Is Your Story Idea Really Worth Writing?

Did you know that 83% of people want to write a book? Did you know that only around 3% of those actually will?

So what is stopping the other 80%? Is it time, circumstances or are they thinking its just a bad story?

For most of us, there's nothing worse than the thought of wasting a lot of time and energy on a story that's going nowhere.

How do you know if the idea you have is strong enough to support a full-length novel? Or maybe you have a few ideas simmering but not sure which one to start?

Luckily, there IS a way to "test" out a story idea before writing the first draft. And today I'm going to share two different exercises that will help do just that.

My FREE 5-day Outline Your Novel Challenge starts TODAY (March 1st). It's still not too late to sign up though - head to: http://www.serenadepublishing.com/outline-challenge

#1: Write your storyline.

A storyline is a short summary that gives the idea of your book in 1-2 sentences.

It tells the reader who the main character is, what the conflict is, and what the stakes are. Basically, it’s the WHO, WHAT, WHERE and WHY of your story, but not the HOW.

Let's take a look at some examples. 

• JAWS - A police chief, with a phobia for open water, battles a gigantic shark with an appetite for swimmers and boat captains, in spite of a greedy town council who demands that the beach stay open.
• SILENCE OF THE LAMBS - A young F.B.I. cadet must confide in an incarcerated and manipulative killer to receive his help on catching another serial killer who skins his victims.
• JURASSIC PARK - During a preview tour, a theme park suffers a major power breakdown that allows its cloned dinosaur exhibits to get free.

Exercise: Write a 1-2 sentence storyline for your book. When you're done, ask yourself and others – does this story sound interesting to me? Is it something I’d want to read?

If the answer is yes, move onto the next exercise. But if the answer is no, you either need to re-write your storyline to focus on the most interesting parts of your story or pick a different idea to work with.

#2: Write your story’s elevator pitch.

An elevator pitch is this: if you were riding in an elevator with a publisher or someone big in the industry (i like to think Steven Spielberg) and they turned to you and asked about your story idea you would be able to summarise it brilliantly in about two minutes. It's a longer summary of your story—usually, around 250 words—that does not give away the ending of the story but does cover the main conflict and stakes. 

When composing your elevator pitch, you want to answer these questions: WHO is this story about? WHAT is the situation? WHERE does the story take place? WHY does it matter?

• The protagonist: WHO is your main character? What makes this character unique? What does this character want at the beginning of the story?
• The conflict: WHAT is the situation? Who or what is standing in the way of your protagonist achieving his or her goal?
• The stakes: WHY does it matter? What’s at risk if your protagonist doesn’t achieve their goals? What is the worst thing that will happen? What will their success or failure mean to your protagonist?
• The setting: WHERE does the story take place? 

For example:

THE HUNGER GAMES by Suzanne Collins
In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV.

Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister’s place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before-and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that weigh survival against humanity and life against love. (134 words)

 HARRY POTTER & THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX by J.K. Rowling

There is a door at the end of a silent corridor. And it’s haunting Harry Potter’s dreams. Why else would he be waking in the middle of the night, screaming in terror?

Harry has a lot on his mind for this, his fifth year at Hogwarts: a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher with a personality like poisoned honey; a big surprise on the Gryffindor Quidditch team; and the looming terror of the Ordinary Wizarding Level exams. But all these things pale next to the growing threat of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named—a threat that neither the magical government nor the authorities at Hogwarts can stop.

As the grasp of darkness tightens, Harry must discover the true depth and strength of his friends, the importance of boundless loyalty, and the shocking price of unbearable sacrifice.

His fate depends on them all. (138 words)

Exercise: Write a 250-word summary for your story. When you're done, ask yourself and others – does this story sound interesting to me? Is it something I’d want to read?

If the answer is yes, then you're probably ready to start writing the first draft!

But if the answer is no, you'll need to re-write your elevator pitch focusing on the most important parts of your story. 

Hopefully, these exercises have helped you test out your story idea so that you can write forward with confidence. But if these exercises were difficult for you, don't give up! Check out the descriptions of movies on imdb.com (the internet movie database). There are hundreds of examples that will show you how a 2-hour movie in your genre can be summarized in one or two sentences. 

You can also browse the descriptions of your favorite books on amazon.com. Once you've read through a dozen or so examples, you'll start to see patterns and understand how to apply those patterns to your own story. 

Doing this kind of work upfront is the first step toward writing a story that works. If you want to take the next step and outline your novel with me join my FREE 5-day Outline Your Novel Challenge. It starts TODAY (March 1st). But it's not too late to sign up. Go to: http://www.serenadepublishing.com/outline-challenge