Skip to main content

Raw Ideas

James Patterson said, "Once you have your original plot condensed, call a friend and share the pitch. Pause for a moment and see if they ask for more. If they do, you might be onto something."

Raw ideas may come to you all the time. I know I come across new ideas all the time and daily sometimes. However, not all those raw ideas are worth turning into stories and this is why it is important to take those ideas and work them into a plot or as James Patterson suggests, "Use your favorite raw idea and write a plot down in 3 to 5 concise sentences." This sounds a bit easier than it is and so I'm here to share two of my raw ideas written down into a 3 to 5 concise sentence plot. Let me know what you think and if you're brave, I'd love for you to share a raw idea written down into a 3 to 5 concise sentence plot.

Raw Idea #1
Coming of age, paranormal, mystery about a young girl, Kayla, who starts seeing things after the stabbing of her best friend during a house party in the high desert of California. At first, Kayla doesn't believe her best friend is indeed dead and later finds her close circle of friends know more about what happened then they want to let anyone else think. Kayla starts to feel she is losing her mind and her friends only help to push Kayla over the edge until she discovers the truth of how her best friend died and finds herself in danger with no one to trust but a new kid she hardly knows and who happens to be the son of local law enforcement.

Raw Idea #2
A young girl visits her grandmother who is on her deathbed. The grandmother gives the young girl a battered leather journal, which looks used and has some pages sealed or stuck together. Unsure why her grandmother gave her the journal, the young girl finds herself soon ripped from her life and in a Central California beach town. Feeling out of place, alone and depressed as the only person she ever really could talk to has passed away (her grandmother), the young girl starts to discover family secrets that put her life in danger.

Popular posts from this blog

How to Sell Yourself Workshop

    How to Sell Yourself with VS Grenier   This workshop is my most requested for writing conferences and by writing groups. Description: It‘s more than writing a good story or article when it comes to being noticed by publishers and editors. Think about it, how many bad books are out there making money? How many awful articles have you read in recent publications? Do you wonder how these writers are getting published and you’re not? Do you think it has to do with the catch 22 system? In some ways, it does, but knowing how to sell yourself is key. You’re not just a writer . . . you’re a Salesman! And the product you’re selling is Yourself! As writers, we are a product, not just our books. Many writers aren't successful because they don't know how to sell themselves; let a lone their writing. This online course is 10 weeks long and includes a teleclass. All assignments will be sent via email by the instructor. Course starts September 11, 2011 and ends Noember...

Write Without Distractions: The Best Online Applications

Sarah P. has an online accounting degree but hopes to add a degree in social work to her resume. Distracted writing is often not good writing. As a consequence, a number of people have gone out of their way to develop software that makes it a fair amount more difficult to be sidetracked by the countless things that aren't word processing software available on any computer, regardless of platform. Here are a handful of them, where to find them and how they work:  FocusWriter   FocusWriter is a full-screen word processor intended to make the creative process as immersive as possible by making your typing appear at the very front of the screen, surrounded by nothing but a customizable theme or background. It offers a handful of tools and customization options only visible when your mouse is at one particular point on the screen, which then goes away when your mouse moves. The software provides real-time statistics about how much you've written and allows you to ...

World of Ink Interview with author Judy Snider and Illustrator Cady B. Driver

Judy Snider , Joan’s sister lives in Virginia Beach, Virginia with her husband, Gil, and two silly cats. She is the author of the CWA award-winning children’s picture book, Goldy’s Baby Socks , and on a team of authors of The Scared Purse . The Writing Mama Interview with author Judy Snider     VS: What do you do to help balance your writing life with your family life? Judy: It is easier now that my kids are in their 20’s and out of the home. I get up very early, and some of the best writing I do is in a sunny place with a glass of water or coffee and my silly cats nearby. When my oldest was a baby, I took a write-away-course, and would write when he took his naps. Some of my best writing was at a table while I waited in those days for them at parties, video arcades, etc.  I work out of my home on projects, so working with my sister on our latest book, and the phone usually did Cady Driver, our illustrator. VS: How long have you been writing? Judy: I wrote my...