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| Photo credit: faungg on Flickr |
So it was brought to my attention that I’ve written frighteningly little on brainstorming and my brainstorming process, and I suspect that’s probably because my process is fairly nebulous and can vary depending on the book.
That said, I’m going to try to explain the best I can anyway.
So you have some kind of idea. Maybe it’s just a character, or a single scene, or a vague compilation of images. For me, it almost always starts with a character (though Beyond the Red was a notable exception), usually the protagonist. But regardless of where you idea begins, when all you have is a fragment, it can seem kind of impossible to turn it into a whole book.
The very first thing I do when I have an idea fragment I want to explore is make a bulleted list. This list will include anything and everything I think of related to the idea: What If? scenarios, other characters, potential sources of conflict, possible scene ideas, setting notes, genre/category notes, themes I’m interested in exploring, etc. In this stage, I don’t filter at all—the idea is to just get as much down as possible.
Usually, by the time I get to the bottom of the list, I’ve started to get a feel for the potential book. That’s when I go back and start to weed things out by starring bullets I really like. Once I’ve got my main bullets marked out, potential plot ideas start (slowly) forming in my mind.
The very first plot point I tend to nail down is the inciting incident. Occasionally another random plot point will surface before the inciting incident, but once I have the inciting incident down, that’s when I open up Scrivener and start a new project.
Note that at this point, starting a new Scrivener project does not guarantee the book is going to be written. Or even fully plotted for that matter. All it means is I like where this idea is going enough that I want to explore it further. There’s no pressure whatsoever in this stage—I’m just testing the fragments I have to see if I can expand and weave it together into a potential book plot.
I’ve mentioned before that I am a plotter, and this is where the plotting really begins. I go straight to Scrivener’s cork board, write down the inciting incident and any other scene ideas I already have…then stare at it and try to push it further. I like to start from the inciting incident and think, okay, what could happen next? Some questions I frequently ask myself in this stage include:
- What happens next?
- How can I make this worse?
- What if x happened?
While I do this, I try to keep the main points in mind. Generally the first couple points I want down are the big plot points (Inciting Incident, Point of No Return, Rising Action, Dark Night of the Soul, Climax, Falling Action, Ending) but it doesn’t always work out that way. The ending, especially, I often don’t figure out until I’ve plotted most of the book.
From there, there’s a lot of back and forth. I jump around between flash cards and add new scene ideas wherever I can think of them, writing a sentence to a paragraph on each card to describe the scene/plot point. I delete scenes, rewrite them and move them around until the plot makes sense and fits the way I want it to. Once I’ve hit roughly somewhere between 30-50 flash cards (depending on how long I sense the book will probably be) and I can’t think of anything else to add and it all flows together in a way that makes sense, I know I’m ready to start first drafting.
And maybe when I’m first drafting I’ll fall in love with the characters and the ideas and write the whole book. Or maybe I won’t. But either way, if the idea makes it to the end of the plotting stage (not all ideas do), then I know at the very least it’s worth experimenting with with some words.
How do you turn an idea into a plot?
Twitter-sized bite:
How do you expand a book idea into a whole plot? Writer @Ava_Jae explains her process. (Click to tweet)
20 comments:
Okay, Ava, you must have some sort of magic because literally this morning I came up with an idea and voila, here you are with this post.
I like to use a notebook and spend 1-2 pages on any of the characters I can think of, just zero censorship and considering all the what-ifs, similar to what you do, but not for the plot. Once I have the character details down, I probably have a handful of plot points too, and I try to rearrange them into an approximate three-act structure. Then I like to let the idea simmer, throw in a few more errant ideas, and make myself really excited from all the waiting before actually starting.
Oh, and I love to write Twitter pitches or even queries to force myself to streamline the plot. It's one of the handiest tricks I've picked up so far.
This is great, Ava! I've always wondered your brainstorming process; you always seem so on top of your writing. The simplicity of this process is kind of amazing, too.
When I plot, it usually winds up with an idea (I usually start with characters, too) or a situation, and I simply start writing. Then, if/when I figure out another short scene, I write that. I use a million of little scene-lets to get a feel for my character and their world, and even though I normally don't use all of those scenes later, if I can come up with more than a few of them then I typically transfer them to a larger word document or Scrivener and really start connecting the dots and coming up with a larger storyline.
