A couple of years ago, I tried something new. I took a bunch of note cards, and I wrote down things I thought were awesome, one per card. I ended up with things like submarines, heads in jars, brass goggles, clockwork robots, dirigibles, rock giants, and ray guns. I pinned all these ides up onto a big board, and then sat and stared at them. How could I connect some of them? Could I connect all of them? What kind of characters would wear brass goggles and use ray guns? What kind of villains would be heads in jars (and how did they become heads in jars!?) How could my characters need to travel by submarine or dirigibles? What was my story?
I started with fun elements, and built a story out of them by asking questions. I wasn't able to use all my fun elements, but I did use enough of them to end up with a story full of awesome. It took me a while to write that book, and to revise it, but I'm happy to report that I recently sold it! It will be coming to a bookshelf near you next year--and it will b full of awesome.
If you're looking for a new idea, write down some things you love. They don't have to be sci-fi or fantasy things. They could be tigers, or football, or bicycles, or video games. Write down some things you think are awesome, and then practice making up a story that includes as many of those elements as possible. You'll end up with a story that--for you, at least--is full of awesome...
0 comments:
Post a Comment