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.

Comments

  1. Hi, Virginia,
    Both those raw ideas are very interesting. Have you pursued either of them yet?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Lynn. Yes, I'm currently working on research and outlines.

      Delete

Post a Comment

Thank you for visiting my blog and for leaving a comment.

Popular posts from this blog

VBT-Guest Author Spotlight Donna McDine

      Donna McDine is an award-winning children's author, Honorable Mention in the 77th and two Honorable Mentions in the 78 th Annual Writer’s Digest Writing Competitions. Her stories have been published in many print and online publications and her interest in American History resulted in writing and publishing The Golden Pathway. Donna has two more books under contract with Guardian Angel Publishing, The Hockey Agony and Powder Monkey . She writes, moms and is the Editor-in-Chief for Guardian Angel Kids and Publicist for the National Writing for Children Center from her home in the historical hamlet Tappan, NY. McDine is a member of the SCBWI and Musing Our Children.                What excites you most about your book’s topic? Why did you choose it?       The Underground Railroad was a pivotal time in American history, one that should never be repeated. It is my hope by keeping history alive for each generation that these huge mistakes will never reoccur. Q.     How lon

Five Tips for a More Marketable Children’s Picture Book Manuscript by Mayra Calvani

The world of children’s picture book publishing is extremely competitive. If you’re an aspiring children’s author, you need to make sure your manuscript is in excellent shape and has all the elements editors and agents look for before you begin the submission process. Here are five tips to make your picture book manuscript more marketable: Start right with the problem.  Many times beginner writers begin a picture book with back-story. It’s okay to have this back-story in the first draft, but be sure to get rid of it when you edit. Back-story is unnecessary 90% of the time and it only serves to slow down the beginning of a story, making it weaker. You want to grab the reader right from the start. So don’t be afraid to begin your story at the heart of the problem. It’s okay to set the stage with a sentence or two—but no more! Have a protagonist readers can relate to. Generally, children like to listen to stories about other children or animals with children’s characteristics. They

Interview Friday with multi-talented author, Cheryl Malandrinos

Cheryl Malandrinos is a freelance writer and editor from Western Massachusetts . A regular contributor to Writer2Writer, her articles focus on increasing productivity through time management and organization. A founding member of Musing Our Children , Ms. Malandrinos is also the Editor-in-Chief of the group's quarterly newsletter, Pages & Pens . Cheryl is a Tour Coordinator for Pump Up Your Book Promotion , a book reviewer, and blogger. Guardian Angel Publishing will release her first children’s book, The Little Shepherd Boy, in 2010. VS: Cheryl, I want to thank you for being my guest here on The Writing Mama today. I know being a parent and writer can be hard and I find myself asking if I am giving my three children enough attention throughout the day. I am sure you have been in my shoes from time to time. So to start here is the first question, how many children do you have and what are their ages? Cheryl: Thanks for having me at The Writing Mama, Virginia. I’m thril