Monday, December 17, 2012

Coming up with stories

This past week, I spent most of my writing time coming up with stories. I actually came up with five ideas, wrote two storyboards and one synopsis.

This week and next I will take the two most developed of those ideas, and write good synopses and the first three chapters for each book.

Now, why did I come up with multiple ideas if I'm only developing 2? Two reasons...I'm saving the others. :) But also...I like to task batch.

When I'm drafting, I love to draft. When I'm proofing, I proof the cereal box. The same is true when I'm coming up with story ideas. When I'm working on ideas, I like to work on ideas.

I have a system. I start with a concept that I turn into a one-paragraph story idea. I turn that idea into a could, might, must and should list which I turn into a storyboard. And the storyboard becomes a synopsis.

You need a specific set of skills to write a one-paragraph story idea. Your brain needs to be very open when you create your could, might, must and should list. And you need to be in organization mode when you're doing a storyboard.

So since you have to employ a specific skill set and also have to "set" your brain to work a specific way...Why only do one idea? LOL

With your brain set to stretch and reach, why not let it do all the stretching it wants to do? When it's in organization mode, why only organize one idea?

The next time you're working on an "idea"...try working on a second idea too. And in the week or two weeks you've set aside to develop your book...you might just end up with two stories rather than one!

Happy Monday

Susan

3 comments:

Larissa Lyons said...

Very interesting concept - I like the "batching tasks" idea. Any chance you can explain the "could, might, must and should list" concept?

Susan said...

Go back into the archives. There's a post on could, might, must and should lists!

susan

Larissa Lyons said...

Very good. It took a bit of clicking but I found a couple of articles in both March and February of 2012 that expand on this concept. Thanks!