But I didn't want to leave you hanging so here is quick tip that came way via my reviewing spot, Romantic Times via literary agent, Kimberly Whalen and Jenny Bent.(Purchase the December issue to read the full article.)
High Concept Novels: Turn the Ordinary into Extraordinary
What is a high-concept novel? The type of novel editors are looking for: "unique, has a catchy title,has a great one sentence hook, based on reality, can take a familiar element and turn it on its head." This HCN provides publishers with a great way to market the book.
Since we're talking about premise and story idea this week. Here is a tip to help you come up with a high-concept idea.
Whalen and Bent suggests:
"Find something you want to write about, then start thinking about what you'd love to happen in the real world, but never could."
I was in Walmart yesterday at the Humana Medicare counter signing up for yet another healthcare plan(beind disabled and under 65 is a miracle in this country) I saw droves of Narnia books at the checkout center. Now I read the Lion, the Witch...ions ago, but when I opened the book and began to read...oh, yeah, baby I was back into something magical again. [Cheap Suggestive: Add the hardback color book guide to go along with the movie to Selah's christmas stocking]
Needless to say the story begins with a family who was split up. The parents passed on. The children were left with a quirky old benefactor. Every children's book has the premise nowadays. But there's something both real and extraordinary about the setup. They get to go into a wardrobe and do unimaginable things. Now my novel isn't as fantastic. But I thought about what Whalen and Bent said. I definitely want to write about a single mother and love the whole idea of her renting a dad for the day. I do that with my Sunday School class dudes all the time, especially for donuts for dads and stuff like that. My brother will escort her to the Girl Scouts Father Daughter Dance. I'm renting men all the time and paying them in buckets of banana pudding in lieu of compensation. But what if a woman rented a dad, who was more than what he said he was. What if....my eyes widened, my chest rises...i hear angel's voices singing in octaves higher than mariah carey...BAM!! You'll have to wait and see. Shoot. I'm trying to get catch an agent or editor's eye. Here.:) Anyway...
Tell me about your novel(i'm house bound all weekend anyway.) Why do you want to write your particular story and what would you love to happen to the people inside it?
Dee
PS. Please ship me some Peach Fresca. A sister is nauseated like a pregnant woman in her sixth week. (Note: I'm not pregnant!!) And pray for me. Selah's school has their fall carnival tomorro,w and I wanted to take her. Cry Cry.
