A warm welcome to Noah Dean Gonzales. In this guest post, he answers the question: What can I write about?
Did you know that the tallest tree in the world measures just over 380 feet? If you were to chop that tree down, it would be too long to fit inside a football field. That's insane! This massive tree, however, started as a small seed.
Stories begin in similar fashion. They start in the form of an idea.
An idea is the seed your story grows from.
In order for a strong tree to grow, the health of the seed is vital. But how do you create a solid story idea from which a strong and health story can sprout?
You can learn how to formulate a story idea that has you wanting to write and others wantint to read. You idea could be the start of something great, maybe even the start of a whole new novel.
Creating a good story idea requires two simple steps.
Step One: Ask yourself, "What if..."
Those two simple words can help get you started. Grab a piece of paper and joy down a couple of "what if?" questions. For instance:
- What if the sun died?
- What if Bigfoot really did exist?
- What if Romeo ad Juliet was played out in a Western setting?
The simple question of "what if?" can open up a whole new world. A world just waiting to be explored.
Step Two: Expand on the idea.
Add a problem.
Our new brief and shallow idea needs to be expanded. It needs a problem. Let's look at it like this:
Idea + Problem = Story Idea
What's the difference between an idea and a story idea? The idea, what if there were three astronauts that went to Mars + and became stranded? I'd read that story.
An idea without a problem is not a story; A problem without an idea is purse chaos. Put them together, and you have a great story idea.
Start with a simple "what if?" and let your imagination run wild. Take that idea, add a problem, and you'll be writing a story.
But why do these stories matter?
Our stories matter because our words atter. Words have the power to give life (Proverbs 18:21). God spoke the world into existence. Words existed before mankind was even created.
With our words, we are given the unique gift of comunicating your thoughts, ideas, an dour stories to those aroud us. Our stories carry a message. They either point to Jesus Christ or away from Him. There is no such thing as a neitral story. Like Jesus says in Matthew 12:30a, "Whoever is not with me is against me." What a great privilege and responsibility you have to write!
You can now use your words and your great story idea to not onluy create a new world for your readers, but to point them to the very one who created our world.
Noah Dean Gonzales was born in beautiful Colorado, where he developed a passion for reading and writing. He is a Christian who strives to write stories that tackle deep themes through a biblical lens. His goal is to point people to Christ and His glory by including biblical themes and intertwining the truth of scripture.
Writing For a Better Tomorrow is on a mission to bring glory to God and joy to the saints who want GOOD, GOD-HONERING literature in their hands and in the hands of others.
You can find Noah at https://noahdeangonzales.com/