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Hellooo everybody! I receive a ton of messages from writers at all stages of the writing process,
but recently the one stage that has been tripping a lot of you folks up is the idea phase. How am I
supposed to write a book if I can't think up a plot in the first place? On the flip side,
how am I supposed to choose a concept if I have a bunch of wildly different ideas competing for
my attention? There, there child. Let me show you the way. I'm gonna to give you five tips on how
to choose the story idea you should tackle next! Whether you have no concepts in mind or too many
to juggle, these are the basic steps you gotta take in order to get out of the dreaded idea
phase. Number One (1): Create ideas. Obviously. “But Jenna, I don't know how!” Really? You don't
know how to create ideas? How do you pick the clothes you're gonna wear for the day? How do
you choose which words come out of your mouth? You think of shit, with your mind! Coming up with
ideas is the same thing. You literally just think ‘em up. That's how brains work! Now sometimes the
old noodle gets rusty, so we need some stimulation in order to get our creative juices flowing. My
opinion is that creativity begets creativity. So if you're looking to spark your imagination,
surround yourself with creative energy. This could be looking at artwork. It could be reading poetry
or other novels. The easiest way to spark my imagination is to listen to music. I have a
writing playlist that I keep on my phone and I listen to it every single day, and I'm constantly
thinking up storylines that coincide with the music. So if you're having trouble creating ideas,
find a source that triggers your imagination. Some people like to draw. Some go for a run or hang out
in nature. Figure out what works for you and put that cyborg brain to use! Number Two (2): Go with
your gut. Sometimes the issue isn't coming up with an idea in the first place. It's having too many
ideas. In these situations, you just have to be honest with yourself and go with your gut. Which
concept are you most passionate about? Which one is always on your mind? If you're gonna spend a
shit ton of time and effort writing a story to completion, it should be one you feel deeply
connected to. Otherwise the journey’s gonna be a bitch. Sometimes it's not the most obvious choice.
When it came time to start my next project, I had a concept already outlined in full but I
chose to work on The Savior's Champion, which was literally just an idea in my head. I had nothing
written down. But writing is a personal journey. You're going to spend a lot of time with just you,
your thoughts, and your story. Don't overthink it! Pick the concept that speaks to you. Number
Three (3): Don't regurgitate. I've lost track of the number of times I've had this exact
conversation with an aspiring writer. “So I'm writing a manuscript. It's a young adult dystopian
about a teenage girl who lives in a society where everyone is divided up by skill set, and this
girl has multiple skills, and you're totally not allowed to have multiple skills. So she's really
special, but also dangerous. And this girl uses her multiple skills to fight the evil government.”
Ya know, I could be wrong, but this sounds very similar to the premise of Divergent. “Oh my gosh,
you noticed! Yes, I'm very inspired by Divergent. Four is bae!” Guys, when you recreate the exact
premise of another novel, that's not inspiration. That's regurgitation. Now, it's true when people
say that everything's been done before. There will always be books about dragons, aliens,
death, betrayal. And it's completely fine to write about any of these topics. But there's
a supreme difference between using a few common tropes and copying. The different plot dynamics,
subplots, characters and relationships breathe originality into a concept. Thus, these things
should be your own creation. If you're relying on another author to create this stuff for you,
you're not really channeling what it means to be a creative writer, because you're not
creating anything at all. Trust your instincts and imagination. And above all else, trust in
your ability to think up your own story. It's okay if your book features wizards, but if your child
wizard MC has a conspicuous scar on his forehead, it might be time to rethink the direction you're
headed. Number Four (4): Avoid the trend trap. A lot of aspiring writers feel the pressure to
chase trends. “Welp, everyone's writing shifter erotica. Guess I gotta do it too.” But chasing
trends can be a bad idea for many reasons. First of all, it takes a long time to write a book. By
the time your book comes out, this trend might be over. It's even worse if you're writing a series!
What happens if you release book one and the trend is already outdated? You're fucked! Second,
if you hop on a trend strictly for readership, you're probably not gonna be all that invested
in the story. How can you rationalize spending years toiling over a piece of literature that
has no guarantee of success when you don't even give a shit about it? And lastly, readers remember
trendsetters. They don't remember the followers. One or two coattail riders might gain a following
from the trend, but in general, readers latch on to whichever author made the concept cool in the
first place. In other words, if you're a trend chaser, you might very well be making yourself
forgettable. So if you're passionate about a concept that happens to be on trend, by all means,
give it a shot! But if you're writing about something exclusively because it's trendy,
you're probably shooting yourself in the foot. And Number Five (5): Write what you want to
read. A lot of people will tell you that when it comes to fiction, you should write what you
want to write. But a better suggestion is to write what you want to read. Quite often what
you want to write and what you want to read are the same thing, but that's not always the case!
Sometimes someone's really horny and just wants to write nonstop sex scenes, but the books they
enjoy reading likely contain more content than penetration. So ask yourself, “What kind of book
do you really want to read? What story have you been looking for, but just haven't been able to
find yet?” There are many reasons why it's a great idea to write what you want to read. First of all,
if it's a story you'd read, that means you're going to be passionate about it. You'll be
invested in the storyline. It'll contain elements that excite you. It's a lot easier to ride out
the difficult parts of the writing process when you deeply care about the material and
genuinely think it's awesome. Second, if you want to read the story, chances are other people would
want to read it too. Some folks feel like their tastes are obscure and unique. But the fact is,
there is a niche for everything. For God's sake, dinosaur erotica exists. So figure out what kind
of story calls to you! What would you like to see more of in fiction? What kind of story would you
like other authors to write to so you could read the shit out of it? Figure this out and write that
story! So that's all I got for you today! Choosing a story to write can seem daunting at first,
but it really boils down to just being honest with yourself. If you're struggling to expand
upon a topic, create new ideas. Look for outlets to stimulate your imagination. And if you have too
many ideas to sort through, trust your gut. Let your intuition guide you. But above all else, you
should always aspire to write the kind of story you would want to read. Not because another author
did it, not because it's trendy, but because you are passionate about it. With that said,
don’t forget to subscribe to my channel! I post new videos on Wednesdays! Eve: The Awakening is
still available in ebook and paperback on Amazon right now! You can also order a signed copy. All
the links are listed below! And if you have any questions, be sure to tweet me @JennaMoreci! Bye!