I’m not sure what my story is about.
Ever had one idea after another pop into your head, but you don’t know what to do or how to get a story out of them?
Don’t worry, you are not alone. A lot of new writers get frustrated when they have a spark, but can’t make the idea work.
Most writers reach this point by trying to make decisions without giving themselves enough time in the discovery period.
They start writing, but don’t have a plan or a plot or much of a direction on where the idea is heading. That’s great for professional pantsers and prompt writing.
But for a new writer facing frustration because they can’t make anything work?
It’s a recipe for disaster.
At this point, writing more doesn’t help in the way you think it will. You can draft until doomsday and still end up with a bunch of random pages.
Without some kind of map, every scene is temporary. Some might not even make the cut when you look back at the big story. And, let’s face it, do you even have a big story right now?
You are throwing all the pasta at the wall, hoping something will stick and moving through your story without a freaking clue where this thing is going.
It’s time to slow down, partner and look at what you already have. Take some time to explore the story kernel you came up with and decide what it might grow into.
Here are some strategies to help you work it out. Don’t get all wrapped around the axle on anything. Just open your brain and poke around a bit.
Make a short list of scenes, moments, people, or images that come to you. This helps you see what draws your interest when you think about it.
Write a few lines about what you notice when you look at the list as a whole. This helps you look at how everything on the list relates to each other.
Create a simple outline inspired by the list. Use sticky notes so to allow free movement of the ideas. Nothing here is permanent.
Pick one scene and write a note about why it caught your attention. This helps you dig deeper into your idea and how it lives in this scene.
If you have arrived here, it sounds like you could use some help.
Don’t get all down on yourself. Everyone needs help at some point.
At this point everything, and I mean everything, is flexible. The purpose is to stay curious and explore the idea. Listen to what it is trying to tell you.
If you are struggling to make sense of a story idea, I help with the investigation.
Story Focus and Idea to Book allow you to explore the story from different angles.
Check them out below.
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Story Focus
Story Focus is for writers who need more time to figure out what their idea is.
This session gives you space to explore it, talk about it, and have someone listen closely to help sort out all the pieces.
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Idea to Book
From Idea to Book is for writers who are ready to take their idea and expand it into a full length book.
This process looks at the whole project from start to finish. It helps you build a solid story foundation to use as a guide as you start drafting your story.