It's Time for another Good Idea, Bad Idea. Monday, February 05, 2007

Good Idea: Taking a break from a difficult manuscript.
Bad Idea: Taking a baseball bat to a difficult manuscript.

Good Idea: Backing up all your work on a portable hardrive or disk.
Bad Idea: Backing your work into a landfill.

Good Idea: Researching possible agents.
Bad Idea: Stalking them.

Today I'd like to talk about new ideas. I brainstormed with a my favorite two writer friends yesterday and tried to come up with some new ideas. What hasn't been done? Even with completely different settings and gadgets galore, common themes don't change. It's always a quest. Get the bad guy, get the talisman, get the answer, get the girl (or guy), get away..and so on. The journey changes location, distance and helps a character grow. Whether it's an internal journey or an epic quest across the sands of time, the goal remains the same. To change.
Every story I've ever read that made an impression on me began with a character believing, feeling, thinking one way and growing to become something different, better, stronger. Writing these changes can be so frustrating. Just like going through major changes aren't real comfortable for me, the characters in my stories aren't always too comfortable. Sometimes, getting the right twist in the journey, or black moment down on paper doesn't go well.
Change is inevitable. But getting that change to hop off the page and get an emotional response from a reader? Not so simple.

Good Idea: Falling in love.
Bad Idea: Falling in a well

Feel free to add your own versions of "Good Idea Bad Idea".