It is October! Which not only means fall, warm drinks and Halloween, but also prep month for NaNoWriMo. If you have absolutely no idea what I am talking about when I say “NaNoWriMo” then check out a blog post I wrote last week called “NaNoWriMo”. Anyways, in this blog post I will be taking about getting that idea for your story. Since I did an entire posts on writing prompts last week, I won’t give too many today but if you are in need of some inspiration check out that post!

The Idea

All stories begin with a single idea. It may not be a good idea at first and it probably is a very simple idea, but it is an idea that gets us excited and our creative mind whirling. Ideas come from all around too! They can come to us in a long walk, or in the shower, or even from another story. The point is, is that if you look around long enough something will eventually come to you. When I have some trouble coming up with an idea, I like to hit up Pinterest and check out there writing prompts because I always leave with a spark of an idea!

Here is a summary of what I said in some key points, because these key points will be essential when coming up with “the idea”:

• Ideas come from anywhere and everywhere
• Doing an activity where your mind is allowed to wander helps provoke ideas (a walk, a shower, etc)
• Don’t be afraid to look at other stories for inspiration! (Just don’t completely copy someone else’s idea…)

Remember though, not every idea is a good idea, so if you think you found the “magic” idea and it doesn’t work out…don’t be too hard on yourself! There is an endless supply of ideas for stories, and you have only just begun to scratch the surface whether you have never written a story in your life, or have written a hundred.

Motivation

Whether you have just started planning your story, or are close to the end of writing it, motivation is something every writer struggles with. Even if you absolutely love your idea and your story and your characters, it doesn’t mean you have your doubts at time. For every prep post I do, I will add a little motivation section towards the end, to remind you to just keep writing! I will be including some inspirational quotes, as well as some tips and tricks to stay motivated.

You only fail if you stop writing – Ray Bradbury 

I’m not a very good writer, but I am an excellent rewriter – James Michener 

Start writing, no matter what. The water does not flow until the faucet is turned on – Louis L’Amour 

That is all for my first NaNoWriMo prep blog and I hope you enjoyed. Stay tuned for my upcoming prep posts and also check out my last blog post: 25 Inspirational Writing Prompts!