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This week: Idea Farming Edited by: Jeff More Newsletters By This Editor
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"The two most engaging powers of an author are to make
new things familiar, and to make familiar things new."
-- Samuel Johnson
Trivia of the Week: J.K. Rowling is the only author in history to have earned a billion dollars from her writing. To put her earnings in perspective, her estimated net worth is higher than that of James Patterson and Stephen King combined. Interestingly, the author who comes closest to her ten-figure net worth is cartoonist Jim Davis (of Garfield fame), who has a net worth of approximately $800 million.
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IDEA FARMING
One of the most frequently asked questions of successful writers is where they get their ideas. It can be a frustrating question to answer because a lot of writers may not know exactly where their ideas come from, or may not be able to effectively articulate how they develop their ideas. And on top of all that, the fact of the matter is that ideas can come from pretty much anywhere. Writers get ideas from things they read, see, experience, and think about.
The tricky part about ideas is that they're not all good ones. Some ideas are just okay, and some are downright terrible. But like a farmer tending crops, it's not so much about avoiding or preventing bad ideas as it is learning how to separate those from the good ones.
A lot of writers fall into one of two traps when it comes to ideas. They either:
Rush into using the first idea they come up with; or
Take forever trying to come up with the perfect idea.
Rushing into using the first idea that springs to mind usually isn't the best thing for your writing, because chances are it's the first thing that's sprung to mind for other writers as well. Especially when it comes to pivotal ideas like plot twists, or genre fiction where a premium is placed on convention and elements that the audience expects to be the same but slightly different, this can spell disaster for a writer trying to come up with something unique and interesting.
Taking forever to come up with the perfect idea can be equally destructive to your writing. Good ideas don't come along every day, and it can be paralyzing to not move forward on anything while you're waiting for lightning to strike. Perfection is a goal that everyone falls short of, so don't be lured into the trap of feeling like an idea has to be flawless before it's worth considering.
In my experience, the key to coming up with good ideas is to come up with a lot of them, then separate the good from everything else. When you're dealing with a large volume of ideas, you have more material to work with. Here are some suggestions and tips on how to generate more ideas and avoid getting blocked:
Come up with at least 3-5 new ideas every day. The mind needs to be exercised and trained if you want to keep it in shape. Depending on the kind of things you write, you may only be coming up with ideas every few months and that can mean that you're putting your brain through the same process as trying to get your body in shape by going for a run once a month. You have to use regular conditioning if you want to get in shape, so making yourself come up with 3-5 new ideas every day will ensure that on the days where you do need to come up with something, you're thinking with a brain that's been trained to come up with ideas.
Don't use the first 3 solutions you come up with. If you're trying to come up with a solution to a problem, force yourself not to go with the first three ideas you come up with. Chances are, the first three solutions will be the kinds of things that other writers come up with too, so if you can push beyond those, you're far more likely to come up with a memorable and unique scenario. So if, for example, your character needs to escape from a locked room, your first thought might be to break down the door... which has been done a million times before. Your second thought might be to climb out the window... also, not unique. Your third thought might be to climb through the ventilation ducts... yep, seen that before. And now that you have those all-too-familiar tropes out of the way, you can start to find more creative ways to accomplish the task. Do you pick the lock? Sweet-talk a guard? Signal for help using a broken piece of mirror and the reflection of the sun?
Keep an idea journal. Keep all of your ideas in one place. If you're particularly organized, you might want to keep track of different kinds of ideas (story concepts, plot twists, memorable character moments, etc.) on separate lists. You never know what you'll be writing at some point in the future, so an organized system for keeping track of your ideas will help you go through them later and pull out the good ones that have been waiting around for this exact situation you're writing about.
Periodically re-evaluate the ideas in your journal. If you do keep an idea journal, it's a good idea to go through and re-assess those ideas from time to time. Sometimes an idea that you thought was great when you first wrote it down ends up not being so great when you evaluate it with fresh eyes weeks or months later. And sometimes ideas that aren't quite fully formed need a little more development before they can become the stories they're meant to be. If you make a habit of noting down your ideas, also make a habit of going through those notes from time to time and figuring out which ones you actually think are worth using, and which ones aren't as shiny as they seemed at first.
Get plenty of exercise and do other things. Most of us who have been writing for any amount of time can attest to the fact that ideas seem to come at times when we're doing other things (working out, running errands, right before bed, in the shower, etc.), and very rarely come when we're staring at the blank page or screen. The mind works best when it's being stimulated by other things, not just staring into space trying to will something to happen. Knowing that, make sure you're setting aside time for those other non-writing activities that help foster your creativity. Go outside, be active, and do other things that interest you. Keep a notebook or a voice recorder or your smartphone handy so you can quickly jot down those jolts of inspiration when they strike.
