Growing Ideas Like a Baby (but getting something out of them other than bitter disappointment). Photo by Mathius Clamer

[image error] So you've found some inkling of uniqueness and brought your self respect back from the brink, eh? Good for you! Now, what do you want, a frickin' party with balloons and cakes jumping out of strippers?! Let's get back to work. You need to develop the idea. Now what I do, and I'm not saying you should copy me, but I have been praised for, if anything, my unique and brilliant ideas, is this: I ask the question 'why?'.

Why does this idea come about in this fantastic world you have created? Why is there a vampire who goes out in the sunlight? What happened to give him this love or this urge? To use another example, say you had come up with the awesome idea of a cat with an inferiority complex, because, let's face it, no such paradox has existed. Why does the cat have an inferiority complex? Perhaps it was the victim of a brutal mouse gang beating when it was tiny, or maybe it is someone more human in a cat's body. Either of these points give you some great character background and possible plot points.

From these initial sparks of ideas I usually get some inkling of what I am trying to say. What is my message? Strange occurrences such as these examples give rise to the opportunity for many wonderful happenings. These help drive the story. Maybe the vampire who craves sunlight goes out in his heavily protective gear and bumps into a news reporter who was just about to expose vampires to the humans, but our hero is now able to stop them. In doing so he unwittingly becomes a true hero and poster boy for his people. You could easily write a story about fitting in and fame and popularity from that. Our shy kitty cat might make friends with the rodents and be outcast by his species or gain their trust to fight against the dogs.

Can you see how each idea is part of a chain of ideas that grows bigger and bigger or do I have to have the information into your brain? Brainstorm charts and mind maps are an excellent way to quickly record and develop these ideas.

We're even starting to get plot points, we have the initial idea and how it came about. So next is, where is it going? What will the conclusion be? Once we know that we can make an outline for the plot. Will the shy kitty go from obscurity and neuroses to fame and confidence? Will the vampire go from outcast to masked hero or will his daylight addiction get the better of him?

So map your ideas. Each one gives birth to new ideas: new events, new characters to make them happen, places you want to use... Write it all down. And try not to lose it before I come back again next week and help you finish your plan. Alright, man?