Working on Story Ideas

Wish Upon A Star

Remember when you were kids and spent time outside on a summer evening? If the stars were out, you gazed into the night sky, picked out a special star and repeated this little rhyme:

Star light, star bright,

First star I see tonight,

I wish I may, I wish I might,

Have this wish, I wish tonight

Yesterday, I'd been wishing for a special star to grant my wish for a story idea. But, we were driving home after visiting family in IL, and it was daylight, no stars to be seen. I've often written posts that tell you there are story ideas everywhere, and that's true, but this time, I had some specific guidelines to be followed for a contest I'd like to enter.

The requirements are that it must be historical fiction for 8-12-year-olds and no more than 750 words. Not so tough. Right? Wrong! 

I managed to come up with several different historical periods--they said anything prior to 1950. I thought about settings for all of them. I was well on my way, but when it came to the story itself, I hit a brick wall every time. Back to square one. Looked for more settings. Did I want the story to be in the Dust Bowl days of the '30s? Or should I choose the late nineteenth century? Or perhaps the Revolutionary War. 

Ken continued driving, the miles piled up, the scenery sped by me, and I kept coming up with more thoughts but no story plan. At one point, my husband looked over at me and said, "You're awfully quiet." "I'm thinking," I told him. And I was. 

We stopped for lunch, and an hour or so later we crossed the border between Missouri and Kansas. No sooner had we entered Kansas than my story popped into my mind, the time, the place, the boy, and the problem, even the solution. I spent the rest of the drive home working out the situation. A big question in my mind was if I could write the story in a mere 750 words. I knew I could do it if I wrote the first draft, then started cutting to the bone. The deadline to enter is mid-September so I have time to work it out. 

One more thing I've harped on numerous times is being persistent. Don't give up if the answer you're seeking to help you write a story or essay or article doesn't lay down in front of you and shout Here I am! Sometimes, you have to work at it for a long time, much longer than I did today. 

Story ideas aren't going to drop into your lap like a shooting star. Sometimes, we get a glimmer of an idea, but it takes a lot longer to work it out before you attempt the first draft. This writing business is hard work. Anyone who has attempted it learns that pretty quickly. It's also a great deal of fun, brings satisfaction along with the problems. If you're a true writer, none of the negatives will matter once you've got your story written.

Wish upon a star if you like, but that's not going to give you your story.