Elliot Kessler

Finding the right idea for your story can be a challenge. I know many people ask different authors how they get their story ideas. Some small authors give a straightforward answer, but most big, well-known authors don’t know where their ideas come from. They simply happen. Many authors are inspired by the works of others, such as their favorite movies, shows, or books growing up. Neil Gaiman uses Norse mythology for many of his ideas and tries to capture that mystical, enchanting feeling that those myths produce (which he does a good job of).

Many authors, even beginners, have no problem creating story ideas. When I was starting and experimenting with creative writing, I came up with lists upon lists of story ideas. The problem was that I didn’t think any of them were good or didn’t have a passion for them. I even started getting bored with the serial novel I released on Amazon.

So, how do you know which story ideas to begin work on and which ones to cross off your list?

A lot of lesser-known novels that I’ve read have no lack of imagination. They’re often creative, have interesting ideas, and have the potential to be great. But they aren’t. Why? They lack the soul and passion that all great stories have. They don’t have the raw emotion reaching out through the pages to drag the reader into the story.

If you’re wondering which story ideas to work on, write the ones you connect with most. Write the ones that you love and have a passion for. When you read a book you love, you probably think about it often. You’re constantly wondering, “Man, I wonder what happens next! I can’t wait to get back to reading that book.” The same should apply to writing your novel. You should be so passionate about it that you long to get back to writing. You can’t wait to write that next paragraph. You simply must write one more sentence. The stories you write should be the ones that make you laugh. They should make you excited. They should be the ones that are hard to write because you can’t see the screen through the tears in your eyes. You need to be excited about your book, then your readers will too.

You should not write stories that do not excite you. Those are the ones you should cross off your list. That basic fantasy novel that you’re getting bored of? Shelve it. Your dream romance novel that you haven’t worked on for weeks because you don’t want to? Shelve it. That unique and interesting sci-fi with concepts you’ve never seen explored before that you keep forgetting about? Shelve it. Don’t work on a story that you don’t love. What makes you think your audience will if you don’t?

I am happy to tell you that I am excited and passionate about my next novel. I am working on characters to flesh them out, but I know them for the most part. Hopefully, I will begin working on the first draft this week. I will get it out to you guys as soon as humanly possible, so I don’t accidentally spoil it before its release.

Thank you guys so much for reading! Have a fantastic day.