Practice regularly. Put yourself in situations that require you to come up with creative ideas on a regular basis. WdC contests like " The Writer's Cramp" and the " Daily Flash Fiction Challenge" , for example, offer a new writing prompt every day. Even if you only enter three rounds per week, that's three days per week you're thinking creatively and trying to come up with a story idea. When I first started getting heavily involved in this site and wanted to develop my writing, I wrote dozens of stories for those contests and the experience of pushing yourself to come up with story ideas on a daily basis for an extended period of time put me in a fertile, creative mindset that's been hard to replicate without the same frequent mental challenge.
Coming up with ideas is a skill you develop, just like the actual craft of writing, the physical conditioning required to become an athlete, or anything else. You can't get better if you don't regularly practice and mature as you use them. If you need a large quantity of ideas (for example, maybe you're a short story writer, or a poet, or a very prolific novelist), you'll be best served by training your brain to get into the habit of regularly coming up with ideas. And even if you don't need ideas that often, you'll be more prepared for when you do need them if you've been practicing all the while.
Treat your ideas like a crop you're farming. Sew the seeds, cultivate them, and do the daily hard work of tending them until they sprout and blossom.
Until next time,
Jeff
If you're interested in checking out my work:
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EXCERPT: The reflection in the shop window was as distorted as I felt. I could see a youngish woman with dark glasses and shaggy hair limping across the icy sidewalk. I turned away and hunched my shoulders against the cold. It was time to get inside somewhere warm and peaceful. A few months ago I’d found this little greasy spoon tucked away on a side street. They specialzed in souvlaky and philly cheese steak. Since I was generally a vegetarian I wouldn’t run into anyone I knew. That’s why I liked it here.
EXCERPT: Pulling her jacket tightly around herself, Lucy Emily Nuñez tugged her suitcase nearer. Horns blared, cars in gridlock at the Tegucigalpa, Honduras airport. A mountain breeze caught her strawberry-blond locks as they framed her face. Wow, the first time that I’ve traveled by myself and at thirteen too! She grinned. Cheeks rosy, eyes intent, she raised an arm. “¡Taxi, por favor!”
EXCERPT: We had driven out into the wasteland, Fingers and me. Or I should say, I had driven. Fingers was sitting next to me, a gun poked into the side of my ribcage. We did not talk. There was nothing left to say. It had all been said. I would have run off the road into a tree if I could, taken my chances with the air bag. But there were no trees. Nothing. Not even a ditch to overturn the car. My mind should have been racing, trying to find an escape, but everything moved, contrarily, in slow motion. The sun was low in the sky as I drove towards it.
EXCERPT: "It's not fair," Susan yelled. "You...you..."
Tom shrugged again. "Hey. You wrote it. Let's see. When we got married I was making thirty five thousand as a teacher and you were making two hundred grand, right? You owned this house outright, correct? You made an ironclad contract between us. What's yours is yours and what's mine is mine. I'm okay with it."
"But...but you won the lottery. Twelve million."
EXCERPT: One problem with living in an apartment in the city, is the faces of your neighbors kept changing. This never bothered Sari Gregson.
Sari attached her last review to the email and sent it to her editor. Four gallery reviews in as many days. Now she could take the next two weeks off and get away from artists, art galleries, and art buyers. Along with the insulting wine and champagne the gallery owners served their guests.
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Feedback from my last newsletter about writing with a day job:
Sara - back on WDC writes:Jeff, I had never stopped to think about how I prioritize my writing before I read your newsletter. For the past few years, I have found it difficult to get back into the swing of writing. I joined this site back in July to tackle this writer's block issue of mine. Looking back over the past couple of months, I have realized how little I have still managed to write. Yes, it has been a busy 5 months, and yes, I have written a few things- but I have only posted one story here for others to see. Your newsletter has really gotten me thinking about all of the small, trivial, sometimes inconsequential things I have put ahead of my writing. Thank you for writing this, and for helping me to remember that I need to make time for writing. You have inspired me to set a goal for 2016: to write (at least) one short story per month, regardless of length. It is time for me to get back to my passion, and to share my words with others. Happy holidays, and keep on writing and inspiring, Sara"
One short story a month is a great goal to have! Good luck with your writing!
Monty writes: "I always read and at times pick up items that are great for an old poet."
Thanks for writing in!
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