How To Develop Ideas For Novels
A novel begins with an idea for a novel. Then you build that idea a little, as we discussed in the last chapter. But how do you start to cover all the bases that you would need for a fuller novel plan. With a bit of knowledge about how to structure novels (as explained in my book, How To Write A Novel Chapter By Chapter), can do this easily, to get you as far as you need to feel confident about beginning formal writing. But let’s stop a moment and look at something of the things you need to have thought about before you get there.
But first, remember two things.
1. You are a natural storyteller. Since you were a child, you have heard stories in books, movies, on TV, in theatres. You know how to tell a story already. This book is helping you articulate and develop that ability.
2. Turn your radar on to the ideas you get. Listen to the novelist burble in your head and catch and record your ideas. They don’t even have to logically fit the rest of the story yet. Just do it, and be open to your story’s growth.
I didn’t say there was a third point, but plot twist, there is. Keep doing this. As your ideas collect and begin to form connections, begin to build up a narrative structure, keep going.
So, What Story Are You Telling?
Eventually, you will get to a moment where you might feel more comfortable in describing what story you are telling. You might not yet have strongly identified a quest, but you have an idea of what this story is. Maybe you can articulate a basic premise of Character X goes on Journey Y. You might not yet know what Resolution Z is, but you’re getting there.
So, stop and think, maybe write down, the following. What story do you want to tell? If you had to describe it in a few sentences – or even one sentence – do that now, or at least start to work towards doing so. What is the central premise? What do you know about it so far? On a very high level (quest, romantic subplot, twist, climax, etc), what is missing so far? Think of this as a work or academic project, processes with which you might be familiar: what do you know, what do you not know, what are the gaps, what do you want to say?
Write down in a few sentences what your story is. Look at it a while. Read through it. Change something if you wish. (But you don’t have to.) This is the story you are going to tell.
But how do you grow your initial ideas as a spark for a fuller story?
Developing Characters
Compelling characters to drive the narrative forward. Think about and work up their motivations, conflicts, emotions, arc, back story, and transformation during the story. What do they want? What do they need? What is their deep psychology?
Also, have you got any secondary characters yet? Almost all novels ever written have significant secondary characters, either in the present of the narrative or brought out of the protagonist’s past.
Let’s look now at how to build up characters.
- Character Profiles: Start by creating profiles for your main characters, and particularly your protagonist, including their physical appearance, background, motivations, fears, strengths, and weaknesses, childhood, education, relationships, and traumatic or life-changing experiences. Answer this question: “What is your character’s deal? Who are they?” Develop each character’s unique way of speaking. Make them distinct and memorable, especially if you have several similar characters in your novel.
- Character Arcs: Outline how your main characters, and particularly your protagonist, will be transformed by the story. What lessons will they learn? How will they grow or regress? How will they know that about themselves? Have they found happiness or some other kind of enlightenment, or face defeat? Now start to connect those to possible plot points, which will be helped by understanding your genre and story.
- Relationships: Consider the personal, romantic, political and physical dynamics between characters. How do they interact with each other? What is the nature of their relationships? What are their intentions to each other? How will these change (fall in love/become enemies)? How do the different relationships your protagonist have intersect?
- Think about the secrets that people keep, the reveals and truths they hold, or their behaviours, wants and desires, and how these can disrupt and affect the narrative? Who is the best person to provide the major plot points, and how might they do that?
Developing The Plot
Develop the main plot points and the general arc of the novel. List ideas you already have (a murder, a theft, a battle, a romance, a ghostly occurrence) and develop it further using Classic Novel Structure, as outlined in the book above.
1. Major Plot Points: Identify at least some major plot points that will drive your story, which are The Inciting Incident, the Midpoint, twists and reveals, and The Denouement.
2. Subplots: Develop subplots to complement and add variety to the main story and add depth. These involve secondary characters and can explore different moods and themes. Many novels will have a romantic or relationship subplot of some kind, and this should definitely intersect with the main plot points and arc. Later, when we look at Classic Novel Structure in closer detail, you will learn that there are specific points at which you can bring in and resolve these subplots and also use them to effect change in the main plot.
