Story Ideas with Heart

Concept vs. Story

When I first started out, I would often keep a list of awesome story ideas that I planned to write in the future. These included super cool things like alien crash landings, vampire office dramas and yetis on skis. In retrospect I realize that these were all concepts, not stories. Yetis on skis are cool, but they’re not enough to build a story. What do the yetis want more than anything in the world? What obstacle is stopping them from getting it? What emotional catharsis will they experience in the end? Those are the ingredients that make up a good story. The yetis and middle management vampires are just window dressing.

Plotting With Emotion in Mind

Nowadays, when I’m planning a new story, I start with the moment of emotional catharsis and work back from there. Everything I write will be building to this one pivotal moment, so it's a logical jumping off point.

I begin by asking myself how I want the reader to feel at the end of the story. Will they come away with the deep sadness that accompanies losing a loved one, mixed with a sense of peace and renewed understanding that sometimes Death comes to us as a friend? Or will it be something completely different? Starting with this emotion in mind can help focus and intensify your plot, so you emphasize only the points that build naturally to this feeling.

My Advice

Pick a list of your favorite books and write down the emotional takeaway. It might be a feeling, a new understanding or a moment of catharsis resulting from overcoming an obstacle. Whatever it is, write them all out and use them as inspiration the next time you’re compiling future story ideas.

A Little About Me

I am the author of Skeleton Tree, a middle grade novel coming out with Scholastic Press in September 2017. I'm a fan of whimsy, British mysteries and reading books to my dog (she's partial to Roald Dahl, in case you were wondering). I'm super excited to write for Middle Grade Minded and to share the love of middle grade literature with the world.

The Importance of a Strong Concept

We are in the midst of Pitch Wars season.

And I must make a confession: I'd never heard of Pitch Wars, or any other online pitching, before I got my first book deal and became more active on social media.

And I'm also not going to lie: since I heard about Pitch Wars, I've been equal parts terrified and enthralled by the idea.

Why you might ask?

Simple: Being able to pitch your idea means you have such a clear concept that you are actually able to deliver it in less than 140 characters (well, perhaps over two or three tweets).

And I salute you.


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Because as a writer, refining my idea into something clear, fresh, AND engaging is one of my biggest challenges.

And being able to pitch an idea that jumps out of a tweet and gets people excited?

Golden.

Oh, I get lots of ideas.

But often they are only flashes of something, and I seem unable to build on them in such a way that it makes my agent sit up and shout "Write THAT!"

Or sometimes I'll get a great idea only to realize my idea has been done a thousand times before and by better writers than me.



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I attended a break-out session with a literary agent at the Winter SCWBI conference this past February. The agent spoke at length about the benefit of having a high concept when it comes to pitching your work to an agent, an editor, the public.

What's high concept?

An idea that no only you can explain easily, but which immediately creates buzz in whoever hears it. It's as if when they hear your concept they think "Wow! What a fantastically original twist on an idea!"



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Think of Romeo and Juliet. Had Will Shakespeare said "Hey-I've got this fantastic idea about a boy and girl who fall in love in Italy" his agent would have said "Um, no thanks Will. Seen it a thousand times before."

But no, Will's got something better:

"Hey-I've got this fantastic idea - the children of sworn enemies fall in love, secretly marry, and thanks to a series of violent and tragic events, must separate, only to be later reunited and die in each other's arms thanks to a terrible mix-up."

His agent's response? "Nice play, Shakespeare!" And the rest is history!


Obviously, not every idea can be high concept nor should it be. The book I have coming out in February, It's a Mystery, Pig Face! was definitely NOT high concept.

Sure there's a mystery surrounding a bag of money discovered in a baseball dugout, but mostly, it's about how the impact of trying to solve the mystery affects the relationships between a sister, her best friend, and her annoying little brother.

But let's be honest. If you have a killer idea AND your idea is high concept, it is going to WAY easier to get people to want to read your book and represent you.

So how can you take your idea and make it high concept?

• Push your idea farther. Ask yourself the same kinds of questions Shakespeare must have asked himself when writing his plays "What if..."
• Ask yourself - is this unique? Has it ever been done like I want to do it before?

How will you know if your idea is high concept?

• When you describe your idea to other people do they get REALLY excited and already start imagining what your book will be like? (this happened to be with the recent book I sold and believe me, it is a fabulous feeling!)
• You can easily imagine the movie
• You can imagine lots of different kinds of kids wanting to read the book and you can imagine parents, teachers and librarians recommending it.

