CHAPTER 6

Cultivating the Idea

Before you can begin to write, you must have a feeling for a story — though you may not know much of the story yet. This is the starting point for all writers and must be handled with care. This chapter shows you how to organize what you have, how to capture new characters, images, and ideas, and how to develop your story in the process of writing.

The Notebook, Your Best Friend

It's happened to every writer at one time or another: You are hit unexpectedly by the best idea you've ever had, but when it comes time to make use of that idea, it is forever lost in the crevices of your mind. Invest in a small notebook to carry around with you at all times. You never know when a great idea for a story, a character, or even a character's name, will strike you; if you are prepared, you can jot it down and not have to worry about trying to remember it.

Jot down everything that catches your interest. Don't worry about trying to piece together an entire story from one observation. Just write it down and move on to the next thing that pops into your head or attracts your eye. If you harp on one idea, you might miss out on other, more useful observations and ideas for your children's book.

It's a good idea to attach a pen or pencil to your notebook by clipping it or tying it with a piece of string. If you have to constantly search for something to write with, you may lose the idea before you have time to write it down. Worse, you may tell yourself that you will remember your thought until you get home to your computer. You won't!

There's no right and wrong way to write down your ideas. You can use abbreviations, pictures, full phrases, quotes, or fragments — whatever helps you capture the thought and retain its relevance to your work. No one is going to be reading these notes but you, so feel free to use any kind of shorthand you want. The key is to make each note something you understand and can use.

Because you are ultimately going to organize these ideas, it is a good idea to separate them by story. For instance, you may come up with a strong title for your story but no other ideas. For now, write just the title on one page of your notebook and leave the rest of the page blank. If you later come up with character descriptions to go along with your title, flip back to that page and fill them in. If you capture feelings, descriptions, names, incidents, and bits of dialogue, add them to the page as well. Later on, when it comes time to actually write your story, consider how to connect these fragments. The richer your notes, the more cross-connections you'll think of.

Use outside sources to expand and grow your idea notebooks. Clip stories from newspapers, and write down web links, maps, drawings, and questions about your characters. Treat your notebooks as mini-scrapbooks of reference material

Use sturdy notebooks that will stand up to use. Don't use pads that allow pages to curl, rip, and disappear. Use notebooks with covers, date them, and shelve them near your workstation.

You may find that you fill up notebooks quickly. In that case, you should start thinking about actually writing. It is easy to put off writing by using the excuse that you are still gathering material. But if you have several notebooks full, chances are you have a great story in there waiting to be written. Not every writer, not even every best-selling writer, is bursting with story ideas all the time. The next few sections explore different ways to rouse ideas and help you start filling up those notebooks.

Personal Experiences

Write what you know. How many times have you heard that? It can mean two things, each of which will be an important component of your work: write about experiences you have had, and write about things you have researched.

In Chapter 1 you were asked to create a timeline of significant events from your childhood. If you aren't sure where to start, use this to begin your journey. Recalling your own childhood is a great way to get your creative juices flowing. While significant events can certainly inspire plots, try to remember the insignificant things as well. One small detail has the power to shape an entire story.

Setting

Ideas for settings will be easy to come across if you consider your own childhood settings. Where did you grow up? Think about everything that surrounded you, from the items in your house to the geography of your location. Did you live in the country surrounded by forests and fields? Did you live in the city and play games in the streets with neighborhood kids? Were you landlocked or did you live on the water? Maybe you had a place you visited just to be by yourself — your own “secret garden.” Think about why you chose that place, what elements it had that appealed to you.

What was the weather like? Maybe you grew up in tornado country. Maybe you lived on the coast and know what it's like to prepare for a hurricane. Did you have traditional activities relating to the seasons? Maybe you didn't even have seasons.

