After
you’ve figured out the theme, it will probably feel as if the story is just
writing itself. Well don’t let it run away from you. Jot down any ideas you
have to add on to your story idea in a notebook specifically selected for that
idea. If the ideas are not flowing as fast as you’d like try mind-mapping. A
Mind map for the above story would involve questions like: what makes her start
searching? What are the barriers she finds as she tries to find her mother?
What’s so interesting about her search? What happens after she finds her mother
– does she meet her expectations? What does she hope to find and what does she
really find? Remember all this has to go on paper.
Try
to figure out the basics of your characters and the setting even as you prepare
to go in depth in latter days. If you’re writing a mystery this would be
a good time to start thinking of the clues that will help in the solution of
your crime. Think of the supporting cast like the villain. If you’re thinking
of a science student who’s decided to create the perfect man will it be the
mentor who is secretly stealing her research material, or the best friend who
is trying to sabotage the project?
If
you decide to go with a theme that is considered controversial like sexual
liberation or terrorism, think of how you can make your argument look
attractive. Let’s say you have an American soldier who steals treasure after an
invasion into one of Saddam Hussein’s lost homes. You can choose to explore the
argument that ‘freedom to own property must be moderated’ and portray your
soldier as a hero who prevented one of Hussein’s son’s (who appeared harmless)
from using it to pay his way back into power. Or you could decide that ‘the
sins of the father should not visit his sons’ and show how his daughters have
been left destitute, ostracized and hunted and instead show another soldier
trying to get these treasure back to them.
If
you’re still really stuck (though I doubt you can be – I’m watching TV now and
I’m thinking what if it was some sort of spying gadget ‘I watch it, it watches
me’), then consider taking original story ideas and changing a few aspects such
as character, conflict or setting. Choose the shortest description you can
find. Since I don’t feel like standing I’m just going to use a Wikipedia
description of an episode of Mentalist:
‘The CBI team
investigates the murder of a powerful, successful and under-handed criminal
attorney whose only client is one of California's most powerful and notorious
motorcycle gangs.’
Watch
what I do. Replace CBI Team with Malcolm Haines; murder with disappearance;
successful and under-handed criminal attorney with a self - professed
neighborhood psychic; replace whose only client is one of California's most
powerful and notorious motorcycle gangs with who has been foretelling the death
of the town’s mayor for the past month. And voila you have;
‘Malcolm Haines
investigates the disappearance of a self-professed neighborhood psychic who has
been foretelling the death of the town’s mayor for the past month.’
The best ideas are those that fascinate you beyond measure. Often
times these ideas will come from an interesting question; what if your neighbor
turned up murdered (I know absolutely morose – but who cares – it’s an idea),
what if Hitler had an unknown son who was just as bad as him, what if you found
your phone was bugged? You see a man at the ATM and you think what if that
debit card isn’t really his? The stranger the idea the more intriguing it will
be to write about and to read about.
As Always
Jan
FURTHER RESOURCES
No comments:
Post a Comment