How to Expand an Idea into a Story (Writing Advice)

Learn how to build a novel, screenplay, etc. from a simple idea.

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CHECK OUT MY OTHER VIDEOS:

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Writing Villains #1 - Start with Your Hero

Writing Villains #2 - Goals

Writing Villains #3 - Motivation

Writing Villains #4 - When to Introduce Your Villain

Writing Villains #5 - Plot Points for Villains

Writing Villains #6 - Impacting the Hero

The Anatomy of Story REVIEW:

Save the Cat Writes a Novel REVIEW:
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[XY_BERSERK]

Who's here because they want to make their daydream come true?

[LeagueShoes]

Less than 500 words away from 90k for my first book. Almost done. Just wanted to say, your videos have really helped me figure things out.

[tannergarner]

6 Tips
1. Combine Two Unrelated Ideas (Romeo and Juliet + Titanic disaster)
2. Connect your idea to other story elements like character, plot, theme, and worldbuilding. (Jurassic Park = dinosaur theme park + park founder + scientists + conflict)
3. Create goals and conflict.
4. Add meaningful subplots in line with your theme. (Rocky, self-respect, + romantic subplot)
5. Active and Passive Research.
6. Shelve under-developed ideas until a new idea comes along to make it more interesting.

[fransbuijs]

Another indication that an idea is good is: if it doesn't let you go, if you keep coming back to it.

[DevTheRay]

It's crazy how good your videos are

[errantwinds-upuu]

I've only ever written short stories. When I've tried anything longer I fizzle out, and I think it's because I go in with only half baked ideas, so thank you for this list! It should help next time I have an idea!

[jalahjava_]

I really appreciate these tips, especially for me as a just beginning author. Your advice has really pushed me forward on my journey and I don't have the words for quite how much it's helped.

Thanks, Brandon!

[ajdndbdjbdj]

Bro I feel like you are sitting inside my head you always say things I think of, great content

[WriterBrandonMcNulty]

What's the longest story you've written (either by page count or word count)? Let us know!

[electamike]

Longest story I've ever written was 249 pages long, around 47000 words, for a game I've been developing for the past 2.5 years. I do have another story idea that I hope to turn into a full TV series someday. Thanks for the advice!

[magmakaktus]

I love this channel. I am 15 years old and I am into writing. I found this channel a while ago and it fills all the gaps I have about storytelling and gives me all the answers for my questions. Thank you, you are a big help!

[silverstarlightproductions]

I once wrote a short story for my creative writing class about a Vestal Virgin who falls in love with a Christian gladiator in Ancient Rome. I started to develop it into a screenplay, but I've been hung up on the middle act for about 3 years. I know I'll finish this story one day though because as you mentioned in your video it's an idea that refuses to leave my mind.

[bannles]

I really love this type of content. I am still in high school and would like to become an author or storyteller of some kind one day, and your advice across all your videos has really given me a lot of motivation to pursue my goals. So thank you for inspiring me and helping me understand more about storytelling.

[lordfabulous]

I've established 18 chapters in my book, a project that I've written on and off since I was 14. I'm 23 now.

It is my only book, and unfortunately I made it way more complicated than an amateur author can normally handle.

It started with one main character, and now has five, all with individual subplots after splitting up in chapter 9.

While I believe it's necessary in order to make the story the most compelling, it also left me stumped in how I can develop those subplots.

Currently, my characters are in the following scenario:

1. Zoran: recovering from torture after getting caught by the enemy in chapter 7. His story will be focused on learning who their true enemy is, and how to kill them, as well as challenging his nihilistic perception of mortality and human nature. He will eventually take the place of an immortal being, and save the villain who was corrupted by the true villain - in death.

2. Theodren: after losing his brother, Zoran, he struggles to see purpose outside one day finding him. He ends up kidnapped by a group of rebels, is by circumstance given the chance to lead the group despite opposition, and now is on a mission to expand their army and find a way to weaken the villain (who now controls their kingdom). He is also meant to learn to respect his previous rival (Armand Malrick) whom he battled with words on many occassions when the previous king permitted him to lead armies (a prior part of the story). Lastly, he gains perspective about the rebels, and the nobility. The rebels were once his enemy in the prior war, but not the greedy nobles that fought for their own selfish interests. They were peasants that sought opportunity to improve their lives (think French revolution), a group which he wasn't aware he was fighting against back then. He lost his parents to the rebels from the past, so this helps him explore that trauma and learn to grow from it. He also learns the perspective of the nobles that refuse the villain's reign, having to find a way to make the two groups work together despite opposing interests.

