Ideas are cheap (mostly)

Hey!

I went to a party recently and as part of the small talk you have with people who are "friends of a friend," I mentioned that I was writing a novel. Getting through the associated questions of "Are you published?" and "How much does it make?" I was then interrupted by another member of the party.

They went on to tell me their brilliant idea about a novel 'I should write.'

Whilst I don't mind the odd chat about ideas, it is rather annoying. Partly because sometimes the people who tell me about their big ideas for a novel or movie script are hard to follow. But also that I believe that ideas are cheap.

💭Why should I write your idea?

Most of this is down to that question. If your idea is so good, then why haven't you written it already? Why should I write your idea for you?

I like to think that ideas are cheap. They take little time to come up with and, yes, some ideas are brilliant – but I believe that it is mostly down to the execution. I write books about my ideas because I am enthusiastic about them and can see semi-clearly what they might pan out to be.

I am, however, not enthusiastic about your idea. And when you pitch to me something that you haven't even put in the effort to plan out or write down on paper, why should I?

It seems kinda cynical I know, but it is true. I like my ideas because they are mine. It costs nothing to have them, the real skill is putting them into words. As I said before, it is all in the execution.

✍️The 'Jim Butcher' example

If you haven't heard this already, Jim Butcher, author of books such as The Dresden Files, was having a similar debate online. He believed that ideas were nothing compared to actually executing them. So much so, that he challenged someone to give him some bad ideas and he would write about them.

These were:

• Pokemon - crossed with the Roman Legion.

From there, he went on to write Codex Alera, which was published and totaled 7 books in the series. In my humble opinion, I think he proved his point.

💡what does this mean for you

I know what you might be thinking - why is this all so negative? Why are we bashing people for suggesting ideas? I know it is harsh, but I stand by what I said. If you think an idea is good - go write it. Don't pitch it to others.

And in that same vein, don't worry if you think your initial idea is a bit rubbish as soon as you have started writing. What I have found is that a simple idea forces you to develop on it. After that, it becomes much more than what you originally intended – most times a lot better!

So if you are putting off writing because you think your ideas "aren't good enough" then stop it. Just start writing. You will improve as a writer and the ideas will be a lot better on paper as you go.

That's all from me today,
Fin :)