One of the best pieces about concept that I've read online is by literary agent Jill Corcoran, who has killer instincts.  Read her piece here - it will forever change your perspective!

The one thing I know for sure: developing a strong concept can come to you like a bolt out of the blue, but usually, it takes time and a lot of finessing to take your idea and make it something compelling so that an agent will want to sign you, a publisher will want to publish you and best of all, a kid will want to read your book.

But it-is-oh-so-worth-it!

And for all of you participating in this year's Pitch Wars: GOOD LUCK!

4 Healthy Ways to Expand Your Story

A lot of writers tend to overwrite their first drafts. As an engineer, I tend to do the opposite. I often try to get my point across in as few words as possible. Sometimes I’m very successful, but when it comes to first drafts it often creates confusion for the reader. So I have to look for healthy ways to increase my story without adding words just for the sake of inflating my word count.

Character development

When writing characters, you want them to have more than one dimension. You want them to pop off the page and feel like real people, even your minor characters. Some questions to ask yourself when developing and expanding on characters:

• What does each character want?
• What are they hiding?
• What are they trying to discover?

Think about where your characters are at the beginning of the book, their thoughts and feelings, then think about where you want them to be by the end. Then as you write each scene consider what the character feels, thinks, and wants. Also think about how your character would act in certain situations, everything from facial expression to how they might walk. Are they the kind of character that flies off the handle easily or do they go with the flow? What are the good traits of your characters and what are some of their flaws and shortcomings. No one is perfect and your characters shouldn't be either. If you are able to show all that then the reader will have a much better understanding of your character.

Plot

Each scene should add to the plot. Take a look at each scene and determine what the purpose is. Are you introducing a character? Finding out new information? Are your characters hitting an obstacle? Whatever it is, every scene should have at least one plot advancing reason for being there. Think of each scene as a mini story. It should have a beginning, middle, and end. Start it late and get out early. If each scene doesn't have a way to advance the plot consider editing so it adds to the story arc or consider cutting it. 

Conflict/Tension

Add tension and conflict to your scene. Are there things your characters need to learn? These may be things you used to define your character and their journey initially. What obstacles can you throw in their way to make it more difficult on them? Are there other characters that wish to withhold the information? Are there physical obstacles keeping your character(s) from getting where they need to go? What other tension can you add on the quest for discovery? Answering all these questions will help add layers to your scenes and your overall story arc. It may also help you build in smaller subplots.

Setting/World building

Determine what the reader needs to know about your world. Is there anything that is confusing readers? Are there things that are hard to visualize? Are there things that should be left up to the readers’ imagination? Setting can be as complex as another character at times, so consider what might need to be added to advance the plot and help add to the character's conflict.

Focusing on the above items can not only increase your word count in a healthy way, but can also increase the richness of your story. It will help draw your readers in and make them want to stay in the world you’ve created, which will ultimately make your story stronger.

What other ways do you add to your story when it seems to be lacking?

Reality Can Be Better Than Fiction

Sounds odd coming from a fiction writer, on a blog for fiction MG writers, right? But let me explain. I love fictions stories. But sometimes, the real world is even cooler than the things we can make up in our own heads. So why not use them?

We’re writing for 9-13 year olds and if there is one thing I know about that age is that they love to learn. Well, less that they like to learn, but more that they like to know things. Teachers and school? Bahaha. No. But being able to tell someone about the ice caves in Alaska? or the cliff mountains in China? Or the pink lake in Australia? Yes! 

So use the information around you (I’m a big google fan) to your advantage and pull in your readers in a way you never have before. Teach them something. Entertain them but show them how amazing the real world can really be. 

Topic One: settings. 

This is one of my favorite ways to take an average story and make it extraordinary. Because you can place nearly any story into a new setting to take it up a notch, or ten. 

Making a story stand out can sometimes be more difficult than we’d like. The story pulling at your heart strings might be a story that’s been done too many times. A story that you’re afraid won’t stand out enough in the slush pile or even on the shelves. Do you put it down and try something else? Maybe. But I’m a fan of following my heart. I think you should to.

So here’s plan B. Open up your browser, or walk into the book store, and start a little research. Maybe that quest your character must go on will take him to the pink lake in Africa (there’s also one in Australia) instead of a forest on the outskirts of town.  

