There is no shortage of Ideas in this world. Eight out of ten people you meet, would likely boast about their Ideas. This is the nature of Ideas; they charge you and fill you with charisma. The challenge is not during the creation of any Idea, but the efforts required for its development into a great story. A great story, that sells. Authors and Writers all over the world possess millions of Ideas, yet not many are able to make it through to the novel standard. Is your Idea good enough to be considered? Is it worth someone else’s precious time? Even before we start getting into How to develop an Idea into a great story, first we need to define the foundation and get our thoughts in order.

When I started writing, every other day I would get tens of different Ideas. Some appealed to the sufferings of the poor, others reflected the miseries of the rich. There were times when I got immersed into the emotional tracks of thoughts but never actually got into the next development process. How do you start a story? Depending upon your Idea; whether your objective revolves around teenagers or children or people working in their offices; various methodology can be adopted. However, there are few steps which you must take in order to develop a great story. The delicacy and importance of this process cannot be ignored.

[beautifulquote align=”full” cite=””] Imagine the main character of your story as if he/she were real[/beautifulquote]

Get Your Cards Organized:

So you have an Idea for your next novel and you are beginning to start the story development process. The First task that every writer should undertake is to get his/her cards organized. If yours is a story with a social message, then cleanly write down the message as precise as possible before moving further. Imagine the main character of your story as if he/she were real. Can you trigger a conversation with the main character? This is the part where you define some of the most important parts of your story. This also includes – important locations which appear in the story, people who matter the most, the basic emotions which lay the core structure for the story, and many more. Once you have a clear stream of vision on WHAT EXACTLY YOU WANT, then you can move on to the next step.

Imagine Your Fictional World:

Now that you have a clear view of all the characters, the locations, the abstract layers that govern the foundation of your story; imagine it all. I know many writers would want to jump to the first chapter of the story at this point, however it is a good practice to rehearse the play before directing one. Our mind is a powerful tool and at times like this, it must be used. Have your first scene be enacted upon in your mind; observe as your story comes to life. This would be the first opportunity for you to see your Idea developing into a great story.

[beautifulquote align=”full” cite=””] Our mind is a powerful tool and at times like this, it must be used.[/beautifulquote]

Get Out of Your Comfort Zone:

As writers, we are great procrastinators. Once the first scene comes clean, we might feel a little worked up. Relaxing is not the best option rather an escape route. Get out of your comfort zone and schedule your daily routine around the work. If the character isn’t responding well, put in your efforts and make it work. If the style doesn’t appeal to the reader, invest more creativity so the idea suits the content.

Lose your Sanity and Think Free:

When working on developing an Idea into a great story, you might face a situation where the old known tactics won’t work. The methods or plans you had in mind in order to develop the story sometimes don’t come out on paper well enough. In such cases, feel free to explore insane practices; think out of the box. Adapting a new way will give you more opportunities and open up the gates for other ideas to flow in, so you can choose better.

Know that you will Fail as well:

A smart and wise writer knows that he will fail as well. If you think you were born to win, you are fooling yourself and the world. Each and every person who strives to make his dream come true must face the fact that life offers equal share of happiness and sorrow. Neglecting this simple fact can affect your mindset and ultimately the story.

[beautifulquote align=”full” cite=””]As writers, we are great procrastinators.[/beautifulquote]

Practice the Idea yourself:

Say your idea involves developing habits which every person alive today must undertake and practice. When your idea is derived on human values and principles, always start with yourself. Experiment the pros and cons by adapting the habit into your own life. This is the perfect way to ensure that the benefits from the story help people in reality. This act of self-experimentation will help boost your self-confidence and reflect the positiveness in your words when you write the story.

Ask questions against your idea:

No one is perfect. Even the legendary actors, painters, singers, writers and musicians have accepted this ideology. Be open to criticism, both from the family, friends and especially from yourself. Question your creation, feel free to object the role of a character from third person’s point of view. Ask your friends and relatives to rate your work or share a small review. This will help you cross out all the possible negative influences over the story and rebuild the broken ribs in the framework of your story.

[beautifulquote align=”full” cite=””]A smart and wise writer knows that he will fail as well.[/beautifulquote]

Wait before publishing, edit it again and again:

Once you have your final draft ready, don’t publish it immediately. Always wait for a couple of months from your estimated date of release and let the thoughts of idea and your story be overtaken by other stream of thoughts in your life. When your mind is completely focused on something else and not thinking about the story, read your story. This is your final editing stage where you read and analyze your story; compare the story with the original idea. Make the necessary changes and you are good to go.

Finally, when everything feels perfect, release your story to the world. These steps when followed honestly and with dedication will lead you to transforming your ideas into some of the greatest stories ever written.