How-To: Come Up With Book Ideas

This post is about coming up with book ideas. I picked this as my first How-To as writing a book is on my bucket list.

1. Write about things you know about. Chances are, whatever you write about you will have to do some research but if you write about something you're familiar with then you can spend more time focusing on the actual story. Just don't write a story set during the French Revolution if you have no idea about that time period (or failed history).
2. Think of the books you like to read. If you enjoy reading about something- or someone- then chances are that other people will too. Also, you're more likely to enjoy writing it and the ideas might just flow that little bit easier.
3. Come up with the title first. This isn't the most definitive advice and it does only work for some people (including me). Often, I'll be walking down the street and hear or word of phrase that piques my interest. Somehow my mind then attempts to come up with an idea to fit around the title.
4. Don't force ideas. Sometimes you can'tcome up with any ideas, that's absolutely fine. Take a break, eat some biscuits but don't stress. Sometimes you do manage to come up with an idea but can't construct the full story. That too is fine, it will come to you at some point and if it doesn't, maybe the idea isn't that good.
5. Take inspiration from things around you. Sometimes I see people and think: 'they're make a great werewolf' etc (what can I say, he had weird sideburns). And then construct stories their characters could be a part of. Or take a slightly strange event that happens to me and blow it widely out of proportion. Keep your eyes and ears open, inspiration is everywhere around you.

Anyway, that will be all. Hopefully I didn't sound too much like an annoying English teacher and maybe this post happened to help you...

Charlotte.

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