3. Valora: suffering from a condition that was believed cured in a prior chapter, she was sent to her father to address it (who she left due to his controlling nature, and that she wanted to fulfill the goals of her dead mother - to help humans and elves not hate each other). She eventually escapes with the help of a servant girl who displays what she would've been had she stayed: without purpose, isolated from others. They return to the mainland to find her friends, but is caught by the enemy, now leaving her to find a way both to find her friends, but also to ensure the servant girl doesn't die because of her. She also serves to add perspective to the enemy, to their true nature. She also is meant to learn to love her father again, and he to her, much as he remains a source of trauma for much of her story.

4. Carrion: trying to make amends for sending Valora away, and now stopping her from preventing Theodren from leaving them in pursuit of his brother, he sought for them, gaining perspective of how life is after the villain conquered the kingdom, and ends up fighting a shapeshifter (human/dragon), loses, and is now living in a cave with an immortal being who was cursed by (essentially) the devil. His past is also to unravel, showing how he felt he abandoned his mother (she died from an illness and was buried in an unmarked grave at his return). He is a member of Drakon, a group like witchers (but without supernatural enhancements) trained to fight all beasts and man in every circumstance, and adapt to survival regardless of the place and time. The same is true for all three above. Anyways, he is meant to befriend the shapeshifter, learn the true nature of the beasts he once fought. This brings an added layer to the climax that involves dragons working with the villain to take revenge on the humans and return the territory that humans took from them centuries before. He is also meant to develop a romance with a mother surviving in this new kingdom along with her little daughter, learning to accept what happened to his mother and to make up for it through helping this mother survive in this new world, giving a reason to live beyond the needs of his friends. He also is meant to provide perspective to the tortured cursed immortal man, and the true villain.

5. Sven: a basic courier accidentally went on a journey with the group of characters above, leaves them after Drakonstead falls (their home) going north to escape the villain's reign, only to find out that the northern nation is welcoming the villain, seeking alliance in their pursuit of conquest. His story is fairly cliche: the son of the previous king, exiled and never learned of his past, and is weak but must find a way to become a leader to prevent the northern kingdom from falling to the villain's influence, a fall which would ensure the villain couldn't be stopped, but could if he rallies them to HIS side. He is joined by an x secret service-type character that was both a spy, assassin, and diplomat, and must find a way to convince his nation to fight with him. This ultimately leads to a battle involving the opposing sides, with another mentor figure in his story secretly playing both sides and wanting to make Sven his pawn, and if not, to manipulate the villain into serving his needs instead. The mentor betrays him, not convinced his side will win, and thus Sven must find a way to prove them wrong. He wins, though at great cost, and uses his remaining forces to join the rebel cause south against the villain (a nation that was once at war with them, making the two nations find a semblance of peace with each other). Finding a way to develop his story has been the greatest challenge of the five.

Any tips for all five would be amazing.

[LightCyrus]

Your Channel is like the Jeremy Jahns of writing channels. Every video is a quick, concise, quality presentation with no filler or fluff. It's easy to understand and easy to like.

[lukemauerman]

My 2nd book was 738 pages; a quarter of a million words. At the finishing touches I could not believe I had a quarter of a million words in my head; I pictured them as a great silo in front of me and I could shift things around, pluck an idea from later and insert it in near the beginning.... It was an almost out of body experience. Now, 2 years later, I don't remember much of it, I have to go back and look at what I did. As a self-published author I didn't move nearly as many copies as I wanted to, but my reviews were AWESOME. It was amazing!

[kayyyyooo]

i hate writing but i freaking love watching your videos, i could never lol

[Maddolis]

Nearing 100k subs! Premature congratulations Brandon, every Thursday night (my time) I look forward to watching your videos, may you continue to have great ideas for videos and keep putting out this quality!

[mattsager]

I have learned way more about Civil War neurology than I ever expected to...

[bignapolean]

My longest story, to date is around 62, 000 words.