How to Know If Your Novel Idea Is Worth Writing
I’m just 30 pages in, still got 200 left, shit. I’m never going to finish this draft.
Sounds kind of relatable, doesn’t it?
Writing a novel is a gigantic investment.
I know some people will say that getting a mortgage is one of the biggest investments you can do in your life.
But now – just between you and me – that’s not really the biggest investment, right?
Think about the time you sink into the idea for a story.
At least 4 months of writing and an additional 6 months of editing and before you know it, it’s been 2 years.
“Sorry what?”
Sorry did I say 2 years? I, of course, meant 12 months…
My math skills aren’t that bad, but it’s true.
Life will hit you like a badly timed punch. Directly to the temple.
And as you fall to the ground, you wonder, where did I go wrong? Could I have done something different.
Isn’t that a dumb question? Of course you can! You’re heading for the ground, after all.
For an aspiring writer, the thing causing all this damage is usually the feeling that you’re working on an inadequate idea. The idea that you’re totally sure if it’s worth the time.
And let’s be honest, if you knew how to evaluate a novel idea, you could have saved yourself a lot of damage.
Photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash
“But how do you do this?”
That’s what we’re going to take a look at today.
I can’t promise you all the answers, but I can promise you this.
By the time you’re done reading this, you’ll not only know how to evaluate a novel idea effectively but you’ll also be bursting with motivation to get started.
Inspired?
Let’s get to it.
How Your Writing Process Affects Story Ideas
Before I get too much into the whole process of studying ideas and whether or not they are great, there’s something equally as important.
Namely your writing process.
You see, an idea is a manifest created inside your mind based on some experience you have had.
It’s an interest, passion and experience, all mixed into one simple thing – a story.
Which is good and all.
We like stories, don’t we?
Now what if that story doesn’t fit the way you write? What are you going to do then?
What does this even mean? – I ask myself as I lean back in my chair.
You might not believe this, but I actually try to think this through before I write it out to you.
Like really think it through.
But the truth is, I don’t exactly know how to explain it.
A story, the way your mind produces it, requires a certain way of writing it – I don’t know if you have ever felt like a story was great, but when you got through the first 2-3,000 words, there something that didn’t click?
That’s the feeling I’m talking about.
Not every idea is meant for your writing process and the way you write.
And since you can’t exactly change your writing style, you have two choices. Either you change the idea or you save it.
Never ever do you delete an idea. It’s like throwing out food just because you won’t eat it today.
And yes, an idea can feel awkward, but it doesn’t mean it’s bad. You might just need to adapt.
Just something to think about.
Okay, with that out the way, let’s get to the main event of the post.
How to evaluate a novel idea?
Why Passion Matters for Book Ideas
You sit down by your computer, you pull out the keyboard as you feel the comfort of your chair embrace your back.
Today is the day, you think while you click through your folders and pull up your document. It’s a story you have been working on for a few days.
You like the plot: It’s about a girl who possess the powers to modify every molecule in the universe.
It has potential, that much you know, but the words have eluded you the last couple of days. If I don’t get it down today, then I’m going to delete it.
This is usually how it goes – isn’t it?
You get an idea, feeling the passion rush through you. But as you sit down to write, it’s like the words don’t follow.
A quick and important thing to do whenever you get an idea is to of course like it.
Like whaaat?
If you don’t like it, it won’t happen.
Sadly, this is where most people start. They have experience and knows what triggers them, but you aren’t most people.
You’re an aspiring struggling writer, what the hell do you do?
Well, take some time to think about the idea.
Personally, I like to keep an idea in the vault for about three weeks before I write.
Why?
To let it simmer inside my brain like a nice stew.
It’ll be there.
Right there in your sub-consciousness.
In those three weeks, see if you are capable of coming up with extra details.
See if you feel your passion grow for the story.
If it does, then there’s a great chance you’re onto something.
But honestly, that’s not all. Once it has stewed for a few weeks, it’s time to actually do some testing.
Step-by-Step: Testing Your Novel Idea
Did your idea survive the three weeks? Perfect.
You may take one step forward.
It’s time to do some actually writing.
Or did you truly believe it would be enough to just think about an idea?
Nope.
I mean, how can you truly know if you like an idea if you don’t actually try to write it?
Right?
Now this might be different from your usual writing.
It isn’t something that needs to take a long time.
In fact, I encourage.
No, I challenge you.
Take your idea, set a timer for 30-40 minutes and try to write the first couple of pages and see what feelings you are left with.
After three weeks of stewing and brewing, there should be ideas bursting inside your mind, waiting to be put onto the page and this is what these minutes are for.
Now, the important thing is to not let standards or perfectionism stop you.
Right now, you’re just testing and therefore, the only thing you need to worry about is putting words to paper and releasing some of the pressure inside your mind.
“And what if you actually succeed?”
Another step forward.
If you can write for the minutes and still feel passionate, you know that you’re truly close to an idea.
See the bonus? You already have the first couple of pages of your story.
Talking about being productive – You’re very much welcome.
And with the first bit of the story, believe it or not, you’re ready for the next step.
It’s time to take to your writing community and beta readers. (Yes, it’s okay if it’s just your friends)
Get Feedback to Validate Your Book Idea
“But I’m nowhere near ready. Nobody is going to take me serious”
I hear your objections, but hear me out.
