Weekly Schedule and “Idea” vs. “Concept”

Hi Everyone,

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

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

Tuesday, May 27^th: 8PM EST on.

Thursday, May 29^th: 8PM EST on.

Saturday, May 31^st: 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 1/5^th 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

The Emotional Process of Writing a Novel

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.