SO YOU HAVE AN IDEA FOR A BOOK

...aaaand that's as far as you've gotten. No worries! That's where I come in.

First of all, the fact that you're already looking for advice this early in the process means you're willing to step on the breaks and put some real effort into developing your concept. Good job! Random bursts of impulsivity can kill your book fast. Rushing into writing before you've really thought out your plot, characters, and audience is a mistake far too many new writers- including myself- make early on in the process.

My best piece of advice?

Get comfortable.

This is where you want to spend most of your time. I average a first draft for one of my novels in about one month. That is, I spend one month actually writing. How do I work so quickly as a busy college student with a full-time job? I spend a lot of time just thinking about my story before I ever put pen to paper.

I spent over six months just thinking and scribbling about my latest novel before I ever started writing.

Take in the world around you and listen to it. Your concept speaks to you for a reason. Something in there is already on your mind. Pinpoint what that is and then search for it in other places. Anything can become a story. Some of my best concepts have come from a photograph, a song lyric, a hazy memory that I built a world around. When I take the time to understand what it is inside of me that resonates with that very specific thing, it isn't difficult to pinpoint what I want to say about it and the feeling that I want to paint for my readers through my story.

Give yourself some time. That is the beauty of writing as a beginner, there's no rush! Really think through what you want to say with this book and how your characters are going to show that. Get to know your characters, develop your idea and the emotions behind it. Just keep an open mind to how things are going progress and change with time. I promise you, your first idea is rarely your best.

See what sticks with you and don't be afraid to let yourself stray from your original concept. A great idea will start to develop on its own. In every spare moment, if it is popping back into your head and kind of starting to take on a life of its own, that’s a great place to start.

"A writer is working when he's staring out of the window." -Burton Rascoe

Decide if it is worthy to pursue and then get some scribbles in that new writer's journal. The messier the better! You'll be amazed with how far it comes from your initial concept with just a few weeks of reworking it.

Then, come back to me. Don't worry, I've got more ;)