Try to recall everything you can about the setting in which you grew up. Can you create an atmosphere for a story from the background you knew so well as a child? While the setting in which you live now would be quite fine to work with, you won't know it from a child's perspective — unless of course you currently live where you grew up. Even more important than physical details of your childhood setting are the emotions you felt. When you write fiction the story may have little to do with your life, but the details and emotions you recall will make that story believable.

Emotions and Ideas

Try to recall specific emotions you had as a child and what actions triggered those emotions. For instance, perhaps you felt lonely when your big sister started school and you found yourself at home with no playmate. Maybe the death of a family member left you sad and confused. Can you remember the tingles of excitement as you tried to settle down for sleep on Christmas Eve?

To help spark your memory, ask family members what you were like as a child. It will be fun and informative to hear their versions of events and compare them to your own. Another good idea is to take a look at photo albums of your younger years. The pictures may help you remember and piece together events.

Often children will build up an attachment to a particular item or habit. Maybe you had a blanket that you carried around with you constantly. Or perhaps you liked to twist your hair as a form of relaxation. How easy was it for you to give up your pacifier? Think about something you had an emotional attachment to and what it took to break you of the habit (that is, if you were able to break the habit).

The imagination of a child is something to be treasured. Try to recall your own young imagination. Did you invent a game for yourself and your siblings? Did you have an imaginary friend? Maybe you liked making up stories. Maybe you liked to pretend you were an astronaut. Make-believe is a child's way of exploring his creativity. Try to draw on your past encounters with make-believe to inspire creativity in your current stories.

Eyes Wide Open

Take a look around. The world is full of details just waiting to be picked up on and turned into a story. From major world events and issues to a phrase muttered by a child passing by on the street, there are millions of writing prompts in front of you. You just need to learn to open your eyes.

Walk down a familiar street and look for anything that is new or out of the ordinary. Maybe a tricycle was left in the driveway on its side. This may cause you to wonder why it wasn't put into the garage where it normally is. Was there an emergency at the house? Maybe the child was called in for lunch and isn't through riding the tricycle. Maybe the child is testing boundaries and seeing how far she can push her parents. Why was it left on its side? Maybe the child had exciting news to tell her parents and in her rush to get out of the seat, she knocked it over and didn't bother to pick it up. Maybe the child fell and, blaming the tricycle for the accident, got mad and kicked it until it tipped over. See, the mind can take just one small detail and run with it.

Train yourself to pay extra attention when you walk down the sidewalk. What are kids wearing? Notice the glances they give one another, the way they study adults, what a child says to his dog, or the color of a little girl's shoes. Whenever something catches your eye, consider it for a moment. Does it have story potential for you? If so, write it down in your notebook.

Have you ever sat on a train, noticed someone, and wondered what he did for a living or if he had any children or where he was going? If so, you were beginning to create a story about that person. Try this with a child. Pick out a child from a public place and watch her for a couple of minutes. Don't take any longer than that because you might raise the suspicions of a supervising adult; plus, you shouldn't need much time to get your mind in gear. Write down everything you make up about this child: name, hobbies, best friend, home life, age, favorite color, and so on. Don't concern yourself with story lines or plots just yet — unless that's what comes to mind. Right now you are just gathering ideas.

The best way to heighten one of your senses is to shut off another. For instance, if you are searching for dialogue to add to your idea note-book, sit on a bench at a playground and shut your eyes. This will force you to listen to what's being said and how people use words to communicate.

Pay attention and use your imagination. You'll be surprised at the number of ideas that you come up with just by focusing on seemingly ordinary things. And don't forget to bring your notebook and write everything down!

Using the Media

While you may normally look to the media for entertainment or news, as a children's writer, you should try to train yourself to scan these sources for story material. Be careful, however, of watching television while writing. Writing requires intense concentration, and trying to engage your brain in a television program while attempting to write creatively and well will most likely lead to frustration. Each writer is different, however — some can listen to music while working, and others cannot; some can work in public places, like coffee shops, while others require complete isolation. Take your time, and learn what works for you.

