a book . . .

But here's one idea. Ask yourself what books you've enjoyed. How might you write something similar? Don't try to "copy" any of the books, just use them to give you some ideas.

[Rolling Thunder]

What is the topic, Sun? It would be interesting to know and much easier to provide you with some ideas. Is the dare specific of content?

[maddythemad]

Hmm, I probably won't be too helpful on this subject, because I'll usually just be walking around downtown and suddenly *ping!* the entire book is planned out, all the characters created, and the chapters titled. The only problem is, this first version usually sucks. So then I spend the next month working out all the snares, etc.

Really, I would suggest going with what aadams73 said. Or take something in your real life. Make it more dramatic. Change some stuff around. Pretty soon you have an idea for a novel.

Good luck!

[blacbird]

I usually don't reach the "this sucks" moment until I begin contemplating consideration of the possibility that I might entertain the thought of commencing to plan to prepare thinking about the option of actually fantasizing that the thing is worth submitting somewhere. About then I begin to feel like merde. When I actually do send it out, I inevitably feel worse, knowing the inevitable result. When that inevitability comes to pass, as it always does, I at least have the confirmation that I was correct about something.

caw.

[sunandshadow]

What is the topic, Sun? It would be interesting to know and much easier to provide you with some ideas. Is the dare specific of content?

There isn't really a dare, I was just trying to think of a reason why someone might set out to write a novel without knowing what they wanted to write. Personally I am interested in the topics of romance, maroonings, school stories, alien/foreign cultures, transformation stories, and diplomatic deals and political manuverings such as arranged marriages and blackmail.

Two techniques which I have so far found to be inspiring are:
1) Reading a book or watching anime or a movie which had very interesting characters or worldbuilding but didn't use them to their full potential. Imaginging how you would do it better is the most common motivation for writing fanfiction and has also motivated some writing of original fiction.
2) Making a list of your favorite stories or scenes which particularly caught your interest, trying to figure out what was so interesting about them, and capture this in your own version.

[Ken Schneider]

Find two ideas, and put them together to form a story and plot.

It doesn't take a lot of thought to come up with a story idea.

Write.

The story will come to you if you develope the characters.

After all, if you give your characters life, they will take over the story, and all you have to do is write what they tell you.

Watch the movie in your head, and write what you see.

[sunandshadow]

Find two ideas, and put them together to form a story and plot.
What type of ideas?

[ChaosTitan]

There isn't really a dare, I was just trying to think of a reason why someone might set out to write a novel without knowing what they wanted to write.

Masochist?

[LightShadow]

I just dig into my past, find a situation that was very strange or difficult, propose that situation to a cast of characters, and see how they get out of it - - and of course, since they are not me, their paths lead to an entirely different one than I had taken.

[PeeDee]

Well, you can always write about good versus evil, love conquers all, and the good guy gets the girl. I mean, those are pretty popular.

Write that. You'll be fine.

[My-Immortal]

Well, you can always write about good versus evil, love conquers all, and the good guy gets the girl. I mean, those are pretty popular.

Write that. You'll be fine.

That explains so much....I've got to quit having flawed versus flawed, love not always conquering all, and the antagonist ending up with the girl...

:)

[DamaNegra]

Use a plot-generator site like Seventh Sanctum. That's what I do, and you've got no idea how my light just goes on with a little prodding from a prompt. Wonderful!

[PeeDee]

That explains so much....I've got to quit having flawed versus flawed, love not always conquering all, and the antagonist ending up with the girl...

:)

Well, obviously. If you'd stick to what I'm talking about, you'd probably be a good writer.



........:D

[My-Immortal]

Well, obviously. If you'd stick to what I'm talking about, you'd probably be a good writer.



........:D

I aspire for great, would settle for good, but I try not to kid myself....

:)

[PeeDee]

I aspire for great,
Will settle for good
And if nothing else,
Will work for food.

If only "good" and "food" rhymed.

[My-Immortal]

I aspire for great,
Will settle for good
And if nothing else,
Will work for food.

If only "good" and "food" rhymed.

With the high cost of heating the house in the winter time you could put 'wood' at the end (to burn in the fireplace)....however, considering some of stuff I've printed lately, I'd be better off just using the paper for 'fuel'...

:)
Oh...and as for what to write about....Sometimes a character will just pop into my head, introduce himself (or herself), and if I pay attention that character starts telling me his (or her) story....I rarely do the story justice, but I keep at it....practice, practice, practice...

Good luck with your writing.

[sunandshadow]

Well, you can always write about good versus evil, love conquers all, and the good guy gets the girl. I mean, those are pretty popular.

Write that. You'll be fine.

I don't really believe in evil - or at any rate not evil that I would enjoy writing about. I like to write about interesting and likeable people who get into conflict because they have different goals and are working at cross-purposes to each other. But love conquers all and the lovers successfully getting each other I'm fine with - relationships are always the easiest things for me to write, it's the external plot like adventure, mystery, politics, etc. which I never seem to have inspirations for.

