Saturday, May 24, 2014

Weekly Schedule and “Idea” vs. “Concept”


Hi Everyone,

Here’s this week’s schedule for The Consonants Group member meetings:

Monday, May 26th: Give me a time and I’ll be there!

Tuesday, May 27th: 8PM EST on.

Thursday, May 29th: 8PM EST on.

Saturday, May 31st: 1PM EST on.

(If another time works better for you, please do speak up!)


Quick Advice from the Desk of Randi Lee: “Idea” vs. “Concept”

I read the “Idea” vs. “Concept” (IVC) concept in a book somewhere, so I can’t take full credit for it. However, I will take credit for elaborating on it. IVC is the thought that, within the writerly world, ideas and concepts are two separate things. Here’s the differentiation between the two:

Idea
An idea is a thought. In the writerly world, that thought could be a story title, the name of a main character, a setting or location a writer is enchanted by or any other puzzle-piece story element. It is something simple the writer thinks up and wants to further expand upon. It’s the beginning of the writer’s journey through a series of poetry or prose. It’s the birthing place of a story.

Concept
A concept is a complete train-of-thought. It is the journey that leads to that story title, main character or description’s destination. It is the place where a single story element blends with the other elements it needs to complete the above referenced series of poetry or prose. It’s the rearing, life and death of a story.

Whereas an idea is an initial inkling of where one wants a story to go, a concept is the trip planner, the vehicle and the road all in one. It is everything that surrounds the idea: the plot, the storyline, the tension & conflict, the supporting cast, the theme and more. It isn’t enough for one to have only an idea—there must be a concept behind that idea, a place for that idea to go.

For example: I recently came up with a title I’d like to use for a short story: Vicariously Famous. The idea is that a yet-to-be-determined main character would find notoriety by befriending a celebrity. I love the idea and hope to put it to words soon. However, I first need something else:

A concept.

I need to know my main character’s story. How does this “vicarious fame” affect my MC? What happens to my MC as a direct result of this fame? What happens to those around my MC and how does all of this come together to form a compelling story that readers can relate to? These are your concept questions: how to go from just a title and main character to a complete chain of events.

Therefore, upon generating an idea it is important to ask yourself: Where can I take this? Yes, you may be in love with a witty title or your trailblazing MC with a take-no-prisoners attitude, but can you do something with that idea? Can you develop a concept and then see that concept through from start to end? If your answer is no, it may be time to sit on that idea until a later date when you can truly run with it. There’s no point in getting 1/5th of the way through a novel before realizing, I have no idea what to do next. That’s a lot of time you could have spent working on a different concept that you could have taken further.

Never, ever scrap an idea! My purpose isn’t to kill your ideas before they have a chance to sprout. It’s to advise you to table those ideas until it’s the right planting season. Keep your “non-conceptable” idea in your back pocket until you’ve found a place to take it. Let it sit, percolate and grow into something you can see through to the end. In the meantime, many “conceptable” ideas are sure to pop up. You’ll be so busy working on those concepts that you’ll hardly notice your original idea is hibernating.

Is shelving an idea fun? Of course not! However, if all your idea is is an MC named Chase Bronsbottom who can shoot metal from his hands, you’re going to find yourself frustrated once you have no clue what to do with Mr. Bronsbottom when you’re halfway into your novel. Why not place Chase on safely on that shelf, afford him the time he needs to grow into a concept, and instead realize an idea that’s ready to be conceptualized? Your schedule, your list of publications and your sanity will thank you for it.

Best,

Randi Lee

Randi Lee is a blogger, author and beta-reader living in New England, USA. She has released two short story/poetry collections and has been featured in numerous publications, both online and in print. Ms. Lee is currently working on her first full-length novel, which she hopes to query by the end of the summer.  The Emotional Process of Writing a Novel is a place where Randi likes to offer tips, advice and opinions, as well as book reviews and features on fellow authors and bloggers. To contact Randi, feel free to e-mail her at: randi.lee@mail.com, or connect via Twitter: @lee_randi. A ‘social butterfly’ of sorts, she is always happy to converse with new people.     

Saturday, May 17, 2014

May 18th thru May 24th Schedule


Hi Everyone!

No schedule set in stone yet for next week as I’d like to hear from all of you prior to posting one. Over the next day or so, please leave a comment or send me an e-mail at randi(dot)lee(at)mail(dot)com with your available times. I’ll put some meetings together after that.

And remember! Feel free to attend as many or as few meetings as you like! There are no required commitments here at Consonants.

By the way, if you are curious about or interested in The Consonants Group, read more about us here.


Also, if you have the time, please check out and support your fellow Consonants members at the following sites:

Callie—The Dream Words
Krystal Jane—The Narcissistic Rose
T. Drecker—Kidbits
Rebekah Yami—Musings of Rebekah Yami

I look forward to conversing with you all this week!

Best,

Randi Lee
The Emotional Process of Writing a Novel

Wednesday, May 14, 2014

An Introduction to "The Consonants Group"

Hello, and welcome to the new blog for The Consonants Group—an online writing community! The purpose of this blog is to serve as a tool for members of the Consonants, as well as to provide tips, insights and advice to the writing world. It will feature a schedule of group meetings, featured posts by group members, and also member “spotlights:” views into the lives, successes and writing habits of the various members of the group.

What exactly is The Consonants Group? It is an online chat environment meant to unite writers who may not necessarily have many writing resources in their immediate area—or writers who just want to get online and talk. Utilizing the Yahoo! Messenger chat-room feature the group meets on a scheduled and/or spontaneous basis to discuss writing thoughts and process, and whatever else is on their minds. Its “e-method” of providing a platform for discussion transcends geographical limitations and provides writers a fresh alternative to meeting groups.

Who is The Consonants Group for? Everyone! If you are looking to expand your literal horizons and meet new writers from the comfort of your home, Consonants may just be for you. All are welcome to join the group—one needs only to express interest and inquire.

What are the requirements? There are none! Attend as few or as many meetings as you like. Contribute to the blog as frequently or infrequently as you like. Only have time to attend one meeting per month, per six months, per year? That is fine. Show up when you can and refrain when you can’t. Your opinion is still valued, no matter how little or often we hear it.

How do I sign up? Quite simply: send an e-mail to consonantsgroup(at)yahoo(dot)com and let us know that you’d like to attend a meeting or two, or many. We’ll take it from there. (I should mention, Yahoo! Messenger is a free service you need only download on your computer, tablet or mobile phone to use. There is no monetary commitment whatsoever.)

So, that’s the thick of it. If you’d like to join, please feel free to do so. Even if you don’t, please enjoy this blog and all of the advice, tips, hints and thoughts that The Consonant Group members have to offer.

This week’s schedule (please let me know if you wish to meet at an alternate time:)

Thursday, May 15th 8:00PM EST – 9:00PM EST
Friday, May 16th 8:00PM EST – 9:00PM EST
Saturday, May 17th 12:00PM EST – 1:00PM EST

Again, feel free to attend as many or as few sessions as you like. Happy writing!

Best,

Randi Lee