The Idea

lmolivei
Feb 16, 2023
15 min read

Let's talk about the Idea.

What is it, and how complex should it be?

In this article, I will explore the concept of coming up with an idea and developing it into a story. It is a practical Article, full of examples, that will help you understand better what to do before starting writing.

This is the very first step to starting your story!

What is the Idea?

The Idea is that little seed that enters your head, and you cannot help but think and think and think. The more you wonder about it, the more you water and soil, it sprouts. From there, it becomes a bush, a cactus, or a huge oak.

Depending on the plant, it will give you even more seeds for new trees to grow. Once it takes root, it is hard to shake it off; the only way is by putting it on paper.

Having an Idea can be very addictive, so much so that you cannot sleep or wake up without thinking about it. It consumes you until you finish the story's last line, and only then you can breathe again.

That is my experience, at least.

In short, the Idea is the very first step, the starting point at which the plot and characters can be developed. One simple Idea is enough to start any story.

How to come up with Ideas

An Idea can be anything; It comes from anywhere.

Ideas are everywhere; just stop to look around and listen. It is more about finding and fostering than creating something out of the blue.

You can think your Idea is absolutely original, but if you look at the essence, it is always something you saw before with a few tweaks and twists.

"Nothing is created; everything is copied."

That is classic shenanigans. Yet, there's truth to it.

KEEP YOUR EYES AND EARS WIDE OPEN. That is the most important tip I can give about life. As humans, we tend to think that we are the best! My mother told me I am pretty, and my wife said I am smart. Of course, they are right ;)

The truth is that, in essence, human beings are selfish, self-centered, annoying, blabbering primates with little to no capacity to look around and listen to someone else without trying all means to interrupt. We, writers, need to find all possible ways to fight this urge to be the last one speaking or to think we know it all.

The best way to have ideas is to pay attention to the world around you, to listen to the histories people tell you, and to be part of the moment. I am not saying you should use people as means for your story: Be respectful and don't treat people as objects for an end. Be genuinely good, and I guarantee you that only by helping people, you will collect all the ideas you need for life! Characters, dialog, and conflicts... the whole bundle! By looking around, you will see how colorful the world is and how it smells and feels to the touch. This is the tool you need to create worlds upon worlds.

Besides our own worlds, there are many other sources of ideas. You can find them on Reddit, YouTube's top 10 lists of strange real-life events, your research on real people and your take on the historical events, and finally, any story you read/watched that you would've done differently or you want a continuation/backstory. The options are endless.

The difference between a Good from a Bad idea is Conflict.

A good story will keep you hooked by providing Conflicts. They can be Confrontations, High Stake situations, or Questions (Mysteries) as long as there's a Clock (Deadline) to resolve the Conflict.

Your audience will be invested if you keep spicing, raising the stakes, or answering/creating questions. I will explore more of these plot devices later on in the series.

Example 1: What if it is based on my life?

Think about your routine. What would be the most amazing thing that could happen to you, and what would be the consequences? How would you feel about it? Maybe this is enough for you to start biting your keys with all the might in the world!

I think about going home one evening after work, and something strange happens. I am tired, perhaps stressed, wishing only good food and kisses from my wife. When I get home, my wife is talking to someone: There's a stranger in my home!

She didn't see me, for I sneaked behind the letter box to watch, with my untruthful heart in my hands. I wonder, who is she talking to?

That's when they kiss!

I ran towards the door and tried every key on the chain, but the door didn't budge. Desperately, I bang the door with all my might!

The stranger comes to the door, and I think, "Who is this guy and why is he in my home wearing nothing but a tank top? What audacity!"

Soon I discovered that I was the stranger in this tragic tale.

My wife didn't recognize me. She shrunk when I lost my temper, like a frightened dog, and soon the stranger, with all his rights, kicked me out of the porch. Confused and angered, I stand at the door, and a shout comes in less than a minute, followed by dials on the phone: "I am calling the police!"

I drive back to work, for that was my last safe refugee, and everything happens the same way. Only this time, they had security to hold me fast until the police arrived...

What could've caused this situation?

Who am I, if not who I think I am?

Why can't people remember me? More importantly, why my wife, the person I share my life and love with, can't?

And so on...

What about you? What would be your weirdest day?

Example 2: Based on a friend's life

I once heard this strange anecdote from a friend whose father died of Covid during the pandemic's zenith. Besides the tragic end of her relative, she was telling how unfortunate it was to find out that her father's company, her family's only income, was broken. Not a single penny.

On top of that, the pension fund money was gone, and many angry employees threatened her and her family. That was one of the most intriguing stories I have ever heard, and it was 100% rea.

