Have you ever considered that maybe good story ideas escape you because you’re not actually prepared for them? That might be a radical idea, but don’t worry, with these tips you’ll never be caught unprepared by an amazing story idea again.
Be committed to write when you find good story ideas
If internet memes are to be believed, many writers spend far more time thinking about writing and procrastinating than actually writing. Worst of all, they’re not even doing anything about it.
I don’t want to judge anyone, but as someone who doesn’t have a lot of time to write every day, it hurts to see others squander their writing time. Or maybe I’m just jelly, who knows? In any case, how can you expect to find new and better story ideas when you aren’t even doing anything about your existing ones?
Most people aren’t short on ideas but it’s rare to actually work on them. It’s even rarer to turn a great idea into a great story because that takes a lot more work than many people are prepared to do. In short, if you want to find really good story ideas, be prepared to put your hiney on the chair and keep writing even when it’s not pleasant.
You can’t wait for writing inspiration and motivation
If you’re one of those people who wants to be a professional writer, you can’t afford to wait for writing inspiration or motivation.
The truth is, any serious writer knows that you have to write anyway. If you depend on such fickle things as inspiration, you can’t reliably get any writing done in a sensible timeframe.
You might think that you produce better work if you’re inspired and that’s why it’s okay to write less, but actually, you need quantity to be able to produce quality. Thinking doesn’t make you better, action does.
Be brave enough to write authentically
I know the word has suffered from inflation after everyone and their uncle on social media have told you to be your authentic self and to live authentically, conveniently never posting pictures of their messy bedrooms and dirty dishes. Still, you need to be willing to be yourself and stay true to yourself when you’re writing.
There are no unique stories in the world but YOU are unique. There’s no one else like you and no one sees the world like you do. That’s why it is so, so important that you don’t pretend to be something you’re not when you’re writing. We’ve read those other people’s stories already, now it’s time for yours.
I know it’s frightening to write from your heart and expose yourself on the page, but that’s the price you have to pay if you want a real connection with your readers. And a story that doesn’t make anyone feel anything is a story that’s soon forgotten. When you get a really good idea for a story, the last thing you want to do is water it down by fear. Let your writing be as honest, creepy, weird or enthusiastic as it needs to be.
You are not for everyone
Do you know what happens when you try to write for everyone? You write for no one. A story that’s so bland that it annoys no one is a story that no one can love, and I’m pretty sure you don’t want that. To be able to find your true fans, you need to turn your back on others and stop trying to please everyone. Ten thousand people who thought your book was “okay, I guess” are not going to recommend it to anyone, unlike a hundred people who absolutely loved it.
Just so you know, that doesn’t mean you get to be an a**hole on purpose. Writing racist caricatures or knowingly misrepresenting mental illnesses, just to name two awful examples, are not “being authentic”. If you feel like you’re being robbed of your personality when you have to take responsibility for your actions and take other people into consideration, maybe don’t write at all!
Be prepared to edit like your life depends on it
Your best story idea will never come to you if it knows you’re going to give up on it. Writing your first draft and then reading it are always terrifying, but they don’t have to be discouraging. Know that you have done nothing wrong if your writing looks like burning garbage at this point. It’s normal. Even the best writing tips can’t make you write perfectly on the first try.
Having a good outline helps you write a better first draft, but there’s no escaping the fact that great stories are made in the editing stage. Don’t start thinking that there’s something wrong with your story idea when it doesn’t produce a fantastic first draft, because that’s like looking at a caterpillar and saying it sucks at being a butterfly. It always, always takes multiple drafts to write a good novel and there’s no escaping that.
It’s always sad when you read a book with great potential that ends up getting wasted and bogged down by lack of good editing. Usually those books don’t even get published, but sometimes even that happens, and it’s just such waste of time, words and pages. Have some respect for your story idea and for your readers. Don’t quite before the finish line.
I have full confidence in you that you have what it takes. Wrestle that raw draft into the masterpiece it’s destined to be.
So, where can you find good story ideas?
I think you already have great ideas you could work on, it’s just that actually working on them doesn’t occur to you as an option. Weird, right? But that’s why I created Your Best Story Idea workbook – it’s going to help you find what you genuinely want to write about. And don’t forget, it’s totally free.
I also offer several writing prompt collections in my Etsy shop. They’re carefully created and curated to be more interesting and inspiring than what you can usually find for free, and feel free to check out the listings for free examples.
Lastly, here are blog posts that you will find useful:
- How to write unique stories
- Summer story ideas
- Got vibes but no plot?
- Ideas for scenes in your story
- Good conflict ideas for stories
- Tips for writing a fantasy novel
- How to write a book about your own life
Protagonist Crafts is a blog about writing fiction, written by a published author and creative writing teacher. You can find more writing tips and inspiration in the blog and you can get the best author tools at Writer Lifestyle on Etsy.
