I want to thank the people that contacted me for a read of my first chapters. The post is here and if you would like to read it, you can still Contact meon the link.
Now, back into the swing of things.
It’s that time of the week – Tuesday Discussion.
From those who are new, each week I post a topic (relevant to my WIP) and try to unravel the mysteries and perspectives of it. This week is:
Novel Ideas
Whether we are traditionally published, indie or self-published, we must connect owith readers and tell a great story. Structure is the delievery system for our story – which I have touched on Four Ways to Structure a Novel – but before we structure the novel we must decide whether the idea is worth it or not.
How do you know when your novel idea is worth pursuing or discarding into the rubbish and moving onto the next idea?
A good idea is one that you can convince others is a good idea. This, to me, is what people mean when they refer to good ideas and bad ideas. If you can reduce your idea to one sentence, and that sentence conveys everything that excites you about the story and makes you want to write about it and demonstrates that you know how to handle pacing/character development/are a generally capable writer, then you’ll have a much easier time selling this idea to agents/publishers.
I have two methods to test if my idea is novel worthy:
1.
2. I run my idea through the L.O.C.K. system – Lead, Objective, Conflict and Knockout.Can I cast a LEAD character who is relatable and likable?
Is this OBJECTIVE something that will keep readers interested for the whole novel?
Can I create a CONFLICT to keep my lead from her objective?
Does this story problem lend itself to a KNOCKOUT ending?
What are the biggest problems you face when it comes to developing your ideas?
Do you have a system for your ideas?
If you think someone has an interesting point of view and answer, please invite them or share this post to them.
#DWTSmith #novelideas
Douglas W.T. Smith 
I love/hate developing an idea into a plot. Sometimes things fall into place and sometimes not at all. My current planning for novel 2 is more of a love than a hate though. I’ve set it in a beautiful city near where I live, and I go there, walk around with my character’s in mind, and the plot just seems to fall into place slowly. Great post (and subsequent posts that you’ve linked to) x
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It is a love/ hate relationship like ice cream.
That’s a really useful way to motivate yourself!
Thank you, it means a lot to see people interested in what I write on my blog 😊
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