I get wonderfully exited by ideas.
Most often times I'll brainstorm an idea and leave it alone, saying to myself: "I've written down the basic idea and I'll come back to it when I feel like it. Now, onto the NEW idea!"
As I was saying before with relationships, where good relationships build on what they've established - I've got to do the same with my ideas. If my habit is to leave an idea once it's been established, then I abandon my idea. If I'm not longer working toward making a relationship better once I enter into it, then I'm a terrible boyfriend.
Maybe I'm just scared of the next step, which is putting it all together.
Maybe I'm just worried that when it comes time to write the thing, I'll have no idea where to start.
I've never gotten to that stage.
So, I've got an idea and some characters. How do I get started?
I've never done this before.
I've got to brainstorm a new level of idea. I've brainstormed a concept and now I've got to brainstorm how it works to get it moving.
With everything I've brainstormed so far, how does this story flow, where does it go and what's it really about?
I dunno.
So, what now?
Write the brainstorm.
What do I have to brainstorm?
Primarily - what is this story all about?
Looking at the elements, what am I interested in working toward?
I have two basic stories going on here.
1) (summarize what you know about it) Richard's nervous around girls and he finds a girl that makes him comfortable. He's inspired by her because she's creative. She's an ex-biologist who turned to cosmology and has been working in Richards laboratory. Richard is a world famous, celebrity cosmologist. He got into science because he liked balloons and he's a brand new Einstein.
2) (summarize what you know about it) Adam is a scientist who has seen Richard's work and wants Richard's help. See, Adam figures that this universe was created from the black hole of another universe and Adam wants to know if it's possible to get into the greater universe. He wants to tap into the source universe and wants Richard's help because Richard is a genius.
Ok, glad I wrote that out.
I can see just by re-reading it that I'm happy with story 1 and not so happy with story 2.
Oh, i see! Story two isn't a story yet, it's just an idea.
Story 1 has life, I've spent more time with it. There's a love story, character origins - yeah. There's a story in there.
Not 2. 2 is just a cool idea.
It's important to note what's just happened.
I didn't know what to do next, wrote what I knew and saw which part needed work.
I know what to do next, and that's get more detail about story number 2.
I've got to spend enough time with it so that it gets a life of it's own.
Aha! See, I like story number 1 because just thinking about it, it moves itself forward.
It's got the right kind of details, and kinda writes itself.
Flesh out story number 2.
That's what I do next.
That's where I go from here.
Write everything!
Write the brainstorm!
If I hadn't written the words: "So, what now?"
I never would have gotten here.
Coming up next!
Writing Practice 23: So, what's up with Adam?
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