by Cathy Ballou Mealey
Congratulations Storystormers, you have reached 29 days of ideas! What comes next? You could jot down a plot for your favorite story nugget, or scribble some opening lines. Maybe you will brainstorm clever titles, or look up recent comp books. That’s when you might suddenly discover—oh no!—my idea has already been done!
I can practically guarantee that this has happened to almost everyone at some point in their creative journey. But it does not mean you should give up on your idea! After all, it had enough merit to have been published once, now the concept just needs your fresh take or unique perspective.
Remember old-timey boomboxes like this one?
In a perfect world, your favorite music came through loud and clear as soon as you pushed ON. But if the signal faded or went fuzzy with static, finetuning was required! By spinning the dial or tweaking the antenna, you could find a melody to soothe your soul or set your toe tapping. Think of your initial Storystorm idea like that radio station you must finetune, making adjustments until you hear sweet harmony.
Luckily you have more options than just a wonky knob or wobbly antenna to finetune your initial Storystorm concept. Here are five suggestions to try:
- Change the setting: What if your story took place on the moon? Or underwater? In the winter?
- Change the period: Move your timeframe back to the Jurassic or ahead to the Jetsons!
- Change the point of view: Turn a minor character into the hero and tell the story from their perspective.
- Change the style: Can you incorporate nonfiction or STEM elements, write in first or second person, change rhyme to prose?
- Change the cast of characters: Should you have one, two, three or a crowd of characters? Explore cutting or expanding.
Bonus Tip!
Change the ‘rules’ of your story world or incorporate magical elements. What if bears could fly? What if snow was green? What if writing picture books was easy?
Cathy Ballou Mealey is giving one winner their choice of a signed copy of MAKE MORE S’MORES (US addresses only) or a picture book manuscript critique.
You’re eligible to win if you’re a registered Storystorm 2024 participant and you have commented only once on today’s blog post.
Prizes will be distributed at the conclusion of Storystorm.
Cathy Ballou Mealey is eternally grateful to those who post book reviews! She is the author of MAKE MORE S’MORES, illustrated by Ariel Landy (Sleeping Bear Books, 2023) SLOTH & SQUIRREL IN A PICKLE illustrated by Kelly Collier (Kids Can Press, 2021) and WHEN A TREE GROWS illustrated by Kasia Nowowiejska (Union Square, 2019). Visit her website on most social media platforms @catballoumealey or website CathyBallouMealey.wixsite.com/author.