Now, let's change some things to ensure her privacy:

What would it be like if it was her Husband instead, and someone one day broke into her house and killed her infant kid and mother as retribution?

Who's the villain of this story? Her Husband, who hid the funds and pissed a bunch of people off, or the killer?

What if she didn't take action to prevent that or, worst, publically trashed the workers? Now, the killer was in her house to steal and got scared, shooting her 10-year-old daughter. Sure he's guilty of the murder, but what about the circumstance?

Grey areas are awesome—Conflicts between good and bad, guilty or innocent, are awesome!

What about you? What is the strangest thing you have ever heard from a friend?

Example 3: What is it based on someone/something I don't know?

If nothing you saw or heard is interesting enough to become a story, go to YouTube and search for the "Top 10 internet's Unresolved Mysteries". I guarantee you that each of the clips will become a great story! Nothing beats reality when the subject is Mystery.

For instance, there's footage of a "ghostly apparition" in Brazil that you can find on any "unresolved supernatural mysteries" list. The video is about a door that keeps opening despite being locked and watched by two security guards. Later in the video, a strange white shadow passes through them, followed by a growling sound. Of course, the video owner swears it is real footage.

What if it is not ghosts but a parallel universe, and that spot is one of many on the Earth that the veil between the two worlds is so thin that one can peak on another side? Yeah, this is a cliche, I know. But what if, instead of making out of it a Horror or Sci-Fi based story, you don't do something more political, more the "essence" of human nature?

In my take, I would put the following groups in conflict:

(the more obvious), the group that believes the supernatural and wants to prove that life exists beyond death (Spiritual approach).
the group exploitating pseudo Scientists, trying to get money out of the phenomena (Cults, opportunism)
the skeptical people trying to disprove the video and the supernatural claims (pragmatism, nihilism)
the scientists that arrogantly ignore the phenomena. Funny enough, it could prove the parallel universe and Heisenberg's String Hypothesis (Scholar Arrogance).

Imagine how these people would interact.

What about you? What is the strangest and most unexplained story you have ever heard?

In short, think of all your experiences or means to get a good story. Better yet, just keep your eyes and ears open, and I guarantee something will come to you.

How to Develop

Having the Idea is the very first step in starting a story. It is important to point out that the Idea doesn't need to be big or complex; it starts very simple and grows with the right care and attention. The question is, how much bigger do you want it to be?

Ideas can start simply as a

"Someone killed my dog."

or as complex as

"There's a device that can access people's dreams, and a private company specialized in implanting ideas into people's head. The economic and psychological aspects of this new technology..." (Inception)

Anything can be developed up to any size. For instance, the "someone killed my dog..." Idea:

Simple version: The mob came for me, but they left a message since I wasn't around. So I will kill each one of them as revenge!"
Complex version: It was my younger son, who's a psychopath. I didn't know, but when I found out, he evolved into killing people. What do I do now? Do I send him to prison or protect him from justice? Who else knows he's a psychopath? How far would I go to protect my son?

Both stories I mentioned are already available. The Simple version is the plot of "John Wick" and the Complex "Mare of Easttown".

(Spoiler alert) Okay, the latter, the kid doesn't kill a dog, but a young woman, and he's not a psychopath, just stupid.

The best way to develop it is by asking questions; every question will become a plot detail. Try something as simple as the 5W2H(*).

(*)What, Who, Why, Where, When, How, and How much.

These questions will turn your Idea into an interesting story.

Example 4: "Someone stole my dog."

What happened: Someone stole a dog;

Who's had the dog stolen: An mildly-autistic boy;

Where the dog came from: The dog was found by the boy a year prior, all hurt and hungry;

Who stole the dog and why: The dog was stolen by his former owner, a war veteran with PTSD, who recognized the canine one day.

Why did he steal the dog: His best buddy ran away one day and never returned. For years, the war veteran looked for him—The dog had been his only companion since his daughter died many years ago.

Where do they live: In a small town called Krefeld in Germany;

Who the boy lives with: The boy lives with his single mom, who works 2 jobs to keep her lifehold. She loves her boy but is physically unable to handle 2 jobs and a special child alone.

When the dog was stolen: The mother was called for an interview and needed to leave in a rush, leaving the back door open. That job was their only hope to get her out of their shitty financial/desperate situation. I can't screw up!

How the dog was robbed: The former owner came one day to ask for his dog back, but the house was empty. Not knowing if the dog was really his, the war veteran surrounded the house, hoping to see his old buddy. Upon finding it, he said: "Bones, is that you?"

The dog immediately reacted, so happy that the veteran could not hold his tears. Bones desperately tried to dig his way out of the yard, to no use. The war veteran pushed and pulled the gate to no use.

