Step One – Let’s Get Started

So you’ve got your computer set up to begin creating your manuscript. You’ve settled on your genre. you have a theme in mind, and you know who your intended audience is. You even have a pretty clear picture of a couple of your primary characters. All you need now is a story line. An idea that will drive your book forward. A starting point from which to grow a plot. But where do good ideas come from?
If you are one of us crime writers – in which group I would include mystery, horror, thrillers and suspense – lots of ideas are as close as the nearest newspaper. Pick up your daily paper and read every story about crime, terrorist activity, or mysterious events. Remember that the person who wrote the articles was telling a story based on what they knew. In each case, separate the known facts from the conclusions. Then ask yourself, what if the reporter got it wrong? How else could those facts be interpreted. When you’ve created a protagonist who discovers that alternate series of events, you have a fine  idea.
More into science fiction? Your ideas might be in a science or tech magazine. Whichever new tech or theory captures your imagination, ask yourself what effect it might have on society. How might this great advancement go horribly wrong? Or, how might it help a hero avert some other unforeseen disaster?
No matter what genre of fiction you want to write, you can use some variation of this “What if?” approach to generate story ideas that will intrigue you. And if they make you want to see where the story goes, they will do the same for your eventual readers.
And don’t be reluctant to use ideas untapped in other writers’ work. Marvellous books have been written from the point of view of Captain Ahab’s wife and Dr. Jekyl’s maid. You might be wondering what kind of street gangs they have in a Harry Potter-like universe, or even what those kids do when they grow up. What if baby superman had landed on a Conan-esque world? 
It’s a good idea to keep an ideas notebook. Once you’re in the habit of looking, you will see them everywhere. Sometimes a great idea will sit in your notebook for years while you work on other projects but when you get to it, it will feel fresh and new.
Next week we’ll talk about how to turn your idea into an actual story.