How to Turn Your Idea Into a Book! | Developing a Novel Concept
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- Опубліковано 27 тра 2024
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TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 - Intro
1:34 - Write down everything
2:11 - Identifying your protagonist
5:03 - Identifying your form
7:14 - Identifying core scenes
11:44 - Identifying character relationships
12:34 - Actively brainstorming
14:22 - Write down your questions
15:05 - Give it time to cook
16:05 - Embrace the changes
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Step 1: write a billion notes across a hundred different documents
Step 2: oh fuck how do I organise this
I printed it all out, cut it out and organized it in 4 Binders. Each Binder for one book of my series. Each binder is then divided into several plot points. From the inciting incident to the climax depending wether you write in a 5 act structure or three act structure... example: 5 acts = 5 plot points. Each of these consists of chapters and the chapters consist of scenes. So what I do then is I organize every text piece into the right scene of the particular book. This takes weeks if you don't do that regularly. Text pieces that no longer fit my story or are developed further I cross out. This is my road map in the end for writing my novel series.
@@Schmunzelfee Recently I've been working on a story where I basically speedran the second half. This method helped me to figure out which scenes were missing.
"Step 2: oh fuck how do I organise this" = MindNode
I decided which the main scenes or chapters would be and color coded my notes. Now, when I'm writing on a chapter or scene, I search my notes for the color I assigned it. It has helped me, but I'm open to hearing better suggestions!
I love the brainstorming phase of a new project, but afterward I have to check every envelope, receipt, scrap of paper before I throw them out because I keep jotting down random notes everywhere. Pity I can't read my own handwriting lol
"Can't read own handwriting club" unite
How about the one where you find old notes and they're so vague or cryptic that you have no clue what idea you had in your mind at the time.
@@kulsoomahsan4440 Or, alternatively; when you find a really good, specific note, and realized you never used it, then proceed to get mad that you didn't use it.
I have the same problem, scrivener helps me sooo much.
Same...same...
A professor of mine once said to me "I was too young to write the story I was planning and wait a few years to at least allow it to ferment." I wrote the story 15 years later, he was so right. I recently created a new story from that story. It is really the same story as the first though the setting has changed and the POV has changed. It is also 30 years since I wrote the first story and 45 years since I had the idea.
wow youre old. no hate its just amusing how everywhere i go its mostly kids until i get to the writing or spirituality side of youtube then its mostly older adults.
I’m currently recycling a story from when I was very young, about nine or so. This advice rings true for sure
Im 21 and pretty sure this sounds exactly like me. Shocking
You didn't even tell us what the story was about! I'm a beginning novelist myself and something that has taking you that long to write is just something I have to hear. I would like to offer myself to you as a beta reader for it and anything else you're working on, if you would be so kind as to let me read your work.
@@abbiepancakeeater52 you'll get there eventually
I started writing my novel when I was barely a teenager and now I’m 20, so it feels like I’m writing a whole new story with constant questions and mysteries in need of answering, because it was quite an immature stereotypical YA story. Recently, I’ve been developing it into something more concise, less dramatic, and more relationship centered. It’s nowhere near how it originally was 😅
omg samee
literally same!!!
“Buy this concept get 6 scenes free!….the rest you have to work for.” Is the most funny, relatable thing I have heard in a while 😂
How is this free?
Seconded Shaelin is so abundant.
@@abdoul5176 So clear, concise and thorough!
I just recently realized I'm also a discovery writer, so this is pretty helpful.
yesss discovery writers unite !!
Hey! Me too. 😂
this is like the only arrow in my quiver: being able to develop ideas into a novel. If anything I need a video “how to pare back your ideas into a novel” 😂😂😂
The "identitying your protagonist" bit is very interesting. People always assume that whoever the most interesting events happen to *must* be the main character; but that doesn't have to be the case.
I want to see more stories from the "side character's" perspective. I want to read Harry Potter from Hermione's or Ron's point of view. I want to watch a superhero movie from the sidekick's perspective.
that's actually an idea i have for a book in a series i'm slowly working on. it would be very interesting to see events unfold from someones pov who "isn't as important"
Is this my sign to finally change my story’s POV to a side character whom I like better than the MC?
Being a discovery writer myself, I absolutely love these videos. I was writing this scene and a character I had never thought about before walked through the door and changed the course of the story. I love that kind of magic.
