Do you want to write a book but can’t come up with an idea? Well you’re in luck, because today, I’m going to show you a few quick tricks I use to get the story ideas flowing, so stick around.
Hey everybody, Keith Wheeler here and if you want to continue to get all of the hints, tips and tricks on how to make self-publishing a little bit easier to navigate, then subscribe to my YouTube channel and click the bell icon to get alerted each and every time I put out new content.
In a previous video I talked about how to write when you don’t have the time and I’ll include a link to it, here. Today we’re going to talk about how to write when you don’t have an idea for a story.
But first, where do you get your story ideas from? Tell me in the comments below.
How to get story ideas seems like a daunting task, I know, but it doesn’t matter whether you want to write a fiction or non-fiction book, there are a few simple tricks and exercises you can do to help re-ignite the old spark of creativity.
Let’s start with non-fiction:
Everybody is good at something. Whether your 7 or 107, there’s something that you know a lot about. Whether it’s your job, a hobby, a sport or even a condition that you may have. You know what it’s like to work with, play with or live with something. That can be the focus of your book.
Because whatever it is, you’re not the only one does it, plays or is affected by it. So, write about it.
Now that you have your story idea, the next question is what to write IN your book. Here is a simple exercise I advise people to use.
1. Write down the top 10-12 questions you get asked in relation to your topic. If you don’t get asked questions about it, then write down the top 10-12 things you wish other people knew/understood about your story idea.
2. These 10-12 ideas will now be the chapters in your book. So go through each question/idea and answer or explain it. It may be easier to work laterally, meaning write a little about idea 1, then move on to idea 2, and so on.
That’s it. There’s the main idea and layout of your book. And don’t worry if you only came up with a few questions or ideas, that’s fine, you’ll just have a shorter book.
But what if you want to know how to get a story idea for a fiction book? Don’t worry, I’ve got you covered there too.
Think back to your favorite books going all the way back to your childhood. Write down the list of books.
Now is the fun part. It’s time to play the question game…
You can ask What if…
1. What if the 3 musketeers were time traveling cyborgs
2. What if Goldilocks was a pirate and she was boarding 3 ships to see which one was perfect for her to steal?
Too much? Ok, perhaps you don’t want to just re-tell a classic story.
That’s fine, you can take a classic and build off the unknowns. You can ask:
Why…
Like in Goldilocks…Why was a little girl roaming through the woods without her parents? You can write an entire YA novel based on the life of Goldilocks before she entered the woods. You can call it “Before We Met”.
Or you could ask:
What next…
You can continue the story of Goldilocks and write about what happened after she ran out of the bear’s cabin. You can name that story “After the Encounter”.
You can see how once you ask the questions what if, why and what next, the ideas just come rushing in.
After all, the classics are called classics for a reason. So, if you’re looking for a story idea, don’t re-invent the wheel, just change the tires.
Well that’s it for this video. Please give this video a thumbs up to help support the channel and if you want to continue to get all of the hints, tips and tricks on how to make self-publishing a little bit easier to navigate, then subscribe to my YouTube channel and hit the little bell icon so you can get alerted each and every time I put out new content.
Until next time, I’m Keith Wheeler and remember to Write Right!