Hi everyone :)
Some time ago I was struck by an idea that I'm really taken with - but it's the bare essentials of a story, and I'm struggling to flesh it out. Do you find that small ideas tend to develop quite naturally into a narrative, or do you have to struggle for ages before you have anything resembling a plan? (Bonus question: does anyone have any good tips for organising a plan?)
Thank you!
I'm very much a go for it without planning sort of writer. Often the plot changes quite a bit so if I planned it all out first it would just change anyway. Once I start writing, more ideas developed. Same might apply to you so I'd say just get stuck in and write what you have so far and see where it takes you!
If you have an idea that seems workable then try it out on paper by beginning to write it. This is were the creativity bit comes in to play. As you write around your idea new associated thoughts and avenues will open up to begin creating a story which will expand and begin to reveal a plot and main subject that characterizes the whole idea.
Ideas that develop in your thoughts but don't get recorded on paper will soon disappear or become tangled and morphed into other thoughts - get it all on paper and you will soon begin to see it develop into events that make sense to you.
I was really stuck with one story in an historical series. It's military fiction and this particular battle was a French-Spanish affair with no British involvement. However, it was the biggest cavalry fight (my speciality) of the whole war so I had to include it. Plus no-one else writing that period has covered it yet.
The real events means there's a framework to build on, but I still had to work my characters into what went on. So I made a few rough notes and read around the history a bit more until came up with a workable idea. Then, because the main action seemed a bit predictable-ish, I looked a little deeper into Spanish legend and found other stuff I could use.
This all took six months or so, and I still only have my rough. But now I'm pretty happy I can make a story of it. So like the others have said just be patient - if you're confident enough of your original idea it'll come eventually :)