Novel Ideas

Myths are useful to writers because:. Real historical events can be fodder for more than a book idea.

They can provide characters, settings, moods and details that bring your writing to life. It could be something as inconsequential as a brief love affair between two significant historical characters. How does drawing on historical events for book ideas differ from writing historical fiction? Because of the way they involve the imagination, visual sources can be particularly helpful for finding new story ideas. Documentaries broaden your knowledge of a subject.

If you ordinarily watch fictional series or movies, try watching some documentaries on subjects that interest you and note down any story ideas that occur to you while watching or after. Keeping a journal is an essential exercise for writers.

Besides helping you to process and understand your own thoughts and impressions, it helps you recollect the small anecdotes and interesting tidbits you hear throughout the day, many of which could be the germs of novel ideas. Said Woolf of journaling and creative writing:. Keep a journal next to your bed and write for 10 minutes each night before lights out. Write any story ideas that occur to you in the process or as you read over earlier entries in the back of the book.

You might find a map that inspires a travelogue, or an old letter written in a script that inspires the idea for a fictional character. As Stephen King and countless other authors have advised, you need to read to become an author. Many successful books were written in response to or in dialogue with previous stories. Cunningham also describes a woman named Clarissa preparing to host a party, but she lives in contemporary New York rather than Victorian England. Yet you can borrow ideas and characters from existing classics to write a novel that is entirely your own creation.

Pursue new experiences that will broaden your perspective.

1: Explore myths and legends

Go to local talks on interesting subjects in your area. Becoming a great storyteller starts with a burning curiosity about the world around you. Starting a novel is daunting. Finishing a novel is daunting too. Both take commitment, dedication, and sustained work. Writing a short story is a good way to test out a book idea and see if it will sustain an entire novel. Many famous works of literature started out as short stories that authors used as process work.

Find a reason to increase the length of your short story for example your character makes an important decision — what will the outcome be? This can be the guiding core idea for a book.

Novel ideas: An easy exercise for finding them

What if a cure for a major virus was found but pharmaceutical companies refused to produce it out of fear of losing profits? What if a man woke up a giant cockroach? Thinking how a fictional world might differ from our own will help you create a complex alternate reality. Try creating a playlist of different songs or instrumental pieces and do some freewriting while the music is playing in the background. Think about your favorite books or movies.

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The types of stories that stay with you long after you put down the book or turn off the TV. The genres that get you excited are good places to start for your own novel. What are the types of plots you most enjoy? Look at your bookshelf—is it filled with murder mysteries? People overcoming their demons? Grand adventures into the unknown? Think about your favorite characters. This type of character could make a great protagonist for your story.

Perhaps pick your favorite trait from multiple characters. What are the themes that appear most often in the stories you enjoy?

Novel Ideas: An Easy Exercise for Finding them | Now Novel

Do you have a shelf of novels about overcoming personal fears? Do you find yourself flipping through travel magazines dreaming about Hawaii? Or passing a rundown farmhouse on the way to work that starts the creative wheels turning? Now you have this basic idea formed, look at each piece closer and start fleshing it out. Take the dark hero and turn him into the perfect protagonist, figure out what sacrifice will have to be made and how that fits into the plot.