Where Do Ideas Come From?
What if I don’t have a story in me? + More update on Qalb Writers Collective
Hello and Salam alaykum 👋🏾,
I hope this meets you in good health, and I hope you’ve had a fab week so far. For me, the week has blurred past and I’m desperately counting down to the bank holiday weekend.
Writing this week has been a bit of a struggle; there’s something about this story that’s making the first act or the opening chapters so difficult. But I’m clawing my way through one step at a time. It might also be that because I haven’t written the first draft of a book in a while, I’ve kind of forgotten how difficult the beginnings usually are.
For me, the start of a story is generally slow. I spend a lot of time on research, plot + structure, character questionnaires, experimenting with scenes to get a feel of the story and figure out the direction it’s taking. People say the first draft is usually you telling yourself the story, and that’s how this feels. With this in mind, I know I need to be kinder to myself (kindness is clearly an essential part of writing!) as I go through this process because once the story is out on the page, I can go back to edit, tweak and expand. And rewriting + editing are my favourite parts of the process!
But before we get into discussion about plot and first drafts, I would like to start at the very beginning:
Where do story ideas come from? And once you have these ideas, what do you do with them?
Some people’s ideas come from a strong urge to start a conversation around a topic or a situation in their lives or the lives of people they know, sometimes it’s from an overheard conversation. While for some, it might be inspired by someone else’s work. Perhaps you read a story and wonder what the life of a minor character would have been like or the direction the story would have taken if it had been written from someone else’s point of view.
The idea for my first ever book draft came from a pain point/personal experience. I was propelled by a strong urge to tell the story, and I couldn’t run away from it. But while I worked on the first draft, I worried that after this, I’d never have another book idea. When I finished the draft, I didn’t start another book because my writing wasn’t where I wanted it to be. I signed up for several online courses around fiction writing, and one I found particularly helpful was the University of Iowa twice a year online course (it’s been discontinued but you can access the archive here, if you’re interested).
A couple of months later, I woke up from the dream which birthed the idea for my adult novel. It was such a vivid dream, and I remember grabbing my phone as soon as I woke up to type up the story idea. As I wrote, the story expanded. Since then, I’ve written about five drafts of this book, and while the story has grown and changed in parts, the core remains the same.
It’s so important to always write down ideas when they spring to mind, otherwise we might miss out on something special. We may stumble on a conversation or situation we find interesting, or a ‘what if’ question with the potential to become an intriguing story. If you don’t write it down, there’s no guarantee you’ll remember it! I have several notes on my phone just for ideas. I group them into short stories, children’s, adults and random (when I’m unsure what direction it’ll take).
So, if you’re worried you might not have a story idea, try to develop the habit of making notes of ideas and thoughts when they come to mind, even if you don’t think it’s worth turning it to a story. Write it all down, as it may end up surprising you. Pay more attention to the environment you’re in and observe how people are, how situations pan out etc. Some story ideas come fully formed, while some come as a scene, but that scene may end up morphing into something much bigger – like a series – when you sit with it and flesh it out.
If you already have a bank of ideas, and you’re not sure where or how to get started, Science Fiction author and Creative Writing Professor, Suyi Davies Okungbowa, has a detailed two-part series on how to test drive your ideas to figure out if it’s worth committing to. It’s one I’ve found beneficial!
You’ve settled for an idea, now, what?
In the next craft-related newsletter, I’ll be sharing my next steps once I’ve decided to stick with a story idea!
💜 The Community Asks
In the past couple of days, I’ve received quite a number of questions which I’m currently compiling and sorting (to be answered soon). But I’ll also love to take in more questions in order to figure out how best this community can serve your needs.
Please spare five-ish minutes of your time to complete this form.
I would love to create a database of everyone including what you're working on, what you need help with, what accountability would look like for you, amongst other things. Your responses would help move this forward in the right direction!
✍🏾 Writing Prompt
Writing may be a struggle sometimes, but it’s only through showing up to the page and trying that we can become better. Here’s a prompt to experiment with:
Write a letter to your favourite character in the last book you read
⚡️Creative Opportunities
For the short story writers, The Galley Beggar Press Short Story Prize 2022/23 is now open! Deadline: 16th October 2022 | Entry fee: £10 | Prizes: £2500 for winning story, £200 for shortlisted and £50 a 4-book Galley Beggar subscription for longlisted stories
If you’re currently working on a children’s book, keep an eye on the Bath Novel Children’s Award. Deadline: 30th November 2022 | Entry fee: £29 (there are sponsored places for writers on a low income) | Prizes: £3000 for author of winning manuscript, feedback on full manuscript for shortlisted stories. This requires you to submit the first 5000 words of your novel and a one page synopsis.
The season for novel awards is generally April/May/June, so if you’re in need of some motivation or something to look forward to while you work on your book or idea, here are some prizes to keep in mind for next year:
Awards and prizes are a great way to put your work out there, obtain some feedback and gain some recognition in the writing sphere. But if you feel like writing towards a competition deadline might be too much pressure for you, I’ll suggest setting your own deadline and working towards it.
If you have any questions about these, drop me an email!
📚 What I’m currently reading + have enjoyed
I finished Kinder than Solitude by Yiyun Li, and it left me with mixed feelings, particularly because I didn’t like any of the characters, though I felt sympathy for them and their predicament at times. It was quite an interesting read, especially in how the main characters revealed uncomfortable parts of themselves. The writing was distant (in terms of connection to character), yet close, in how witnessed the vulnerability and humanness of the characters.
Olive Kitteridge by Lucy Barton: A collection of thirteen short stories centred around the people in a coastal town in Maine. What I love most about short stories is that there’s no pressure to read them all in one go! I’m still wading through my reading slump, and the stories in this collection are keeping me afloat.
The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward: I’m an avid watcher of Criminal Minds, so although this book is different from what I usually read, I’m loving the suspense and thrill of it. Plus, the writer writes really well! The story is told from multiple perspectives and I’ve enjoyed every chapter I’ve read so far. I have so many questions already which is usually a good sign for me while reading.
What are you currently reading?
🎁 Giveaway
You can still enter the giveaway for this month! Fill in this form for a chance to win a copy of Tasneem’s debut, Finding Mr Perfectly Fine
Note: I’ll be doing more of these over time, particularly for craft books I’ve found beneficial, so watch this space!
And that’s it, folks! If you enjoyed reading this and found it beneficial, why not spread the word?
A reminder in case you didn’t receive my welcome mail: there’ll be no letter from me next Friday. Although this is a weekly newsletter, I’ll be taking the last Friday of each month off to rest and reset, and in the 5-week months, I’ll send some bonus content on the fifth Friday.
On that note, I hope you have a lovely bank holiday weekend, and I look forward to being back in your inbox on Friday, 2nd of September to talk all things craft!
Till next time friend,
Suad
P.S. Please don’t forget to fill in this form, I really appreciate your time and effort!