I have just had the exact same thing happened in the story I am writing. Funny though, how life can change with one knock at the door
2:00 am in Mexico city and watching new Shaelin video jaja
3:39 PM here in the Philippines
I like the slow cooker analogy. It helps with my ongoing struggle, of accepting the slowness of my own creative process. So I'm a slow cooker, not a microwave. That's fine by me. 😀❤
Some times, part of me wants to go back to the early concept of a story and see if I can develop it into another, completely different story.
I’ve done this with my current story. My original idea has morphed into this totally different story, and my original inspiration can totally go another way. I’m saving it for a different story or a spin off or something
Oxygen moments--interesting. I've heard of crystallizing moments--where some aspect crystallizes out and gets set in stone. Important moments that harden and set the character or setting or plot. Sort of the opposite of an oxygen moment that moves and grows. Thanks.
Hi
I like to think of it as the weather .... When you look at it hour by hour, day by day, and week by week you see a lot of activity. But, after a while you can look at the climate and see what's really going on. Same here, you might write a page, and edit it, and edit it, and rewrite the whole page.... Eventually, certain things will stick-out, those are what remains constant. Those are the ideas the emerge after it cooks for a while.... and those ideas will move you to the next phase naturally.
What the thumbnail says: Turning An Idea into a Book
What I read: Turning Into An Idea Book
Wow, I didn't have access to internet for two weeks, not even? And you put out the equivalent of a motion picture in the meantime somehow. Thank you for all the hard work and quality content, what a treat!
You are so welcome!
This video is exactly what I needed right now! Gonna start working on a novella now. Thank you so much for the video, Shaelin.
So exciting!! Good luck!!
@@ShaelinWrites thank you!
Your Discovery process is EXACTLY like mine! My current WIP differs from my original idea in (1) Whose story is it? (2) Key symbolism. (3) Central theme. (4) Names of significant characters. I TOTALLY identify with this lesson.
I brainstorm when I'm at work. When it's quiet, I print out some blank receipt paper and write whatever comes to mind! It's very messy with no filter, but I refine it after work. Some of my best ideas and breakthroughs have come to me this way!
I do this too
I write my actual drafts on Scrivener, but almost all of my work before that (I'm a big plotter) I write physically. I think the slower pace and intention in writing with pen and paper makes me consider my ideas more deeply and come up with new ones, especially when it comes to plot.
My ideas usually come in small details too. Glad to know it's not just me.
It's interesting that you talk about the conscious brain often coming up with the initial idea which may not be the best vision for the final book. For me at least, 50% of my book ideas start out as dreams (is this normal lmao?) so I can't exactly give my conscious brain all the credit there. The difficulty is in turning those ideas into novels, so this video is very helpful!
Yes! It happens to me all the time, I can have quite detailed story ideas as dreams, they fade very quickly when I wake though so I have to jot them down immediately.
00:31 📝 When developing a book, focus on turning the initial seed of an idea into something workable and actionable.
01:54 📚 Writing down everything that comes to mind, including character names, is a powerful first step in the development process.
02:20 🤔 Start by asking yourself, "Whose story is it?" Identifying the main character or narrator sets the direction for your narrative.
05:05 🖋 Consider the form early in the process, including point of view, tense, narrative device, and even aesthetic style, as it significantly impacts the story's evolution.
07:24 🌟 Identify core scenes related to the concept as a base blueprint for your plot and gain insights into the trajectory of your story.
08:43 🤯 Embrace the struggle of developing plot, understand your natural thought process, and build a brainstorming process that aligns with it.
11:58 💑 Developing core character relationships is key; it provides material for interpersonal conflict, relationship development, and personal growth.
14:17 🧠 Actively brainstorming, even starting with basic details, helps warm up ideas and progress, especially when you feel stuck.
15:36 ⏳ Be patient; ideas take time. Setting aside dedicated time for active brainstorming can break through creative blocks.
16:34 🔄 It's okay for ideas to evolve and change. Embrace the flexibility, as the most interesting version of the story might deviate from your initial plan.
Hi, just wanted to tell you, you are my favorite writing 'coach' . Thanks.
On multi vs single POV, I think it also depends very heavily on genre. Fantasy, especially epic fantasy, lends itself to multi-POV really well. Dual-POV is common in romances, and most literary fiction I see is single-POV, but I do see dual-POV too. Same can go for form too!
I was writing a sci-fi and when I was developing the setting, I had random thoughts like “this one has a big wall in it” and “this one has trees. lots of them.” It was a fun time googling images and finding the most similar setting.
This was super helpful. As an amateur I had no idea "discover writing" was a thing and this is exactly what I've been doing. Knowing that other people do that and it actually works is reassuring and now I have a good idea how I can move forward.