Or maybe instead of growing up in a small town in the united states she grew up in the city in Bonn  germany where the tree’s form a roof over the town in the spring time.

Or instead of getting lost in the mountains, your character gets lost inside the selenite crystals of the Naici mines in Mexico.

Kids don’t want to feel like they’re being taught something, they want to experience something. Reading is the perfect way to do that. Give them the kind of adventure they won’t ever forget. The kind that could inspire curiosity for the world’s great places.

http://www.boredpanda.com/amazing-places/

So you've decided to write a MG book - awesome! Erm, now what?

You're kicking back and relaxing with one of your favorite middle grade books. (For me, I have finally caught up with all the Heroes of Olympus books by Rick Riordan...but that doesn't matter). You've just hit the last page, and the only thing left to do is close the book. This adventure is over. Without a second thought you jump from your seat, flinging the book halfway across the room. You stretch out your arms and shout at the top of your lungs.

"I SHALL WRITE MY OWN MIDDLE GRADE BOOK!"

Fantastic! But, what are you going to write about?

This is the hard part. Coming up with an idea that is not only original, but something that will appeal to a middle grade audience that is seemingly more often than not called a "reluctant reader". Now I am not going to tell you what to write in this post, but rather give a few suggestions as to how to snag the interest of a MG reader and hold it for each and every page of your book.

Phase 1 - Coming up with the Concept aka THE BRAINSTORMING SESSION!

The fact of the matter is, phase 1 doesn't exist. It's a myth. I find the best way to come up with your idea is to just let it come to you naturally. Whether it's while you are driving in your car, on the train to work, during dinner, or waking up from a vivid dream. It can come to you at any moment. Which is why I give you this one bit of advice. Keep some sort of journal, or device where you can keep track of your ideas. You never know when it's going to strike.

Phase 2 - The idea has been born! Now let's keep it original...

First of all, I'd pay good money to see a Star Trek TNG / Star Wars tie in, but seriously folks. Let's keep your ideas original! We all want to grab from other books that have inspired us, but we have to be careful. One of the key things a reader is looking for (especially a MIDDLE GRADE reader), is something fresh and new. Sure, middle grade kids would go nuts over a book with fierce warriors or epic star ship battles, but we have to go where no man has gone before with our books (oh snap, see the star trek tie in right there?). There is no problem with being inspired, but rule #1 is to come up with an original plot behind your concept. Once again, don't rush this. Let it come to you. You'll be surprised what's waiting to break free if you just let your imagination run wild.

Phase 3 - But what do MG kids like?! Determining your target audience.

Good question. And that's up to you to decide. I am in no place to tell you what to write about. Every kid is different, and that's where you have to figure out who you're going to cater your story to. Are you targeting the Sci-Fi buff, the contemporary reader, or maybe the kid dragon slayer? Be careful though. You don't want to put all your eggs in one basket. Make sure you're not stretching yourself too thin with your audience. Too much of a good thing could end up being a bad one. Some more advice? Hang out with some middle grade kids! Nieces, nephews, volunteering at your local school or library. Get to know them! Some kids love telling you about what their latest addiction is!

Phase 4 - The kick-butt protagonist.......

Alright, Kirk. You don't need to kick your own butt. But in all seriousness, this is one of the most important aspects of your book. Your NEED to have your audience fall in love and relate with your protagonist. Especially with a middle grade audience, they need to believe that this character could be real. They want to read the book, and have it feel that they are following the MC every step of the way. We want to root for them and put ourselves in their shoes! Learn how they think. Learn how they act, and apply that to your MC. MAKE. HIM/HER. BELIEVABLE!

Phase 5- The diabolical antagonist..........

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There he is Khan! FOUND WALDO! Good job, but you're still evil. Second most important part of your book? A villain worth remembering. How can anyone forget he-who-must-not-be-named? Take a look at what JK Rowling did with her villain. A villain is not just someone who is out to get your protagonist. They have just as much of a story as your protagonist does. What drives them to be evil? ARE they really evil? What is their conflict? Do not ignore these things. Villains aren't mindless. In fact, there is usually more going on their heads than the hero. 

Phase 6- Don't give up on your story!

You've come this far, now the only part left is to finish it. Let the story come out at it's own pace. This isn't a race to the finish. Write, write, and write some more. Then edit, edit, and edit even more. You have a great idea right at your finger tips, and I guarantee you, if you put the effort in, an audience is out there waiting to read it.