You’re not saying, ‘Want to read my story?’ You’re saying, ‘Here’s a few pages of a new idea—what do you think?’”
You need to present it for what it is. It’s the first couple of pages for an idea of a story.
As an aspiring writer, it might seem impossible, but give anybody a couple of pages to read and they’ll be more than happy to read them and give you feedback.
It’s only three pages after all.
It might have taken you 4 weeks to get to this point, but it’ll take them. What? 10 minutes to read the whole thing?
That’s doable.
Hell, I’ll do it for you.
Got any story ideas?
Send them my way and I’ll be glad to help.
Yes, side note. Sorry.
This isn’t just to get feedback, it’s also to prove a point to yourself.
You have gotten this far, what does that mean?
No, it’s not a trick question.
The fact your idea has made it to this point, basically means you have audited the idea –you’re ready to commit.
By sending it to friends? That’s your external validation.
The combination? A powerful thing to help you evaluate your novel idea.
Yes, the bad feedback will hit hard, but so what? Accept it.
It’s another sign you actually want to write this.
And the good stuff? More fuel to the fire that’s already burning inside you.
With the feedback is back, it’s time to make a decision:
Are you going to finish this idea or are you going to put it aside for later?
The Best Book Ideas Are the Ones You Finish
Decided to keep going? Man, you really must be on to something.
Give yourself a pat on the back and get ready.
Now that you have put in the time and got some validation, you know it’s time.
At this point your novel idea has been evaluated.
You’re ready.
“Ready for what?”
To write the novel to the end – What else?
As the title of the heading says, the best book ideas are the ones you finish.
Now it’s time to bring the blazing passion inside to life.
This’ll take time.
There’ll be moments of despair and moments of happiness. But don’t let it stop you.
As an aspiring writer this is perfectly normal.
You have got 10 months and 90,000 words ahead of you – Of course it’s going to be overwhelming.
But you got this.
Remember, this is your passionate idea. It’s been validated by your friends. Family. And community – it’s destined to be a hitter.
Now, should disaster hit and force you up against a wall, then take a breather.
I know it seems impossible, but let me in on a little secret. Actually, it’s more of an embarrassment… But minor detail.
I have written plenty of drafts which I loved to the point where you’d think they were my kids, until just…
Bam.
Everything disappeared.
At 30,000 words I just lost the energy and couldn’t write another letter.
Is it sad? Sure
Do I cry over it? Absolutely not.
It’s just such a natural part of being a writer that I’d feel weird if it didn’t happen.
Besides, I know it just means that the story wasn’t the right one, for now.
Therefore, never delete a story.
Save it for the vault for later.
It has already been evaluated as a good novel idea.
Creative Ways to Come Up with Book Ideas
I’ve got a confession to make.
I originally made this section because I wanted to give you some examples of good ideas.
But while writing this, I realized how useless, it actually would be.
Okay, to be fair, I realized it about half-way through, but some shit – right?
While I’d love to give you ideas, there’d be absolutely no way for you to evaluate them – As I said, evaluating a good novel idea takes time and that’s just it.
Would it have worked for you? Could you use it?
The thoughts were plentiful.
But don’t worry, I still got something up my sleeve.
It’s a bit different.
Because while I can’t give you the ideas, I can, instead, give my favorite ways of generating them.
This way I can, hopefully, help you create and evaluate novel ideas that’ll work for you.
Number 1: Go outside and experience something new.
This should be self-explanatory, but put on a pair of shoes and head out. Getting out in nature helps clear your mind. It forces your mind to think, sparks the creative juices inside your mind and helps you come up with new ideas.
Number 2: Read or watch.
“But sitting in front of my screen is bad” Yes, if you just stare into nothing. But this isn’t what you’re doing. This is like an experience. When you see or read something, try to let your mind dive into the fiction and let the ideas come. (Personally, I really like documentaries.)
Number 3: Personal memories.
Take a personal memory and try to alter the events. I have used my personal experiences to great effect in my writing. It makes writing easier and comfortable. I mean, you just have to retell a story? Talk about a cheat code for an aspiring writer.
Final Steps: How to Evaluate a Novel Idea
Man, that was a lot, wasn’t it?
As an aspiring writer, I remember the daily fear of sinking hours into an idea. It was ruthless, brutal – like a thug robbing me of my lunch money.
It sucked, but as I hopefully have made clear, it’s actually not that difficult to avoid the bully, if you take your time to plan your journey to the cafeteria.
If you develop a process through it all, then you can easily evaluate a novel idea and figure out if it’s something you’ll like.
Always, and I mean always, start out by letting it stew for a couple of weeks. This builds up passion, locks your mind in on the details, and once it’s time to go, write a few pages and hand them to someone you trust.
Based on their trust and your feeling, you’ll know what to do.
At this point, there’s no going back.
It’s time to invest that time.
It’s time to get those 90,000 words down.
Because here’s the secret – What makes a good idea? There are way too many things to consider, but at the end of the day, the good story is the story you finish.
So, how do you evaluate a novel idea? You take it one step at a time and invest your time.
That’s a wrap for today.
How do you evaluate if an idea is good? Have you figured it out or do you still feel empty? Share your story in the comments or send me a mail – I’d love to hear your story.
Until next time – Hope you have a productive and creative day.
Your writing buddy,
Jack