Definitely subscribing
hey even though it's a relatively old video, i want to recommend Miro for organizing ideas in a visual way! think of it as an (almost) endless board you can put stuff on, connect, paste videos and songs as embeds, basically anything you want. i use it for my current project, and it's so satisfying to see the whole picture containing every single piece of information the story has.
it's web-based and you get 3 boards free, but the board space is so huge you can basically use 1 for an entire book. hopefully this helps people who don't know how to organize their ideas :)
As someone who is constantly thinking of ideas for stories, this was very helpful. I'm confident when I actually put pen-to-paper, but until then, I constantly think of how to keep the story going, psyching myself out of starting it. Your idea of just writing anything (even as an Architect) is a skill I hope to maintain as I develop in my writing career. Thank you for the video!
I can't thank you enough for this video. Just what I needed! Great ideas but most of all, you reminded me that writing a story is not a rush job, is not a race, but that we should let it develop and give it time and enjoy the process and the discovery. Please keep up your great work, it's truly appreciated.
I find that research always spurs me to create scenes and breaks writers block. But yes, sometimes things just need to bake for awhile and the tale changes in the telling (I am also a pantser/discovery writer/improviser, so that fits).
Question re: “buy this concept, get these 6 scenes for free”:
Are these initial scenes the kind of thing that come as a form of “this is common sense” on a broader sense of “how are people gonna be able to conceptualize how to make sense of this premise”-OR, is it more “to me this is intuitively how this premise begins” and you just hope people buy in to how the premise unfolds via those first 6 (or however many) scenes?
There's no real logic or thought process to the initial scenes. It's like...they're just there, inherently. It's kind of too early to be thinking logically about the premise. I don't ever really ask myself the question "How are people gonna be able to conceptualize how to make sense of this premise." I only really care about how I want the premise to unfold, and how it naturally unfolds in my mind.
@@ShaelinWrites That's kinda what I'm telling myself lately, 'Just write what you think is cool and worry about the details later' after all first drafts exist to be changed, it's all about getting ideas on paper at the onset.
@@ShaelinWrites So in other words - Shaelin , you think of your book's premise rather than as a movie trailer But as how you see it starting as you're watching the start of the story IF it were a movie { you're watching at the cinema } . ♑️✍️🇦🇺🇳🇴
It's really interesting to listen to how you explain your writing process, since it's so incredibly similar to mine ;)
Hi
Honestly I am not writing a novel but I am using your videos for advice on writing fanfiction and I never written one before and your videos have help me a lot so thank you for all your fantastic advice!
"The unconscious is smarter"
That's why I'm a big fan of pantsing. One you've lived in the characters' heads for a while, they write the story for you. Whenever I've struggled, or abandoned and idea, it was because I thought I knew the story before I really did, and stuck to it.
omg you're just in time! im having so much trouble with thiss
I relate to your writing style so much.
Keep bringing us videos about discovery writing! I never knew that this is what my writing style was called until you named it. I always just thought I was doing it ‘wrong.’ 🤣
Thank you so much, this is exactly the video I needed! For the past week, I've been playing with a novel idea in my mind, but I was kinda stuck and didn't know what to do with it. I'll take this as a sign to continue!
I really relate to your writing process, so this video was super useful! Thank you Shaelin
Wow this helped a lot, it’s nice to see how others go through the process 👍🏻
Having exciting ideas for a book and writing those scenes is great
The important scenes of a story create room for counter scenes.
The plot twists, and all significant shifts in the story can be improved with attention to the detail leading up to, and after critical scenes. As the writer you control where the story is going and can place gadgets in the writing that have effect later in the story, and likewise tailor everything to favor your writing style
Great video! I just started writing, and I actually ran into a lot of the problems you said you ran into, so this was very helpful for me :D
This is very helpful for me because I feel you and I have A LOT in common in how we write! I've been forcing myself to plot and outline, but I think that actually blocks my writing. Gonna try out your method of working out the scenes that come with the concept and then see from there on
I'm working on my book now, and listening to various writers' advice. You're good at explaining the concepts.
It seems my style is very similar to yours. Funny thing, I thought I was a "panster" but then I remembered that I make mental and written notes in advance. I also had a synopsis before I started, though my story changed. So I'm not as much a "panster" as I thought. Thanks for all the helpful videos, Shaelin!
I consider myself a pantser and I also make a lot of mental/written notes! I don't think pantsing has to mean "I know literally nothing" (though it does for many). For me it just means that I don't outline my books, so much of the plot is unknown.
@@ShaelinWrites Exactly the same for me...I'm glad to hear it because sometimes I wonder about my process!