The News

Some writers prefer to start from an item in the news, rather than from their own memory or observations. As you read the news on your favorite websites or in your daily newspaper, keep an eye out for anything that could serve as a plot, character, or setting. For instance, you might read a small article about a local lifeguard saving the life of a young boy. You might then write a story about a young girl who gets herself into trouble by disobeying her parents and sneaking off to go swimming. You explore her range of emotions as she finds herself in danger, throughout the rescue, and once she is safe. Or you might decide to write a story from the viewpoint of the lifeguard. Or you might disregard the people in the article altogether and simply choose to use a beach as your setting. From just one small article, your imagination can take over and suddenly you have several possibilities to jot down in your idea notebook. As you begin to imagine a story based on some else's life, your own experiences will add detail and emotion.

Stealing other people's ideas and work is illegal. While it is perfectly okay to use the media to kindle your imagination, you should rely on your own creativity and writing ability to create a good story. Remember, you are just gathering material here. The actual story should be of your own making.

Classic Stories

You might find inspiration in reading classic and modern children's books. Read fairy tales, myths, legends, and folktales. Can you put a different spin on these? Maybe you can give the story a modern twist. Or you might choose to retell it from a different character's point of view. Consider researching the myths, legends, and fairy tales of different countries and cultures.

Music

Listen to songs on the radio and online. Disregard lyrics that simply repeat clichés, and pay attention to fresh, original songwriting. Do the lyrics describe a situation or discuss an issue that may translate into a story for children? Also listen to those songs that children find entertaining. Can you pinpoint why? Is there a universal message being sent that you could weave into a story line?

Advertisements

Even advertisements can inspire ideas. Take a closer look at billboards, posters, commercials, and ads in magazines and newspapers. Is there anything hidden there that might make for a good element in a children's book? What about those advertisements targeting children? How are these different and what makes them appealing to kids?

Organizing Your Ideas

Before you turn your ideas into stories, you should first get them organized. If you don't create an organizational system as you're gathering impressions, you may find yourself tackling a tower of paper when it comes time to use those ideas.

The same organizational system does not work for every person. Some people can't allow a single thing to be out of place before they begin work. Others have the messiest desk you've ever seen, but they know exactly where everything is. This section will give you some ideas, but you need to create an organizational system that you are comfortable with and that best suits your style.

First of all, you need some place to store the information and ideas you gather. A drawer or box dedicated to your children's book materials will work, as will a large envelope. The aim is to keep all your materials in one place so they are easily located. For the time being, you may find that your notebook works just fine. But chances are you will fill that notebook rather quickly and move on to the next. You need to organize those ideas so that they are easy to sift through.

A filing cabinet works best, but it isn't always reasonable to rush out and buy a huge filing cabinet, especially if you are just beginning to gather materials. If you have the space to devote to a filing cabinet, keep your eyes open for good deals. You can often find basic cabinets at office supply stores for a reasonable cost. You can also buy file cabinets from companies going out of business or at second-hand office supply stores.

Installing an organizational system for your ideas will save you time when you sit down to write. Organization also gives you a little peace of mind that will help to get and keep you motivated during the writing process.

To organize, you'll need to incorporate a filing system — whether it is for a filing cabinet, desk drawer, box, or a large envelope. If you can organize as you go, you will save yourself time. However, some people choose to organize their ideas only when they have a substantial number to work with.

Find a way to divide your ideas and related materials into categories. You may decide to separate the character ideas from the plot ideas, or the newspaper and magazine clippings from the notebook ideas. You may want to divide your ideas into type of book (fiction, nonfiction) or book format (picture book, early reader, chapter book, and so on). Do whatever works best for you, but be consistent.

It doesn't matter what type of organizational system you choose to use. The point is to make these materials easily accessible. If you leave loose papers lying around the house, chances are your ideas are going to be lost or turned into scrap paper for the kids to play with. Having worked so hard to gather ideas, you will want to take care of them. After all, one of them might just lead to your first book.

