Writing Wednesday Three

Digging Deeper

When I get a glimmer, the first thing I do is write down some reasons why I want to explore this idea. Not plot points. Not scenes. Just reasons this story matters to me. There’s no magic number, but it’s a good idea to write down as many as you can.

This exercise forces me to dig deeper than "it would be cool" or "I think readers would like it." Those things might be true, but they won't sustain you through a rough draft.

Your reasons might look like this:

1. I want to explore what it means to forgive someone who doesn't deserve it

2. I've always been fascinated by people who choose small-town life over big opportunities

3. This reminds me of my grandmother's strength during hard times

4. I want to understand why people stay in difficult relationships

5. The idea of second chances resonates with my own life right now

6. I'm curious about how faith works in the middle of real suffering

7. This character's struggle with self-worth mirrors something I've wrestled with

8. Why would this character stay in a town that she has yearned to leave

9. How would someone who loves city life adapt to country living

10. What would it be like to have to try to connect with a sister you’ve been estranged from for so many years.

Notice how these aren't about plot? They're about themes, emotions, questions. The plot will come later. Right now, you're figuring out the heart of your story.

I remember, years ago in my English classes, teachers would talk about ‘theme’. Looking back, I’m not 100% sure they really knew how to explain theme.

I’ve read somewhere (in the miasma of the dozens of writing books I’ve read and writing podcasts I’ve listened to) that theme can also be thought of as your view of life. How you think life should work.

1.  If You Have a Character

If your glimmer is a person, a character who walked into your imagination and won't leave, write down what you want to explore about them.

Who is this person beyond the basics? Why do they fascinate you? What question do they represent?

I once had a character show up in my head who had a snarky sense of humor. She seemed like fun, but as I worked through the ‘why I want to write about her’ a few other things came out. Stuff from her past. How she used humor to deflect and protect. As I worked through my usual ‘character exercises’ (more on this later)  it helped me how she got where she is and what she needs to change about herself to have the fulfilling life I hope she finds.

That wanting to understand her became the foundation of the book.

The other reality about ‘glimmers’ is they can strike when you’re working on other stories and that’s okay. I’ve realized that no matter how amazing that glimmer or idea can be, if I don’t write it down, I’ll forget. So I keep little notebooks in my purse, or make a note on my phone or a voice memo. And sometimes the forgetting entails, forgetting where I put the idea!

Or sometimes the idea is percolating in the back of my mind, waiting for its turn and as it waits, I add bits and pieces to it, to the characters to the setting. Like a pot of soup sitting on the back of the stove as I toss other items in it.

2.  This Is Just the Beginning

Over the next while, I'll walk you through the next steps: developing characters, building plot, creating conflict, all of it. But none of that matters if you skip this first crucial step.

So here's your homework: Write down your glimmer. What caught your attention? What won't leave you alone? Then write your reasons. Why does this story matter to you?

Be honest. Be specific. Don't write what you think sounds good. Write what's true.

Because the best stories, the ones that resonate with readers, come from writers who cared deeply about what they were exploring. Not just professionally, but personally.

Find your glimmer. Understand why it matters. Then we'll build a story around it.

Next time, we'll talk about taking that glimmer and turning it into a character worth following for 300 pages. But for now, just sit with what sparked your interest. Let it grow. See where it wants to take you.

Trust the glimmer. It knows something you don't yet.