@@JRTProds28 indeed your idea great.
@@JRTProds28 hi
Yes! Changes are good. Story, plot, even style can change and it's okay. This is advice that all new (and even seasoned) writers need to know and be reminded of. Great video! Thank you for all you do.
This video is amazing! This is exactly how it works. You always organize your tips so well. Thank you for sharing, Shaelin.
I've been writing forever but this was still very helpful to me thank you!
Really helpful and thorough post. I always find your videos instructive and entertaining.
I love you advice, it really resonates with me! Thank you!!
Really good advice. I like how you can state what you do but also explain how your both using and thinking about what your doing, its great. Thank you i think i can write now.
Thank you Shaelin! This was a really fun and creative way to explore this.
Your idea of Whose story is it? Is something I never thought of. I thought it was my title character’s story, but you got me thinking. I paused your video at that point (about 4:50) and gave it a LOT of thought. But for reasons I can’t detail, the strange nature of my plot does not allow it to be anyone’s story. I concluded something that may sound strange to you but this is the only thing that works. (To give a bit of help in understanding this, let me say this much: too many people do not survive as this covers a LOT of time-as in a fantasy type genre). So my conclusion is it’s the narrator’s story. That’s all it can be! But I am clearer on it now because of your help. That is the more remarkable because you are so a young person yet so knowledgeable, whereas I am an old man (over 80)!
I have binged watched so many writing tips, videos on learning to write stories...etc. and the simple "be patient" is the best advice I have heard. I am trying to rush through this and that is not how I work. Thank you for that little bit of knowledge.
Super helpful Shaelin…I had so many OMG yes, that’s me moments listening to this. Really enjoy your content.
Thank you so much for the video! I am currently worrying about my ideas which I want to explore after my WIP which in turn made me procrastinate on my WIP to avoid facing the fact that I had no clue how to pursue them further. Your points helped me so much in breaking this into the necessary small steps to not feel overwhelmed anymore.
I am excited to check out your other videos, great work!
Okay, so listening to you talk about how you can only plot while writing, I was like same. My brain gives me a handful of scenes from the story and then is like, figure the rest out yourself. It's frustrating, but in the end, it works out.
15:16 Oh well I thought you're giving a Olivia Rodrigo pun!😂
Good 4 u!
But thanks for your tips. It helped me a lot. I was feeling a bit down about not having the courage to write anymore... But the question I figured out was "How do I write it like a book?" And well you helped a lot. The tips were kind of my style. I am a discovery writer too! 😂 Just found out.
The thing with me is I lack patience about my books. I rush things and then they end up regretting me. 😂
So yeah... Gotta give it some time to cook!
Thank you once again! ✨
Shaelin, This is the video I have needed. I have been working on a literary historical fiction novel over the past few months and I have been struggling to develop plot material. When I conjured the idea and concept for this book, the protagonist and a few other characters emerged as well as the setting. I have been drowning in schoolwork and it has not been the best time to write because every time I sat down to write this year, there was an assignment demanding my attention. The school year came to an end this week and I feel full of ideas and stories. I am a discovery writer and I can develop most of stories through brainstorming while I write and experiencing the story before my eyes. I often have scenes in my mind that further develop as I write. I hope to freely write and enjoy the process to make progress on this book this summer. I love you
My heavens! That describes my process perfectly: buy this concept and get these 6 scenes free! Of course, hooking them together is a whole other thing. Sigh.
This was a very helpful video for me to watch because I think I’m a discovery writer as well
It felt wrong for me to only have important scenes and events linked together by unknown or non-detailed pieces of the story and I felt like I should fill all of those parts in for me to write correctly
It was good to hear that it’s okay to not fully understand the plot and to just let the details come naturally as you write
Very awesome writing advice, I really liked and enjoyed it. I really actually needed this for my book. Since I just started writing chapter 1 of book 2 that I titled tales of the old West: haunting legends of the superstition ancient mountains. Im kind of struggling on how to write a story within a story. The setting of my book is the old West in a small frontier town in a mountain valley in south California. As for the plot and conflict of my book, I only have a little bit of it figured out and the rest of it I haven’t figured it out. So this video definitely helped me out a lot , on getting me started on turning my lots of story ideas into book 2 of my book series the chronicles of Archaeiya I’m writing
Most of my ideas comes when I'm taking a shower and when I get out, I lose my train of thought. 😂
I was going to write my book about a new Girl who couldn't find her way and didn't know anyone in the beginning
I got the notification while in class and had to physically restrain myself from pulling out my earphones.
