Day One: Idea to Novel Workshop: Brainstorm Your Idea

By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy

Welcome to Day One of Fiction University’s At-Home Workshop: Idea to Novel in 31 Days. The first twelve days will focus on developing the story and getting all the pieces in place so we can more easily plot the entire novel.

Today, we’re letting our creative brain run free.

Step One: Brainstorm Your Idea

Brainstorming is a great way to dig deeper into an idea and make sure it really does have the legs to carry an entire novel. Any idea that falls flat after a few minutes of brainstorming is one that probably would have you banging your head against the keyboard by chapter three. Since you won’t have time to rethink your idea in November, it’s better to hit those walls now while you still have time to adapt.

The goal of this brainstorming exercise is to generate enough information about your idea so the later exercises will be more effective. Let your creativity flow and generate as many potential directions for this idea as you can. Don’t try to confine anything at this point—write it all down even if it doesn’t seem to fit or work yet. Some details you’ll use, some will fall away, and others will spark even better ideas. This is only a jumping off point.

Consider how the following questions might apply to your idea. Write down as much as you’d like, and if you have several possible answers, go ahead and write them all down. You never know which details will work best together. No idea is off limits today.

1. Who wants what and why?

This will help you narrow down your protagonist(s) and core conflict of the novel.

2. Who would be against these goals and why?

This will help you determine who (or what) your antagonist is and where the conflict of the novel will come from.

3. Is there one major conflict or problem that needs solving?

This will help you determine how many conflicts might develop from this idea (good for both external and internal conflicts, character arcs, and subplots).

4. Where can huge failures occur (because that might just turn out to be what your protagonist is after)?

This will help you with potential key turning point scenes and moments where the tensions and stakes might be raised.

5. What situations would lend themselves well to the growth of a character?

This will help you determine what potential scenes or issues might also serve the character arc or internal growth of the character.

EXERCISE: Write Down Your Idea

After you’ve explored these questions, write out your idea. Don’t worry if it’s vague or unformed at this stage, the goal is to get it on paper so you can study it and determine if it has what it needs to become a novel. It’s also for you to keep track of that original spark of inspiration so you can refer to it later. It’s not uncommon to lose track of where you want the novel to go or what inspired you about your novel in the first place. Having it written down can remind you if you go off track later.

This is also to give you some direction so later exercises can be more focused and more productive.

The first step in developing a novel is having a clear idea on what you want to write about.

Those following along with the PYN book: Workshop Two offers multiples tips and exercises on finding and developing an idea. Workshop Three goes into more extensive detail on developing your idea and choosing the best way to tell your story.

Tomorrow, we’ll look at developing our novel’s hook.

Follow along at home with the book, Plotting Your Novel: Ideas and Structure. Get more brainstorming questions and things to think about, in-depth articles, and clear examples of every step from idea to novel.

Paperback: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Indie Bound  | Google Books | Books-A-Million | Chapters/!ndio

Ebook: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iTunes | Overdrive | Kobo | Inktera | Chapters/!ndio

Go step-by-step through plotting and writing a novel. Learn how to find and develop ideas, brainstorm stories from that first spark of inspiration, develop the right characters, setting, plots and subplots, as well as teach you how to identify where your novel fits in the market, and if your idea has what it takes to be a series.

With clear and easy-to-understand examples, Plotting Your Novel: Ideas and Structure offers ten self-guided workshops with more than 100 different exercises to help you craft a solid novel. Learn how to:

• Create compelling characters readers will love
• Choose the right point of view for your story
• Determine the conflicts that will drive your plot (and hook readers!)
• Find the best writing process for your writing style
• Create a solid plot from the spark of your idea

Plotting Your Novel: Ideas and Structure also helps you develop the critical elements for submitting and selling your novel once it’s finished. You’ll find exercises on how to:

• Craft your one-sentence pitch
• Create your summary hook blurb
• Develop a solid working synopsis And so much more!

Plotting Your Novel: Ideas and Structure is an easy-to-follow guide to writing your novel or fixing a novel that isn’t quite working. 

Available in paperback and ebook formats.

Janice Hardy is the award-winning author of the teen fantasy trilogy The Healing Wars, including The Shifter, Blue Fire, and Darkfall from Balzer+Bray/Harper Collins. The Shifter, was chosen for the 2014 list of "Ten Books All Young Georgians Should Read" from the Georgia Center for the Book.

She also writes the Grace Harper urban fantasy series for adults under the name, J.T. Hardy.

When she's not writing novels, she's teaching other writers how to improve their craft. She's the founder of Fiction University and has written multiple books on writing.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iTunes | Indie Bound