Some people get ideas when showering in the morning. Others take a more deliberate approach to creative writing. Even the most experienced authors get inspiration for their greatest novels from writing prompts — or utilize tested strategies from other authors to acquire book ideas from the world around them.
The bottom line is that there is no one-size-fits-all strategy to becoming inspired. If you’re ready to kick writer’s block to the curb and get started on your novel, here are some new book ideas.
It also requires a significant level of creativity, which begins with the selection of a fascinating plot idea. Novel and short story ideas pour like water from a fountain for certain people. Creative writing, on the other hand, is a more deliberate process for the rest of us.
Here are Some Ideas to Get you Started on the Book Writing Process if You’re Looking for Book Ideas-
1. Allow For the Development of a Short Story:
Many well-known authors, such as Sylvia Plath and Stephen King, began their careers with short stories before moving on to novels. This development, however, does not have to take years. Sometimes a character jumps off the page, or a twist leaves you wanting more, and what began as a short narrative becomes 50,000 words or longer.
2. Do Something Out of the Ordinary, Then Write About It:
Imagine the narrative you could tell if you cycled 20,000 miles over 12 states and 19 time zones as Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman did in 2004. These were, of course, celebrities who took time off to raise money for charity.
If you’re anything like me, you probably won’t be able to travel for 115 days without being paid. There are, however, numerous smaller-scale outstanding efforts that you might undertake that would be worthy of being written about.
You might, for example, ride a bicycle across every state in the United States in a year or aim to set a world record, then share your experiences and lessons learned with your readers.
3. To Test the Waters, Write and Self-Publish a Short eBook:
If you have a book concept but aren’t sure if there’s enough demand in the market to support book sales, try producing a short eBook on the subject first. If your shorter-form eBook receives a favorable reaction, you’ll have the confidence to dig further into your subject matter and create a whole book on the subject.
4. Revitalize a Trope:
Aside from reading broadly, familiarizing yourself with prevalent tropes through reading the giants of your genre is an important part of ‘author training.’
Authors in particular genres, such as romance and fantasy, who fail to incorporate a single cliché in their work risk alienating readers who have become accustomed to certain conventions. You risk reader déjà vu if you use too many tropes.
By familiarizing yourself with famous tropes and understanding how to revive them to create an original book idea, you may achieve the right balance.
5. Allow Your Protagonist to Take the Lead:
Once you’ve decided on a character, finding out more about them can help you build up your story concept. In a nutshell, a character profile aids in the development of a complete image of your character, including physical appearance, background, and personality.
Knowing all of this should make thinking out what they may do in a novel a piece of cake.
6. Write about Someone Who Has Had the Greatest Impact on your Life:
Have you had a mentor who has made an indelible mark on your personal or professional life? It might have been your favorite teacher in school, a youth leader, a business counselor, or simply an older friend or family member.
Consider how they’ve influenced your life, jot down particular lessons they’ve taught you, and dedicate the book to them as a final thank you. Gratitude spreads like a virus, and this book format is very empowering.
7. Write About Your Life’s Biggest Regret:
Some people spend the majority of their life wishing they had made other choices. What if I’d quit my job to start my own company? And what if I had spent a few years traveling the world before deciding on a career path? What would have happened if I had opted to have children instead?
Addressing your deepest regrets allows you to move ahead, and it’s a captivating book concept that others will relate to on a deep level. This is another one of those instances where writing about your regret helps you in discovering new possibilities and reinventing yourself at the same time.
8. Use a Muse as a Source of Inspiration:
Many of the world’s best-selling authors have drawn inspiration from works of art. Tracy Chevalier, for example, made a name for herself by writing historical novels that give readers a behind-the-scenes look at famous paintings.
Of course, your book concept doesn’t have to revolve around a piece of art or its artist: analyzing a painting and wondering, “Who is that person, and what are they doing there?” It’s also a solid strategy to come up with book ideas.
If paintings don’t work, try listening to music, seeing a beautiful dance, admiring your city’s architecture, or even taking in the mood, location, and images of a film.
9. Identify a Need and Write the Book you wish Had Already Been Written:
Consider a topic in which you are really interested. Are there any books that you wish were available but aren’t? Do you see any obvious gaps in the market where you might utilize your expertise? Is there something you’ve always wanted to learn more about but haven’t been able to locate any credible information on?
So you’ve come up with a fantastic book concept. Make a name for yourself and become the person who conducts the research (and writes the book) you’ve been looking for.
10. Write on Random Act of Kindness you Performed:
You’ve probably seen popular videos of individuals performing random acts of kindness if you’ve spent any time on Facebook or YouTube in the last few years.
They do it for a good reason: the consequences of sharing stories of random acts of kindness may be so amazing that it inspires people all around the world to do the same.
While media live on negative news, people nevertheless have a strong need to hear about selfless acts and be reminded that there are good people in the world. The more innovative you can be with your content medium in order to turn your book concept into a genuine piece of art, the better.
11. Write About the Most Serious Problem Confronting Your Industry and Potential Solutions:
Discuss any key challenges or problems you see in your industry and thoughtfully offer innovative solutions. It’s much better if you’ve tried these solutions yourself.
This will be especially beneficial if you can come up with practical and cost-effective answers to the problems that other businesses in your industry are having, and it will help you establish yourself as an expert, which is one of the main reasons people decide to write a book in the first place.
12. Make a List of Everything that Makes you Laugh, and then Write a Story About It:
We all carry our cellphones with us wherever we go, so taking a few brief notes every time you laugh for a week isn’t difficult. While remembering to write down the reason for every burst of laughter may be difficult, it might give you a wealth of content for your next piece of writing.
You’ll have some fantastic writing ideas for a strong book concept if you can record these three elements with each laughter entry: who made you laugh, why you laughed, and how that made you feel.
Of course, you may feel self-conscious about what makes you laugh the most, and it may not be politically proper. However, the more bizarre or humiliating the incident, the more likely your book concept will draw an engaged audience.
Conclusion
I hope this has helped you in clearing your head and finding a way to write your book. I want to challenge you to actually start writing that book now that you’ve found some inspiration to help you find the appropriate book idea.
But, before your start writing keep in mind the most common fiction writing mistakes that writers make.
If you are new to writing then you must also check out the most common mistakes new writers make. Avoiding these mistakes will make the process easier and lead to a convenient editing process.
However, you need not worry much about the editing and proofreading process. Once you are done with the writing part you can easily rely on the experts to make your book well-polished and ready to publish. They meticulously proofread and edit your book and turn it into gold.
-Isabell S.