3. Pacing: Ensure that your plot maintains a good pace, with a balance of action and reflection, be carefully neither to bore your reader with too little action nor overwhelm them with too much. Avoid long stretches where nothing much happens. Find ways to create gaps in the narrative so the reader has a chance “to catch their breath.”
Developing Conflict
All novels are arcs of conflict and transformation. This is one of the most fundamental rules of novel-writing. Characters face a conflict and they are changed by it. The protagonist wants something; someone blocks them. People start on a journey; it changes them. Introduce conflicts that challenge your characters, propel the plot forward and effect transformation. Define what's at stake for your protagonist, what they have to do, and their fight to get that will create the events that will map this journey out.
1. Define The Quest, even in the most basic way, which will define what the protagonist wants or needs to do (win a war, escape an oppressive situation, find love, find a serial killer). Every plot point will now be a major marker on that journey, and every piece of conflict and action will derive from it.
2. Develop both internal conflicts (moral or emotional struggles inside a character) and external conflicts (outward struggles with other characters or forces).
3. Ensure that the consequences of the conflict matter. It has to matter.
4. Ensure you are increasing the tension as the story progresses, leading to a climax where conflict peaks and resolves. If using a chapter plan, check before you write that at each stage, the tension increases, even if you have dummy phases of calm.
No matter where you start, as you start to develop ideas, bits of character, plot, setting and conflict will start to emerge as your ideas grow and multiply. If you had mainly plot at the start, but now have a character, go back and apply these technique to developing the Character profile. Continue and repeat until you start to have some kind of “living organism” of an idea, that is now sprouting more and more ideas. Don’t worry if this takes a long time, weeks or even months. Just be patient. But also set time aside to do it, perhaps two hours. You will be amazed with a bit of structure what you will achieve.
Developing Setting and Atmosphere
Even in very commercial novels, setting and atmosphere can transform novels, and enhance the mood and themes of your story. Research if necessary and think of novels you have read that had a strong atmosphere. Often, when starting a novel, writers do one of two things: they either give too much emphasis to setting and atmosphere or not enough. So, this is rarely a primary task when developing a novel (unless, of course, your book is set on a remote, misty island where mysterious, misty things happen!), but it can be useful to get some ideas down now.
- Create rich descriptions of your settings. Use the senses: sights, sounds, smells, textures, the visible and auditory world.
- If your story takes place in a specific period or culture, research thoroughly to create an authentic atmosphere. Do not underestimate the usefulness of looking at media online, including YouTube, for inspiration.
- Think about enhancing the atmosphere. It can reflect or contrast with the characters’ emotions or even the plot.
Think of how movies do this well: in Willy Wonka or The Wizard of Oz, the creepiness of the world becomes more apparent and threatening as we stay in the day-glo, sugary visuals.
Restate, Recap, Revise
Now that you have an overview of the key elements of novel-writing, take a moment to reflect on your novel. Restate everything you know about your story, characters, plot, structure, voice and themes. Writing this down to clarify your vision and help you work up a strategy to continue.
- Summarize the main premise of your novel.
- Outline the major plot points and any pacing issues.
- List your main characters and their key traits.
- Conflict: What is the nature and shape of the conflict?
- Transformation: How are the main characters transformed by the journey?
- Describe the setting of your story and the atmosphere you want to convey.
- Identify the central themes you want to explore.
- Think about the voice you will use it and the point of view.
Do this and you’ll be well on your way to getting your novel ready to start. Remember, writing a novel is as much about discovering what it is as it is telling it. Learn to love this as part of the process, turn on your radar, and begin to join the dots.
How To Write A Novel Chapter By Chapter available here: https://www.amazon.com/How-Write-Novel-Chapter-Outlining-ebook/dp/B0DJ8TMVWL?ref_=ast_author_mpb
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