What to do when you get a new book idea

New book ideas are such fun. They always make me realize why I love writing so much, and what this journey is all about.

Writing can start to feel like labour, simply a number of words we have to get down, or a goal we need to reach by the end of the month. New book ideas always pull me out of this state and get me excited about writing again.

I’ve got a new book idea…what’s next?

When I get a new book idea, there are a few things I do next. These things apply to whether I am wanting to write the book right away, or needing to safely store it for later.

So let’s have a look at the things to do when you get a new book idea.

Voice recordings and notebooks

Voice recordings or notebooks is usually the first thing I do when a new book idea comes to me. Getting my idea down somewhere that we can find it again is very important!

Many of my book ideas come from dreams, which, as you can imagine, can be quite difficult to remember if I don’t jot them down somewhere.

We all know that terrible feeling of trying to recall something important and it not appearing in our minds. Book ideas are like this. It can be easy to presume that we could never forget. But even if we don’t forget the basic idea, what little nuisances are we missing? Thus we should record our idea in some form.

Voice recordings are fast, easy, and immediate. I like using them to quickly say my idea and any thoughts I may have about it. I recently had an idea come to me through a dream. After waking up and telling my husband, I hastily recorded myself talking about everything I remembered from the dream. Thus my idea got a safe place to live till I could further it.

Notebooks are another great way to record book ideas. Many of my ideas are in notebooks. I find having a physical thing to flick through so much easier and more pleasant than scrolling through phone notes (which I barely ever do).

If you’d like to use a notebook to record your idea, simply jot down the basic characters and plot that came to mind, and any settings that you have thought of. Any other details you have so far can also get saved for later here.

Now you have your idea safe and sound for any next steps.

Creating a playlist to dream to

Every time I get a new book idea I almost immediately start making a Spotify playlist for it. Even when I only have a couple of characters and barely any plot, I find it fun to expand my vision with music.

Usually each book idea has a vibe, a feeling. Thus, you can choose songs that fit that vibe for your playlist. Furthermore, you can find songs whose words fit the characters or other elements of the story.

I usually like to make two different playlists for each book. An instrumental playlist, and a lyrical playlist. This way, I have what I need for each mood. Sometimes when I’m writing, listening to words is a bit much. Whereas, lyrical music is great to day dream to.

One of my favourite things to do when I have a new book idea is to swing on my swing as I listen to my new story’s playlist. Trust me, it is such a good time. Also, going for walks and listening to the music is nice too.

So now you have your idea safe somewhere, and a playlist to continue dreaming to.

A visual feast

You may have guessed what this next one might be.

One of the next things I do when a story idea hits me is create a new Pinterest board. Ahh, nothing quite like scrolling Pinterest and finding inspiration for your story.

Pinterest is amazing in the way that you have so much freedom to organise your boards in specific ways. When I made my board for “The Cloud Boy” (unpublished novel), I divided all the pins into sections for each character and place. It made it so easy to get inspiration for a specific part of my book.

So, creating a Pinterest board could be a great next step for developing your story idea. You can delve into the mood, plot, and characters through visuals.

Now you have the idea saved and two ways of connecting to your story.

Moving on with planning

Once I spend a wee while getting to know the feeling of the book, I move onto more detailed planning. Getting to know the characters and setting first is quite important to me, as I need all that information as I plan further.

Let me make it clear that I am NOT a plotter when it comes to writing. So don’t worry, I’m not about to hit you with an in depth plotting scheme. (If that’s what you’re after…sorry)!

My planning is more about exploration than getting everything set in stone. Jotting down more and more ideas that come to me. Creating rough little timelines to help guide me on my way. This is the way I follow through my book ideas.

I’ll be writing a post all about the extent of my plotting soon. If you are wanting the next step, that will be the right post to read.

If you would like to learn more about writing, feel free to browse more blog posts here , or contact me if you have any questions. You can also find me on YouTube at The Windy Wildflower, or the podcast at The Windy Wildflower Podcast. We talk about writing, songwriting, and being a Christian creative in all these places. I also have a free writing resource you can grab on this website here! Join me on the journey of learning to glorify God with our creativity and making dreams a reality.

Till next time friends,

Nika.