“Don’t have any bright ideas”

These are usually the tough words grumbled by a bank robber in the middle of a hold up. If, however, they are grumbled by a writer, they can prove to be just as deadly.

The foundation for every story, every novel is composed of that all important bright idea. Occasionally, those ideas can prove to be hard to come by, but there are a few tools that may help summon the idea for the next best seller.

There are an infinite number of ideas that can branch off of what has been called a ‘what if’ question. What if a man jumped out of a plane and forgot his parachute? What if a woman showed up on her first date with two different shoes on? In these simple questions an additional infinite number of questions can be asked until a story begins to develop. What is the scenario as to why the man is in the airplane? Is he forced out? Does he make it? What does he do for a living? Is he the main character? Where is he landing?

What about the woman? How old is she? Is this a blind date? What can possibly be happening in her life to let this happen? At what point does she realize her blunder? What will she do?

By asking and answering all these questions, the idea for a new novel comes together seemingly like magic.

There are also an infinite number of ideas found by simply being an observant writer. This will be discussed in the next post.