Shaelin you are so helpful, so positive, so encouraging, so knowledgeable, you've got me thinking I am on the right track after all and not to worry. You're cute too. You really have it all.
What would I do without your videos?? Thank you for all of your videos & advice!
I love it! Gosh, finally! All those “NYT bestsellers” who crush you with superiority and pessimism were really getting to me. So glad I came upon this channel! Thank you!!
I just had an amazing idea about an utopia made out of yarn until the protagonist pulls a loose string which starts unraveling the kingdom. The main character decides to go to the village elder who tells him about an ancient prophecy. The prophecy tells of a woman who sewed their world together so the protagonist goes on an epic quest to find her so she can fix their world. But I don’t know what he should have to go through to achieve his goals or how it’s going to change him or the kingdom.
Thank you so much! This was very helpful. To your point about the subconscious being very active: research has pointed to a rate of subconscious processing that is faster than conscious processing by a factor of about 27,500.
Soooo good! Thank you
Shaelin, Thank you 💯
I love this channel so much
Thank you! Ideas were never my problem, I have hundreds of them. I need help taking an idea and stretching it to 80k interesting words.
this girl is amazing!
That's me, my outlines of writing a plot stops, but it's not finnished, just slowly writing it
My problem is always I start with the setting and then I stop because I feel I’ve no plot to unfold....
Ive created a concept I’m pleased with but don’t know how to continue, hopefully this helps :)
I think I'm intellectually attracted to Shaelin
Same
love you!
I like your insight to write everything down. I used to be in the mindset that it was a waste of time and energy, because it's all in my own brain anyway. BAD IDEA. On the book I'm working on currently, The Scar Came from Destiny, I have good ideas all the time for parts that I just can't write because I can't be in a dozen places at once. I think a bit of chaos like that is natural to human beings. Scientists keep it in mind, but I feel like average society has failed to remember that all humans are of a primal origin. We are the dominant species of the planet, but we're still members of the animal kingdom. WRITING DOWN EVERYTHING will, at least from a writing standpoint, pretty much negate that.
Thank you
Thanks, Greetings from Colombia, the Venezuelan Immigrant writer 🌎
I have this issue where I try to write my story in past tense, even though it's in present tense. I have to go back and fix it way more often than I would like. I would change it to past tense, but there are a lot of flashbacks where I need to utilize the distinction between the two as a literary device D: I like the advice you gave though- it's nice to know I'm not the only one who struggles with that sort of form thing.
Thanks. ❤️
Hello Shaelin... Thanks 🌎
I sit in school and daydream and that’s how I come up with things like character names 😂
Here's an odd question: Would you say writing a book is similar to writing a D&D campaign?
I started writing a book. Then I turned it into a D&D game. My friends loved it. Now I'm writing the book again and it's oddly interchangeable. I feel like I'm catching on to basic writing concepts very quickly and I feel it's because of my experience writing D&D stories. Much of the plot development is the same.
The book series The Expanse by James SA Corey began as a role playing game. Then after the success of the series they made it a role playing game anyway! Definitely interchangeable! Totally will make the worldbuilding insanely deep.
@@SuperMegaKarina Oh damn! Now i'm twice as excited!
Btw, YET TF AGAIN, this video is absolutely r e v e l a t o r y for me, illuminating a lot of things I already felt in my heart but..... have tried to deny for so long, in favor of..... what I thought was an understanding of “general, conventional wisdom”
Then again, I wonder if THIS IS coming from that place of conventional wisdom, and I just was misunderstanding it, this whole time.
Just curious, how long does a book take you from story conception to publishing?
You: what’s the point of view of your novel?
Me, just now realizing I had been conceptualizing it as a TV show: oh shoot what’s the point of view of my novel
The only thing I don't like about this video is that I can't like it more than once
Core scenes!!
Plot is what your character must do
What software or editors
would you recommend for helping you double edit your book before publishing it?
Hello Shaelin! Hope you're in good health😊. I'm at bay about creating the setting of my story. Actually, I'm writing a contemporary set in London which I've never visited nor do I have any acquaintances over there. So, it's hard for me to write imagery and create a specific mood for a place I've never been physically to. Can I recreate the setting of London in my own way? If not , what definitive steps should I take to create my story in a foreign land ? I shall be obliged if anyone here takes the trouble to answer me or if someone who lives in London will come forward to share all the details of the place from roads, streets ,houses, restaurants, hotels to the weather ,people, their culture and their day-to-day routine.
Hi Shaelin 🤝
This was so helpful, thank you. 💜