Developing novel concepts: Strategies for generating your story's premise
In the world of writing, finding a captivating story idea can be a challenging task. However, with the right tools and a structured approach, you can transform vague feelings and vibes into a compelling narrative. Here's a step-by-step guide using mood boards, character worksheets, and plot events to help you brainstorm your next novel.
Step 1: Start with a Mood Board to Set the Tone and Atmosphere
Begin by defining the mood adjectives that describe the emotional tone of your story. These could be words like mysterious, hopeful, or tense. Gather images, colours, textures, fonts, and other visual elements that evoke these feelings. Arrange these elements on a mood board without worrying too much about composition at first, then refine so the board clearly tells the story’s emotional identity. Use negative space and layering techniques to emphasize key moods and maintain visual impact. This creates an immersive sensory foundation for your story’s world and tone.
Step 2: Develop Characters with Detailed Worksheets
Create character worksheets that cover key aspects like name, background, personality traits, motivations, conflicts, and relationships. Use the mood board’s themes to influence character design—how they look, behave, and interact. Include prompts that explore how the character responds to the story’s events and their arc of change. This helps deepen character consistency and alignment with the story’s mood.
Step 3: Outline Plot Events Using Structured Brainstorming Tools
Use mind maps or storyboards to organize major plot points — beginning, conflict, climax, resolution. Group events into thematic categories such as character development, setting, conflicts, and key turning points. Allow iterative refinement: add, remove, and rearrange events to create natural progression and tension. Storyboarding can combine visuals and text, helping you see pacing and narrative flow before detailed writing.
By combining these methods, you establish a rich, consistent creative environment: mood boards establish emotional context, character worksheets flesh out people driving the story, and plot event outlines structure the narrative flow. Each tool informs and supports the others, producing a coherent and engaging story concept ready for deeper development.
Remember, ideas for beginnings and endings should be written down even if the rest is unknown. The dynamics between characters are important to the story, even if the main storyline revolves around the relationship between the protagonist and another character. Thinking of consequences when putting characters in environments or events helps develop a story. And, the story is about a character wanting something and either getting or not getting it.
For those who prefer visual aids, a moodboard can be created using pictures, a Pinterest board, or a collage-making app. Imagining specific people in specific places doing interesting things can aid in brainstorming things and events for a story. And, what a character wants and needs is what the story is actually about.
In conclusion, with the Google Docs workbook delivering a story idea that excites you to start writing today, and the user's latest novel, "What Birds Are Made Of," showcasing a protagonist with an embarrassing obsession with her sister's brother-in-law, you are well on your way to crafting a captivating tale. Happy writing!
[1] Mood Boards: Setting the Tone for Your Story [2] Storyboarding: A Visual Guide to Plot Development [3] Creating a Mood Board for Your Novel [4] Character Development Worksheets: A Comprehensive Guide [5] Using Storyboards to Plan Your Novel
[6] The Role of Visuals in Creative Writing: Pinterest Boards and Collage-Making Apps
[7] From Exciting Ideas to the Writing Process: Using a Google Docs Workbook
[8] Inspiring Storylines from Unexpected Sources: Embarrassing Obsessions and Family Relationships
[9] Consequences and Desires: The Heart of a Compelling Story
[10] Brainstorming Tips for Creative Story Ideas: Imagining Interesting Scenes and Characters
[11] Structuring Your Writing Life: Lifestyle, Libraries, and Laptops
[12] Dressing for Success: Fashion, Beauty, and Writing Inspiration
[13] Nourishing Your Creative Mind: Food, Drink, and the Writing Process
[14] Rest and Relaxation: Gardens, Cars, and Travel for Writers
[15] Reading for Inspiration: Books, Shopping, and Entertainment
[16] Pets as Mental Health Companions for Writers: Writing with Felines and Canines
[17] Writing Retreats: Escape the Everyday and Focus on Your Novel
