What's your orginial idea part 3

What's your original idea, can you tell it in 25 words or less? Does it have positive action words? At the conference in Syracuse Bob Mayer asked these questions and like most writers there, my mind screamed.... What? 25 words or less impossible.

I have too many components in my story to write it down to one sentence. But after my A-Team workshop I realize this is vital. As writers we need that Original Idea, that one thing that sparked out need to write the story and we need it up front and center to focus our goals on.

Over the last few weeks, I have struggled with different components of my story, questions that can't be answered. I returned back to the Original Idea, and my Conflict Box. Letting the ideas and questions marinate, I figured out what my answers. Now, I'm going to give the outlining a try and see if the story is workable as is.

What is an original idea?

• It could be about the “what if” it could be a person, setting, plot, an intent.
• It should convey certain aspects within the sentence:
      o Protagonist, What’s at stake? Antagonist and the thing that needs to be achieve.
• It must have positive action verbs. It shouldn’t have negative words.

For instance mine was: A young Sentinel Witch’s powers awaken risking her gate to the vampire prison, to restore the power she must destroy the escaped vampire who stole her family knives.

I know that is over by 4 words, but it has the protagonist,(Witch) the what’s at stake (Vampire Prison entrance) and the antagonist (Vampire) and achieve (Destroy Vamp and restore knives.)

  

This is the original reason to start working on your work. What you need to feel before you really sit down and work on it. Have your original idea in front of you as you write. Have it looking at you as you load yourself into the world of your dreams. Let it help you keep on track, ground you as your finger fly.

Find out more from Pick up Bob Mayer's Warrior Writer  and Who Dares Wins: The Green Beret Way to Conquer Fear and Succeed and The Novel Writer?s Toolkit.  These books help in understanding your writing.  If you can't make on of the numerous conferences he's speaking at, these books will help you as a writer tremendously.

Opening Night with Bob Mayer

Excitement in the air, how was he going to present himself.  Walking into the CNYRW mini con opening informal discussion was exciting, Book everywhere and Mr. Mayer waiting patiently.  After reading his books, images will form of a military strick man. However, last night he was human, funny and carsmatic.  His speak was on The Orginial Idea and Conflict Box, without these you really don't have a story.  Consepts I had read and heard before, but never truly understood what exactly they meant until he exampled them.  The Orginial Idea is one sentence the main reason why you are writing this novel.  It's not the life story, but it's the spark of the reason. It's what made you get your fingers running on the keyboard.  But as a writer it is so hard to get it done to one sentence, because you have to weed through all the layers you have applied to the novel to get the idea of it.

The Confilict Box it shows the Anatgonist and Protagonist goals and conflict and when you cross them, there should be conflict.  You can do this for each scene, but you must have one for the story, if there is no conflict you have no story.

Now it's time to get ready for today. Lots to learn.  Can't wait.