Plot Ideas
I’m one of those writers where ideas spring forth while watching television of dreaming. I got to wondering just how many semi-thought out ideas I have (whether on paper or just floating in my head). This does not include any completed works or the one I’m currently working on.
Full Length Novels
1. Angel of Death–cop, psychologist and serial killer
2. Elements of Darkness Series: (6 books)
a. Nerina, Brody and switched babies
b. Aura, hero and runaway teen
c. Keegan, hero and lots of sex
d. Gaia, Michael and betrayal
e. Jera, Xander and magic
f. Imani, hero and the future
3. Broken Beauty — psychological thriller, college student being stalked
4. Trapped Whispers — ghost hunters
5. Voices — Sophie, Julian, her dead husband and infidelity
6. Reincarnation — heroine (forget her name off the top of my head) believes hero’s child is her reincarnated child
7. Shadows — Renna travels from to another realm and finds happiness
8. Kindapping — Eva’s sister was abducted years ago, now girls are turning up missing again
9. Jewels — Cassie and Alex knew one another years ago, during a life of crime. Now they’re “reunited”.
10. Rape — Heroine was assaulted years ago; now one very determined hero is out to trap the man who hurt is niece.
Shorter Pieces of Work
11. Undead Like Me — Devon must adjust to life as an undead.
12. Je T’aime Plus — Callie’s husband dies yet he’s still there.
13. Reincarnation (I love this premise) — two couple spend a long weekend away only to learn who they were in a past life.
Well, that makes 18 plots, and that is if I didn’t forget something, which I know I have.
So what about you? How many ideas do you currently have for future stories?
May 3rd, 2008 at 3:00 pm
Honestly, I don’t usually think too far ahead of what I’m working on right now. If something does pop up, I suppress it, because I have a hard time working on two things at once. When we wrote our short stories for Valentine’s Day, I had to take a break from my novel in order to write the story. Then, I had to go back and read my novel from the beginning to get back into that story.
May 3rd, 2008 at 3:03 pm
OMG. First, let me just say…write those books! I want to read them all!
And second, I only have a handful, because when a good idea strikes, I HAVE to write the book
May 3rd, 2008 at 3:04 pm
I’ve got about a dozen in various levels of completion. Some are just plot notes, about a paragraph or so. Some are stories that I started long ago, but never finished. I’ve got tens of thousands of words in my idea file, just hanging around!
May 3rd, 2008 at 3:11 pm
Lucinda, I wish I was the same way. Sometimes I hate all these ideas spinning around. Sometimes I’m afraid to watch a movie in case something comes to me.
Tawny, thank you.
I also wish I could write faster. Then it wouldn’t be so taxing. LOL
Sela, your notes sound like mine.
I keep saying, “Well if I just start at the top and work my way down”, but then some new idea comes along, or my own laziness/procrastination and the list stays just as long.
May 3rd, 2008 at 3:29 pm
I’m with Jenn and Sela. I’ve got too many ideas–some somewhat plotted, some started, some I only have the title for and a basic premise for the idea, etc.
I’m not even going to try to count how many I have. I’m writing two books at once and editing two others–I’m too confused as it is!
May 3rd, 2008 at 3:36 pm
I love this post.
Ages ago I read that Jude Deverueax, who was then my hero, kept a “plot book.” I immediately went out, bought an empty journal, and began keeping one, too.
I still have it. I think it’s circa 1987 or so.
I’ve filled a few… transferred some ideas and filed the others.
You never know!
May 3rd, 2008 at 4:16 pm
May I just say that I think I love you.
I have so many additional plots going on right now that I could create a library of just my work (IF I ever had the time to put them all down on paper). At last count, I believe I had somewhere between 30 and 40 plot ideas besides the one I’m working full-time on now. Most of them come from TV storylines. Some of them have come from conversations I’ve overheard in line at the grocery store or at restaurants. A few have been real life experiences.
Of course, I also have the problem that one of my CP/betas is a non-writer but has a writing muse that is BRILLIANT!!! She keeps me pretty stocked on ideas as well. LOL!
May 3rd, 2008 at 4:32 pm
I probably have at least a dozen ideas in some form stored onmy hard drive or scribbled in a notebook. I don’t dare suppress any new ideas…what if I don’t get anymore??? Of course, thank goodness, that hasn’t happened yet. I may never get to them all, but I rejoice with each new idea that comes to me.
May 3rd, 2008 at 4:39 pm
Wow, Kristal. LOL, that is a lot of ideas.
Seems like most of us are in the same boat. I should do as Chrissy and write them in a journal. It might be nice to see them longhand.
May 3rd, 2008 at 4:44 pm
And I grimace, Natasha, lol. I love getting new ideas, and the sheer fun of spinning them (I sometimes wish I could make a career out of brainstorming
), but I get sooo tempted to put what I’m currently writing on hold. I have to sometimes fight with myself to not change gears.
Although lately I’ve been seeing that if I write out the idea a bit, the creativity of it (the fun) stalls, as I have to actually work. Then I can get back to what I was working on. Of course, that isn’t always the case.
May 4th, 2008 at 1:58 am
I have a notebook that I jot down ideas that I can’t start work on right away. I also keep a pad of paper in my car, because I’ve found I always seem to have the best ideas when I’m sitting in traffic!!
I hope to get to write a lot of these - they sound great!
May 4th, 2008 at 3:39 am
Wow, so many ideas… That’s impressive!
I’m usually mainly focused on the WIP, but I do jot down notes for future projects, just in case. Have got quite a few ‘things’ in my ideas file [some, quite a bit of stuff, others just a sentence or two] but when I look back at them, I sometimes can’t really remember what they were supposed to be about! LOL
May 4th, 2008 at 11:53 am
It’s always those activities that don’t require much concentration, Kathleen. Like in the shower or washing dishes. Too bad paper isn’t waterproof.
I’ve had several days where I’ve rinsed my hair and then wondered if I’d used the conditioner or just shampoo.
I have a few of those that I can’t remember too, Portia. LOL Luckily, sometimes, I can mesh two itty ideas into one.