"What do I do?" The man asked himself, cleaning the sweat and the tears on his face. "I must have a crowbar in my trunk!"

The old fellow ran back to his car, not minding the other vehicle that almost hit him on the road, and bent inside his truck, waving his hand desperately from left to right. He was so concentrated that he barely noticed when the dog came from behind and jumped on him, like in those airport scenes from war veterans returning home.

That man loath crying, but how could he not? The veteran grabbed the dog, kissing and hugging, as the dog licked his face from the chin up. Alas, that hardened man, who struggled with liquor and sleep, who suffered his whole life to survive all the pain he saw in the war, could smile again.

Without thinking of any consequence, the veteran jumped back in his car. He didn't even need to ask the dog, for Bones knew what to do. Together, they left. Both happy.

What is the underlying message: To show the troubles of being an "outside" kid with a real grown-up problem dealing with an impossible conflict without proper support. And a man who'd seen the worst in the human race coping with loss and guilt without proper support.

In this example, the Conflict is simple: Who had the right to keep Bones? Do bones have something to say about this decision? Nothing is black and white; There are no heroes and villains, only people. Who deserves Bones more, an innocent autist kid or a lonely, troubled PTSDed war veteran?

As I said in previous articles, the way to make a story (Iidea) interesting is by mixing up elements and Genres. You can use historical events, other story references, mythology, etc., or use different (and sometimes even conflicting) Genres. I guarantee you will be happy with the results.

"Great things are done by a series of small things brought together."

Van Gogh said once.

Example 5: Stardust

Neil Gaiman (again) is a genius! In Stardust, he takes that classic adventure/fairy tale formula and uses a few simple ideas to make it great. In essence, it is a Shrek plot (only that it's not a satire against Disney and "standard" beauty).

According to Neil, the story was born out of:

A time he was driving in Scotland and saw a wall between a small city and a grove with one hole enough for a person to pass through;
A time he was in Texas for a literary award (which he won for Sandman, by the way) and saw a shooting star.

Can it be more simple?

Cliches aside, this story is literally magical. The elements Neil uses (Witches, Fairies, Unicorns, Horror, Adventure) and he creates (Teleport Candle, Start being a girl instead of a rock) make it original.

Startdust is one of the prettiest books I have ever read, even though it has 2 basic ideas and one simple formula.

Besides using elements from other stories, try different genres or creative ways to use the medium. If you are writing a book, what can you put in words that would give the reader the impression that he/she is consuming a different media type?

Example 6: The House of Dust

In the House of Dust, there's a moment when I try to convey confusion and disorientation. I did this by shuffling words around a page, forcing the reader to swipe his eyes left to right, making them disoriented, feeling in the Hero's shoes. This is called, in music, "word painting," which is using your media unconventionally to convey different types of emotion.

Example 7: Dracula & Amityville Horror

Bram Stocker's Dracula and Jay Anson's Amityville Horror uses news/jornalistic style to make you believe that the story is real.

The former uses letters and journal entries, while the latter uses "documentary form", making you believe to be reading historical/factual records. Perfect craftsmanship shows that the writer deliberately chose a certain style to FORCE you to believe it could be true despite knowing that you're reading fiction. After all, if it happened with Jonathan or the Lutz, it could happen to you!

This storyteller's artifice is not limited to writing. One thing that is VERY common in films and series is breaking the "4th wall" and having the characters address the audience directly, like in a theater or a diary (i.e., Rick & Morty, The House of Cards, Fleabag, etc.)

In short, start small. Small ideas can grow by you asking the right questions. The limit of the story is the number of pages you want to put down (This goal is EXTREMELY important).

Mix up elements and genres, and by doing it, you will make your story way more interesting.

Finally, use as many Conflicts as you need to keep the engagement.

Size doesn't matter?

How many pages should my book have, then?

That may seem straightforward: The more, the better. Right?

Wrong. VERY WRONG!

One thing to remember is how far you want to develop your plot.

There's great danger in big stories. Like Uncle Ben said:

"With great Books comes great Costs!"

The more you water and fertilize your seed, the more it will grow. You can use questions to develop your story endlessly, but should you? There is a sweet spot between how much you need to grow it vs. a huge monster.

Practically, that means you will have many words and pages, so more cost. If you have a Publisher willing to pay for all your publishing costs, go for it! But I guess since you read my article, you may not be a famous author, but someone new and independent. Size matters, so be mindful!

Big works require huge management. In my experience, the huge work of revising and the cost of printing defies the very purpose of writing in the first place. Besides, depending on the size of your book, people may frown upon it. How often didn't I hear, "Are you writing a novel or the bible?" (Like the bible is not another fiction book...).

