Three Essentials to Pack in Your Writer's Suitcase

So you have a novel idea…

That’s awesome! Welcome to the writer’s club! We’re so glad to have you.

It’s a big job you are taking on, and it’s okay if you are feeling overwhelmed. Stories can manifest themselves in many ways: an image that won’t leave you for weeks, a phrase you hear over and over again in your head, a character that is begging for you let them speak.

When you finally give into that idea and sit down to write, you might be asking yourself what to do I do now?

Let’s pack our writer’s suitcase!

The writing process is a journey, and like any journey, you will want to make sure you’ve packed the essentials so you are prepared for any obstacle along the way. Here are my top three essentials before I start any new project. (P.S. Make sure you have a pen and paper handy because you are going to make sure these essentials are written down!)

1. A written form of your inspiration

Now before you get confused, I don’t mean start writing your story. You don’t have to do that just yet, but you do want to jot down your inspiration so you don’t forget it.

I often get my ideas from dreams. My imagination is very vivid in the dreamscape. So when I wake up, I have to write down what I saw there before the dream slips from my memory. Then I post where I can see before every writing session.

While I know that my story will change throughout my drafting process, visually seeing my inspiration while I write can help remind me of why I wanted to write the story to begin with. It can generate new ideas and replenish my creativity when I hit that nasty writer’s block we all hit along the way.

2. A written list of what you are missing

Nine times out of ten an idea comes to us in bits in pieces. Very rarely does the whole plot come to you in one moment. (It’s only ever happened to me twice in my fifteen years of writing.) So making a list of what you are missing will give you a place to start brainstorming.

Ask yourself what components of a story am I missing?

A protagonist?
A villain?
A conflict?
A setting?
A resolution?

The answers to these questions don’t have to be made before you start drafting, but at least you have goals now you need to achieve.

Make sure to put that list next to your inspiration so it’s always in sight when you write!

3. A collection of inspiration resources

When we first get an idea, it is super easy to ride that excitement and start drafting immediately (and that’s okay if you do!), but eventually, that high leads to a crash and burn.

Last year, I woke up from a dream and have the perfect, complete story idea. I wrote the whole plot out that morning, wrote 6,000+ words, finished an entire first chapter (which if you know anything about me, it’s that I hate first chapters!), and still had more to write! This high lasted an entire two weeks until I had over 20,000 words. Then the inspiration suddenly left me. I was spent on creativity, and I had nothing more to give. Typing anything was a struggle.

Having a collection of inspirational resources would have helped me reignite that desire to write, to push through the crash and keep going.

These resources can include but are not limited to the following:

A playlist to keep you in the mood of the story
A Pinterest board full of art, writing prompts, and more
A book of poems that evoke your theme
A cork board of random ideas that have popped up while you have mulled over your idea
ANYTHING

Use these resources as your writer’s block emergency kit and remember to keep it close! Trust me you’re going to need it eventually.

Once your suitcase is packed, it’s time to get on the road… Right?

You can certainly! If you feel that is all you need to get the ball rolling, then go for it! It’s your adventure, and you are the one in control. Others (like me) often need a roadmap to chart the unknown that is a new story, to have light at the end of the tunnel before wading through the darkness.

This battle for the perfect drafting style is called Plotting vs. Pantsing.

Don’t know what those are? Not sure which is right for you? Stay tuned for next week’s post where I will be exploring the difference and sharing a personality quiz to help you determine which is right for you!

Let me know what you pack in your writer’s suitcase in the comments and don’t forget to subscribe so you can stay up to date!