The Writer's Guide to a Good Story

Have an Idea Net

If you're like me, you understand that ideas for stories can come from the most random places. Sometimes even when you're daydreaming in class. Or something as silly as a late bus. Maybe even the words on a sign inspire you to come up with ideas of your own. 

I find myself analyzing things like book titles or posters or quotes. It's not always easy, though. Sometimes when writing a story, I'll come up with an idea for another story. Then I'll want to do that story more. 

For example, the other day I was thinking about people who go to a bookstore and read the whole book instead of buying it. (Yeah, I know, jerk thing to do, but I'm guilty of considering it)

Anyway, it made me think of a plotline of a romance about a boy who was too poor to buy books of his own so he spent his days reading the whole thing at the store. Then a girl sees him and confronts him about it, etc. 

You're welcome to steal that one. I have no real plans of turning that into a story. But yeah, anyway, there's your peek into the strange, awkward depths of my head. That's just an example of the weird storylines I think up.

Everyone gets ideas. I get ideas even from being bored. But only writers really notice we're doing it. It's those same ideas that turn into bestsellers or become movie adaptions.

But what if, say, you think of a storyline that you find brilliant, just before you go to sleep, or while you're trying to not fall asleep in History and accidently do, or in the car on the way to the haircut you've been dreading for over a month?

What can you do to ensure that you don't forget, or lose that idea when you wake up, or after your angry History teacher taps you on the shoulder, wakes you up, and gives you detention in front of your whole class, or after your haircut is done and you stand in front of the mirror weeping at the horrible bowl cut your kind but eccentric 80 year old hairdresser has given you?

(That was not meant to offend any of you that have bowl cuts)

So what can you do to keep that idea firmly rooted inside your head? Well, have an idea net, of course. And by that, I mean write it down.

I'd say this to most writers. You should have a notebook.

It doesn't have to be an I-can-kick-the-ass-of-any-other-notebook-with-my-thousand-pages notebook, but maybe just a small one that you can fit in your pocket. Oh, and also a pen or pencil. The thing with the pen or pencil is that you have to tuck it behind your ear so that you look smart. (I'm kidding, you don't have to do that)

But whenever you think of a story idea or an idea in general, write it down. That way when you wake up, or your angry history t-yeah you get my point, you'll have that idea to look at or think about the next time you want to write.

Heck, if you're stuck on story ideas, you can look at your list and cross out the things you know for sure you don't want to do. Then the ideas you have you can slowly develop by collecting more ideas from more observations.

The most important question people ask themselves when coming up with ideas is "What if"

What if I turn into a giant? What if we lived in a world where people are classified into five different groups based on passion or their personality? (Divergent, anyone?)

And that's basically what an idea net is. It's the method you use to capture those ideas. To turn them into something great.