One at a Time

At some point you will want to write a story. Your idea collection may be the first place you look for inspiration. Now you will see what all the fuss was about — how all those hours spent gathering and sorting have saved your writing time!

It may be difficult to pick just one idea. As you pore through your collection, set aside those that are particularly appealing to you. When you go through this second pile, if not a single one stands out from the rest, you might just have to close your eyes and grab. Don't trouble yourself too much over this step. You'll explore those other ideas later on, so don't think of this as a final and all-important decision.

Read through your notes on your chosen idea, and jot down anything else that comes to mind. Start a new file for this one concept — it's going to be your main focus for a while.

What type of book is it going to be? Can you sketch out brief character descriptions? Can you follow the plot all the way through? If it is still an idea that you are excited about weeks after you initially thought of it, it may be strong enough to begin research.

If you spend too much time gathering ideas, it is likely that your idea collection will be overflowing and this could create an intimidation factor that could affect your motivation to begin writing. Always keep your notebook handy, but know when it's time to change your focus.

If you are already having difficulty with it, are bored thinking about it, or don't think you'll ever be satisfied with it, toss it. You'll never be out of ideas, so keeping one around that isn't going to work for you is pointless and a waste of good idea space. If you just can't seem to let it go — maybe you're just not in the mood for that topic on that particular day, but feel that it does have potential — then set it aside in a separate file or envelope. Pick out a new idea from the collection and start over.

Research

When you have the idea you want to work with, it's time to do a little research — a lot of research if the topic is nonfiction. Use Internet search engines to find out what other books have been written on the same topic and take a look at these. Try a variety of key search words. Don't forget that the Internet is wide open, and anyone can post anything they want, true or not. Guard against faulty information by using primary sources as often as you can, and for secondary sources, sticking to trusted news organizations, such as the New York Times, and pages that end in .gov or .edu, which come from government or university websites.

For example, suppose you are writing a mystery about a twelve-year-old girl living in a small town. First, do some searches for “kid's mysteries,” “children's mysteries,” “girl detective,” “middle-grade mysteries,” “kid mystery authors,” and “kid mystery publishers.” These searches should lead you to some books you will want to read carefully. Cast a wide net in the beginning; look for anything that might be relevant in terms of target audience, and protagonist age (usually a couple of years older than the intended reading audience). Once you decide what the market is like for this kind of book, read some examples and make lists of qualities you admire and wish to avoid.

When you decide what your protagonist's town is like (its region, its size, and the way it feels), do searches to explore similar towns. If you can get to a town like the one you're describing, visit the local history section of the library and find books, often privately printed, about what that town was like in the past. The more you know about this town, the more vividly your town will spring to life on the page.

What about your protagonist's parents? Although they may not figure heavily in the story, it is still a good idea to know something about them. What do they do for a living? Search for stories in the newspaper or online about those professions and jobs. You can do a great deal of quality research using your computer.

What is a bibliography?
A bibliography lists the sources an author has referred to in researching and writing the book. The bibliography is normally found in the back of the book.

Talk to Specialists in the Field

You may decide to conduct interviews with specialists. Be courteous when asking for their time, and if they are too busy, don't take offense. Move on! When someone does sit down with you, have at least ten questions ready to ask. The more you already know about your project, the more specific the information you can request. But don't be too narrow in your focus, and do allow your interviewee to speak freely. You may hear stories or learn details that move your plot in a new direction.

Reference Materials

Your idea file will now turn into your new-book file, as it becomes a convenient place to store all of your reference materials. See why a filing cabinet was a good idea? Make sure to keep these materials in separate folders. Especially if you are writing nonfiction, you may need your sources and information later on.

If you are using reference materials at the library, make photocopies of the pages you refer to and write down the name of the book, author, publisher, publisher's location, and date of publication. While it may seem tedious now, it will be very time-consuming later if you write a bibliography and have to go back to each of your individual sources to retrieve the information you need.