Preptober #2: 5 Steps to Choosing an Idea
So as you may know, not only am I participating in NaNoWriMo this year, I'm making it my personal mission to wrangle as many of my friends and family as humanly possible into this quest. These good sports are not, by and large, the writerly sort, but I want more writers around me dadgumit and I'm too socially awkward to make new friends at this point.
One of the questions people have been asking me, as I harass them, is how to choose what they'll write about.
This makes sense. Even if you've never seriously considered writing a book, you probably have a few book ideas. That's just what our creative brains do. But, as a first time writer, how do you know which project to pursue?
The thing about ideas is that there really isn't any such thing as a "good" one or a "bad" one, and nobody else can tell you which idea to pursue. So here are 4 questions to ask yourself, when you're deciding which idea to pursue next. (Assuming you have the problem of too many ideas. If you're still struggling with how to come up with ideas to choose from, check out my posts on that here and here)
1. Which idea would I be most upset by someone else writing first?
Ideas seem to flit from person to person, as any unemployed middle-aged woman who invented the Snuggie but never told anyone until too late can confirm. If all your ideas flew out of your head and directly into someone else's, which one would you be the most heartbroken to lose?
2. Which idea is the most fleshed-out?
This isn't to say you have a full outline or anything, although good for you if that's the case; but which idea has the most "meat" to it? Which causes the longest cascade of thoughts? If nothing else, which one do you find yourself thinking about most often?
3. Which idea would be the easiest?
This is especially important advice when you're a new writer, and not good advice at all when you're experienced, so take that with the appropriate amount of salt. If before this you've only ever written school essays, and now you're choosing between two ideas: one, a fairytale retelling with a fun twist, and the other, a noir crime mystery written entirely in rhyming couplets, maybe back away from the rhyming dictionary. Writing a book is a huge challenge. Why not make it as easy as possible for yourself, and set yourself up to succeed?
4. Which idea am I most excited about?
Honestly, this list probably could have been one item long, because this one matters more than all of the others. When you're in the slog of a novel, wading through wordcounts, feeling that sagging middle syndrome, it's this passion that will carry you through. If you don't think your book idea is cool, there's a much higher chance that you'll give up on it. And that's not what anybody wants! So ask yourself, and be honest. What do you want to write?
I hope this has been helpful! Do you know what you're writing for NaNoWriMo, assuming you're participating? How do you decide which project to start next?
One of the questions people have been asking me, as I harass them, is how to choose what they'll write about.
This makes sense. Even if you've never seriously considered writing a book, you probably have a few book ideas. That's just what our creative brains do. But, as a first time writer, how do you know which project to pursue?
The thing about ideas is that there really isn't any such thing as a "good" one or a "bad" one, and nobody else can tell you which idea to pursue. So here are 4 questions to ask yourself, when you're deciding which idea to pursue next. (Assuming you have the problem of too many ideas. If you're still struggling with how to come up with ideas to choose from, check out my posts on that here and here)
1. Which idea would I be most upset by someone else writing first?
Ideas seem to flit from person to person, as any unemployed middle-aged woman who invented the Snuggie but never told anyone until too late can confirm. If all your ideas flew out of your head and directly into someone else's, which one would you be the most heartbroken to lose?
2. Which idea is the most fleshed-out?
This isn't to say you have a full outline or anything, although good for you if that's the case; but which idea has the most "meat" to it? Which causes the longest cascade of thoughts? If nothing else, which one do you find yourself thinking about most often?
3. Which idea would be the easiest?
This is especially important advice when you're a new writer, and not good advice at all when you're experienced, so take that with the appropriate amount of salt. If before this you've only ever written school essays, and now you're choosing between two ideas: one, a fairytale retelling with a fun twist, and the other, a noir crime mystery written entirely in rhyming couplets, maybe back away from the rhyming dictionary. Writing a book is a huge challenge. Why not make it as easy as possible for yourself, and set yourself up to succeed?
4. Which idea am I most excited about?
Honestly, this list probably could have been one item long, because this one matters more than all of the others. When you're in the slog of a novel, wading through wordcounts, feeling that sagging middle syndrome, it's this passion that will carry you through. If you don't think your book idea is cool, there's a much higher chance that you'll give up on it. And that's not what anybody wants! So ask yourself, and be honest. What do you want to write?
I hope this has been helpful! Do you know what you're writing for NaNoWriMo, assuming you're participating? How do you decide which project to start next?
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