Novel Ideas, Ebook Ideas – Child’s Play?

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Novel Ideas, Ebook Ideas – Child’s Play?

By Deb Gallardo

I read an article today at thereporter.com about a survey of school children grades 1-7. They were asked what kind of book they would write. I don’t bring this up to say, “Finding story ideas is so easy that even kids can do it.” That’s not my point. Most of their ideas were dreadful IMHO.

Only the first idea was a viable one, from an adult perspective. A first grader said he’d write about skateboarding because he was good at it, and had been learning to ride and do tricks since he was four years old.

The common thread among all their responses, whether the ideas were for fiction or non-fiction, was this: they instantly knew they would write about something they were good at, that they enjoyed, or that otherwise interested them. This is essential for writing about something you will not lose steam on. You are more likely to stick with a project about which you’re passionate.

The blogger whose post sent me to the archives at thereporter.com commented that if this same question were to be given to a group of adults, especially Internet Marketers, the responses would not be spontaneous, fast or creative. He speculated that there would be silence for about five minutes and when the ideas started to come, they would be for what gurus might say were the “right” topics to write about.

This might be true; I don’t know for sure. If it is, it’s a sad commentary. But I prefer to think more highly of people, especially aspiring internet marketers, than this. I’m not saying some people might not offer “safe” or “correct” suggestions. After all, putting an idea out there that you haven’t thought through is like proudly showing a crude sketch on the back of a napkin, as opposed to a fully-completed oil painting. It’s risky. You see your vision in your head when you look at the sketch. No one else can. Why would you want to display an unformed thought?

I would offer you the link to the original online article, but you have to pay to access it. Frankly, it wasn’t written all that well and I feel like it was a semi-wasted $1.95, but if it helps my readers, what’s two bucks in the great, cosmic scheme of things? It won’t even buy a gallon of milk or gasoline. But according to a KFC commercial, it will buy you a couple of itty bitty sammies – all bread, little meat…

So to answer the question in the title — No. Finding story ideas is not child’s play. But the good news is, it IS learnable. And here in the pages of The Story Ideas Virtuoso, you will find writing inspiration, tips, exercises and advice on how to find story ideas.

Check out the related posts at the end of this article.