7. NaNoWriMo 2015: Ideas

Kelly and JJ kick off NaNoWriMo month! This week they talk about how to find an idea to write into a novel, and some tips about how to START writing.

Show Notes

It's all JJ, all the time this week!

• How to Find the Right Idea to Turn into a Book

• How Do I Come up with An Idea?

• Perspiration vs. Inspiration, Or What I Learned from a Month of Inktober

Some Tips and Tricks

1. Keep a journal to write down scraps of ideas, or Story Seeds

   • Character

   • Premise

   • Plot

   • Match any of the Story Seeds together for a novel--need at least 2 to start writing

2. If Story Seeds aren’t coming:

   • Write a list of your favourite books

   • Identify which tropes are contained within them (visit TV Tropes as needed)

   • Divide the tropes into Character, Premise, and Plot

   • Pick 2, see if it sparks anything and start writing

3. Start telling yourself the story—DON’T START WRITING YET—write a “long, shitty synopsis”

4. Figure out the inflection/turning points of the first act

   • Inciting Incident: the thing that changes the status quo

   • The Point of No Return: the moment the protagonist takes action and becomes personally involved

5. START WRITING

Troubleshooting

• Describe your character using three adjectives, without describing their sex/gender, ethnicity, looks, or profession/occupation.

• Specificity helps. BE SPECIFIC.

Books Discussed

• Save the Cat by Blake Snyder

• Second Sight by Cheryl Klein

• Ash by Malinda Lo

• The Martian by Andy Weir

• The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh

• Walk on Earth a Stranger by Rae Carson (and please read this review of the book by Debbie Reese, who is a librarian and Native American)

• The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

• Life and Death: Twilight Reimagined by Stephenie Meyer

• Enhanced e-editions of Harry Potter by J. K. Rowling

• The Haunting of Hill House, We Have Always Lived in the Castle, and The Lottery by Shirley Jackson

Apologies for some audio issues at the end of the episode.

Off-Menu Recommendations

• The Great British Baking Show

• Crimson Peak

  • The Turn of the Screw by Henry James

  • Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

• The Babadook

• Nightmare on Elm Street

• Black Swan

• Single White Female

• Saw

That's all for this week! Next week we'll have another pep talk for you, plus answering your questions! Comment with any questions you have for us about writing, drafting, motivation, etc. or send us as ask through Tumblr.