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.
