One thing nice about the seeds that we find for our writing ideas… they will last indefinitely. Yeah, we might want to stick a little label on there… remind ourselves of just what that idea is about, but if you get in the habit of recognizing those little seeds of inspiration… you’ll get better at not having to make those labels.
What to do with that seed once we want to grow it? We nurture it. Treat it with care, water it with the knowledge we’ve gained from the hundreds of books we’ve already read. And that special touch? It’s what makes your books and stories so special. YOU. We add ourselves to our work without even realizing it.
We look at this tiny thing we’ve created from nothing, an idea, and wonder… “What will this become?” For the most part, let the story decide. Get a general gist of what the story is about. i.e. genre (if it even fits into one), age group (sometimes, this WILL change, so don’t assume it will stay in place), is it a short story or a series? or maybe even somewhere in between? The biggest piece of advice I could give you at this moment… Let go of everything you know about everything. Don’t plant this little thing in a tiny plot, fully expecting it to grow into a little short story. Always assume that the story will let you know where it wants to go, and how big it wants to become.
Long story short, listen to your seed. Let it help you determine what it wants to become. If it’s not ready? Grab another. That’s why we need to learn how to recognize them, you’re probably going to need more than one.
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