I have heard it suggested that a writer should never go with their first idea. The reason behind this is that we all tend to gravitate to the comfortable, familiar and easy, even in our thoughts. So if you want to achieve some level of originality, don't pick the first idea that comes to mind. But how original do these ideas have to be? What elements need to be original and what don't? Is it possible to be too original? (That answer to that last one is yes. Trust me. I know.)

If you've gone through the early brainstorming process, you may find that you have tons of ideas, some more original than others. To help you decide which to include, use the Idea Filter to sort your ideas into the following categories.

Idea Filter

What is necessary 
What is expected
What is common
What would be uncommon
What would be odd
What would be outlandish

What is necessary – these are elements that are required to make the story/scene/setting just work. Without them, things (like plot) will fall apart.

What is expected – these are elements that—If they weren't there—would require you to explain their absence. It doesn't mean you can't deliberately cut them out but (depending on how central they are to the story) you'll need to address them or the reader will feel as if you don't know what you're doing.

What is common – these are typical elements that might be useful to establish familiarity or satisfy reader expectations, but a little goes a long way. If important story elements fall into this category, your story may be in danger of being seen as derivative or a copycat story. It might also indicate that your story is littered with clichés.

What would be uncommon – these are elements that add character by being slightly out of place or unusual in some way, but don't necessarily require an explanation to keep your reader from questioning your writing abilities.

What would be odd – these are elements which the readers will notice and ask questions about. They tend to be defining attributes, adding a unique, seemingly out-of-place character to the setting or unique qualities to characters.

What would be outlandish – these are elements that are just plain hard to explain or whose presence would strain the reader's credibility. You might get away with one or two of these, but you better have a good explanation. Overuse will make the story (or the author) seem silly.

A good story needs both common and usual elements, but the balance must be carefully considered. How you mix the ratio will determine in large part how your story will be received. It should be noted that you can elevate reader interest in even common elements by putting them together in unusual combinations. Whether characters or setting, the juxtaposition of two very different elements naturally create tension. By its nature, these odd couples imply backstory. They can even be thought of as a type of conflict, though the conflict may only be in the reader's expectations.

I first encountered something like the Idea Filter in regards to selecting general characters and setting elements, but this approach can be applied to nearly any part of the story process, including the character actions and decisions at the scene level. Try it out and see if it helps you sort through your ideas. It might even help you come up with new ideas to fill some story gaps.

With this, we are ready to move on past the beginning portion of writing stories. Though I may come back with additional tips later, you should have quite enough to get started. But, since theory can sometimes be too abstract, let's review everything to this point with a real life example.

Next time – Beginning Your Story: An Example