[JumpingJack]

I don't really believe in evil - or at any rate not evil that I would enjoy writing about. I like to write about interesting and likeable people who get into conflict because they have different goals and are working at cross-purposes to each other. But love conquers all and the lovers successfully getting each other I'm fine with - relationships are always the easiest things for me to write, it's the external plot like adventure, mystery, politics, etc. which I never seem to have inspirations for.

Theres a plot right there. Take a few people and throw them into a situation that is dangerous, give them opposite views, and see what their survival instincts do.

[mistri]

For a start I usually know what genre I'm writing in (generally fantasy), then I think about things/topics I'm interested in, and let my mind wander through plot conflicts that those things might create in a fantasy (or whatever) book. That's very vague, but pretty much what I do.

[Stew21]

I never plan what I write. It doesn't work for me. Instead, I usually have an idea or two that is harping on me, and in my usual way, I will start writing one day (I write everyday), but this time, as the words are coming out, I realize it is the start of those ideas. I didn't realize they were rising in the oven until I saw them taking form. Then wow, this is that story I've been watching in my head.
The scenes play out in my head as I write, unexpected things happen. I dont know what my characters are going to say until they say it, they do things I didn't expect and screw up where I thought it would go. I have an idea for a story, a general direction and everything else just happens as it happens.
I couldn't tell anyone how to "choose" what to write a book about. I don't even choose what I write books about.

[PeeDee]

I don't remember who said it, but someone said "Writing is easy; you just sit down and open a vein."

Which is true, as far as it goes (as in: not as far as literally, please). Useful to remember that any story you decide to work on had better move you a little bit. It might disgust you, excite you, terrify you, or worry you...but it needs to be doing something. If you're writing with all the joy and emotion that you might experience making a peanut butter & jelly sandwhich (unless this is an orgasmic experience for you, whichcase please disregard) then you've got something to worry about.

[LightShadow]

A writer told me that the writing was the easy part. It's the marketing that kills most writers.

[WerenCole]

Just sit down and write something. . . take the advice of many writers here and do the BIC(HOK) method. (But in Chair, Hands on Keyboard). Write a funny anecdote about your father, but give him a new name. Keep writing, even if it looks like gibberish. Eventually you will want said character to do something, like go to the grocery store and who knows what could happen there.

If you have an idea, just start writing about something that is close to it, working towards that idea. What I am trying to get at here is that eventually the story starts to take over. Flannery O'Connor started "Good Country People" by writing about two people she knew, then all of a sudden there was a doctor with a wooden leg that eventually gets stolen. She didn't know that there wood be a doctor with a wooden leg nor did she know that it was going to be stolen until twelve lines before she wrote it.

Just start writing and see where the story takes you.

Oh yeah. . . .read a lot too.

[Azure Skye]

I play the "what if" game. What if X happened, then X occured? It triggers some good ideas. I found once I started using ideas, I had more ideas(if that makes sense). It's just a matter of flexing different parts of your brain That's my theory and I'm sticking to it. :)

The "what if" idea is great. I tried it before I started my second draft. I wasn't very happy with the plot so I played the "what if" game and fixed it.

[Azure Skye]

Use a plot-generator site like Seventh Sanctum. That's what I do, and you've got no idea how my light just goes on with a little prodding from a prompt. Wonderful!

Great site and very addicting. Woohoo. Thanks.

[SeanDSchaffer]

I just sit down and write a vignette. If I like it, I set it off to one side and then write another vignette, about a different subject. I repeat these steps until I have three or four different ideas sitting before me that I like.

After that, it's simply a matter, in my case, of figuring out which idea strikes me as the most interesting.

Then, I write an outline for it, and if it still works, I go for it. If it does not work, I have the other ideas that I can still play around with.

[triceretops]

I use the reverse plot method like Bradbury did with 451 (firemen start fires).

I made the FCC, a totally benign agency, all powerful with the authority to ban the written word because of a security issue.

One of our AW members used somthing like that in Hell's Bells. A succubus goes on the lamb from hell because she wants to be human. Thus she infuriates her boss, the devil.

The rich install themselves in state prisons to protect themselves from the poor.

A forensic examiner becomes a serial killer.

These reversals don't work all the time, but it's fun to play around with that "what if" premise in these instances.

Tri

[sunandshadow]

Okay, so I've done some brainstorming and come up with several possible story ideas... none of which seems particularly more interesting than the others. How do I figure out which idea to go with?

[ChaosTitan]

Okay, so I've done some brainstorming and come up with several possible story ideas... none of which seems particularly more interesting than the others. How do I figure out which idea to go with?

Two solutions:

One, combine them all into one idea and go from there.

Two, start freewriting on all of the ideas until something clicks. When that happens, you'll know which one is the correct idea. Let your muse catch fire.

[sunandshadow]

Combining them into one idea won't work because they're direct alternatives - what races or species the two main characters are and what powers they have, how they meet, and what's the initial conflict. They're all beginnings, and a novel only needs one beginning - maybe two if there are two pairs of main characters, but definitely not more than two.