When I finished the House of Dust, my manuscript had almost 200.000 words, around 750 pages. It took me 1,5 years to reduce the work to 125.000 words, around 500 pages, and the editorial and printing cost was still too high for me.

So, how many pages?

Ballpark, a novel, has around 80.000 words, less than 300 pages. Start planning for 100 pages, and let the story develop by itself. It will grow naturally as it needs, so there is no need to push things. More importantly, cut out everything irrelevant to your story and plot.

"Art is the elimination of the unnecessary."

Pablo Picasso said once.

ORIGINAL vs. PLAGIARISM

Finally, I want to address the ivory elephant in the room: Originality.

As mentioned before, I shout again with all the air in my lungs:

THERE'S NO SUCH THING AS SOMETHING ORIGINAL!!!

We are the object of our environment—Everything we read, watch, and experience will mold our narrative. There's nothing bad about using a story you love as a baseline for something new.

NEVER let people say otherwise!

In fact, you cannot run away from it.

Creating something completely original, like a completely new Genre or type of hero/villain dynamics, will not guarantee you will produce a good story; worst of all, it will not guarantee that your story will be really original.

Nothing is original, and they don't need to be. The only true crime here is Plagiarism.

No need to be original doesn't mean you should straight copy someone else's work. It is a crime, a dirty unethical crime. You should be inspired by other people's work, use it as a baseline, as long as your work is NEW and MEANINGFUL.

MEANING should be every writer's MAIN GOAL.

MEANING is something we crave by nature: We want to be surprised by something that touches us, makes us feel like we know the people in the story, or that the things playing in words could happen to us.

That is the most important tip I can give you about writing: Creation with purpose and love will always reverberate more.

Don't write to become rich or famous, but to give people meaning. If your heart and soul are not vulnerable and you have no meaningful purpose in writing, your story will suck!

So, give substance to your writing.

Example 8: 50 Shades of Grey started as a Twilight rip-off

E L James wrote 50 Shades of Grey as a fan-erotica version of the Twilight series. Yet, she found meaning and her story evolved to discuss different dynamics of a toxic relationship. Since she could not use the same names and characters due to copyright, she changed everything, including the setting and their personality. Erika created a New York Best Seller so unique that, if she hadn't admitted her inspiration, no one would've guessed it was a Twilight rip-off.

Example 9: Sandman & The Christmas Carol

Neil Gaiman (Yes, I know!) is known and even told his process of using existing stories to create unique adventures. In Sandman, he uses many famous characters like Cain and Abel, Constantine, Death, etc., and even the Sandman is a portrait of Neil, plus The Cure's Robert Smith. The story's mythology is a well know German tale from E.T.A. Hoffman. Neil did not create 90% of the elements in the book, but his creativity and mastery made a timeless MASTERPIECE that resonates with anyone who reads to this day. Why? MEANING, and a little bit of magic.

He uses an example of Christmas Carol's Scrooge in his Masterclass. What would be the story if, when Scrooge finds the Christmas Past ghost, the spirits say: "What's your name again? Scrooge! Oh my, I am in the wrong house, indeed! I was supposed to meet your front-door neighbor, eh, Mr. Bandicoot Thundersnatch!".

How would the story be?

What stories can you think of right now that, by changing one element, it would twist everything around?

Example 9: Smoke on the Water

Smoke on the Water from Deep Purple (The 2nd most famous guitar riff of all time according to the Guitar Player Magazine) is a rip-off of Beethoven's 5th Symphony theme. The difference is that it is played in reverse, in a different key (G minor instead of C minor), and tempo. Is it Plagiarism? Absolutely not!

Ritchie Blackmore is a genius that used something he loved as the basis of one of the most well know rock guitar riffs.

In short, don't plagiarize but don't perpetuate the "Must be Original" myth. Use stories, places, and characters you love, and change them to enrich your ideas! Instead of trying to create the most original piece of art, focus on MEANING and make your soul and personal experiences into the story.

Let's wrap up this article:

Ideas are the essence of any story. Start small and develop the Idea by the use of questions;
Harvest Ideas from your personal experiences. Stop and look around, listen to other people's stories, but be respectful: Remember, the most important tip of your life!
Different elements (mythology, genres, word painting, etc.) will make your story interesting. The more you put in, the richer the prose will be.
If you are writing an independent novel, be careful with the number of pages. Remember: "With Great Books comes Great Costs!"
Using other people's work as a baseline is fine, but don't use Plagiarism. It is a crime, unethical, and you would just be a stupid jerk;
Don't care about being original; instead, be meaningful. Remember the most important tip for your writing.

And that's all. Next article, we will talk about the two methods of writing, positives and negatives, and how to leverage each.