How a Writing Coach Can Help: Exploring Ideas

A New Idea

Recently, a writer told me about a new idea she had for her novel that sparked an interesting conversation.* Initially, it sounded quite intriguing. With energy and enthusiasm, she described the history and social context of her idea and how it could be applied to this story. As she spoke, I realized that this shift would change the manuscript’s feel, subgenre, and target reader. In short, it would be a completely different novel.

Weighing the Pros and Cons

As a coach, it’s my job to ask open-ended questions to help writers come to their own insights and decisions. Through this process, we examined the pros and cons of making such a change and talked through the implications it could have on her novel.

After a bit, she stopped speaking, and I could see that she’d had a realization. Smiling, she said that she’d been kicking this idea around for a week, and it had sounded much better in her head. However, talking it through together had helped her realize it wasn’t the right approach for this story.

Moving Forward

I asked her why this idea was appealing to her and what she’d been trying to bring into the story that she felt was missing. We were able to uncover the theme she wanted to enhance. As a result, she found a much more grounded and tangible way to incorporate it into the story, one that made sense for both the main character and the genre.

If we hadn’t had this conversation, the writer may have explored this idea for weeks or months, which could have resulted in hitting a dead end and feeling frustrated. Verbalizing an idea to another person forces you to look at the big picture, understand its potential impacts, weigh its pros and cons, and make an informed decision about how you want to move forward.

Letting Go

Although the idea wouldn’t enhance and push this particular story forward, it could still be used in a future novel. So, we discussed other projects that would better lend themselves to it. She felt confident that she’d made the right choice and that she had options for the future.

It’s also natural for a writer to form an emotional attachment to an idea and find it difficult to let go. As a writing coach, I can help you explore your mindset, so you can move forward and write the story that wants to be told.

*This example was used with the client’s permission.