What's even better for me is if, by the time I get through that, I can write a rough pitch for the idea: since the pitch covers the main idea of a story (main character, conflict, setting), if I can write one all the way through then it means that - hey - I actually have a story!
So far I've started with a character and/or a story I like with a twist. I plot on post-its and move them around on a big easel pad. Using different colors can help me sort what is happening to what characters or to show me how many times a section has been revised.
For me, the inciting incident and main character(s) are VERY important. You can hinge an entire series on that kind of material. "What if" scenarios as well. Otherwise, I hinge a lot of stuff on a detail that sticks in my mind, from a road trip or everyday life or whatever (you see a lot of weird stuff on road trips).
I do worlds, situations, and then ask a lot of questions of it like you seem to. If a world/cultural element is this, how does it affect that? Where are the potential tensions? Characters are rarely starting points for me, they're some of my hardest things to write. But world-building, oh. I love that and start there every time.
I love the idea of "what ifs"--it's akin to what Stephen King says he does when writing a new novel ("What if a super-flu wiped out 99.9% of the population?"), though he doesn't outline. When I first started writing, I tried outlining first, and that didn't work. Then I tried just writing to see where it led, and that got a bit messy. Now I'll write out scenes I like, jot down ideas from other scenes, then at some point rearrange it all so it makes sense in a coherent story. I've been jotting down notes/scenes (mostly on my iPhone) for my current shiny new idea, but I'm not sure there's enough action at the moment, so I'm going to give this "asking what if" thing a try...
Side note: Thank God for modern technology. I have no idea how people wrote longhand or on a typewriter!
I was just glancing through comments, but I'm the same way! I can't really lot for long; I write out different scenes, then figure out which ones I like, arrange them, then connect the dots. It's a small level of structure while still giving me the freedom I like in pantsing.
And I agree: writing longhand is strange and weird...
That's too funny, Alyssa! I actually wrote this one because someone asked me about brainstorming last week, so it looks like you're not the only one playing around with ideas right now. :)
Your initial what if session sounds pretty similar to mine! And also, I forgot about Twitter pitches, but I totally love writing them before I start drafting, too. Usually I'll do that after I've finished plotting (unless I think of it earlier) and before I start writing. Helps to keep me on track, and it's useful to have afterward. :)
Thanks, Rae! I like to be organized. :)
And this sounds cool! So you're mostly a pantser then? And I also like to write pitches—I'll usually do that after plotting (though occasionally before). Helps to keep me on focus while writing. :)
Ohhh I like that! Colored post-its sounds so fun—and I bet it looks so pretty altogether too.
I definitely agree on inciting incident and main characters—the story doesn't really develop until the MC and the incident is worked out, for me. I like what you said about details, too. Good way to describe some of the other random stuff that slips into plotting and brainstorming.
Maybe not "pretty," but I like the ability to move things around physically. This shot is from plot revision #4. The light yellow was the original story. Everything else was is a replacement or insertion. With this 2nd book, I'm coloring things by POV character to see it that's more useful.
That's so interesting! Those in-depth worldbuilding questions are often what I get into with revisions—the worldbuilding in my first drafts is notoriously...erm...sparse. lol
Very interesting, though. I like that. :)
You sound like more of a hybrid writer (not just pantser and not just plotter), which is fun. :) I also totally agree about the modern technology thing—I can't even imagine revising longhand or with a typewriter...
That's so interesting! And fun! Very cool. Thanks for sharing, ladies!
I like that! Very cool. Color-coding things is fun and this looks like a very flexible process. Almost like the Scrivener corkboard, but physical. :)
You have cool method for brainstorming! Usually I get an idea and let it simmer and if it doesn't leave me alone I start thinking of the "what-ifs." I usually get the beginning and end pretty quickly and the cast. The middle and worldbuilding always takes longer. Thanks for sharing!
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You're welcome! I think it's interesting (and probably helpful) that you figure out the ending so quickly—that's always the point I struggle with most. I totally agree with worldbuilding, though—I think I figure probably 60ish% of the worldbuilding in revisions. It's tough to flesh out without visiting the world in a quick draft, IMO. :)
Yeah. I've noticed it's unusual to figure out the ending so fast. I'm not denying it's handy thought lol. Very true. Most of my worldbuilding and character development happens in the second draft.
I can imagine it'd be handy! I actually have heard of some writers who figure out the ending first (or near first) so you're not alone! It's just not how my brain typically works. lol
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