In the last post, we talked about identifying your story seed: that initial spark of an idea that will grow into a story. This week, let’s nurture and water the seed to help give it life.
This stage is all about why this story matters to you and how to anchor yourself when the writing gets tough (because it will). You want this idea to have a strong root system—so that when the storm blows through, your novel won’t topple over or shrivel up.
Step 1: Why Does This Story Matter to You?
Writing a novel is a marathon. At some point, you’ll hit the wall and wonder, why am I even doing this? Having an answer ready—your answer—can carry you through.
Ask yourself:
What is important to me about this story?
What personal truth or curiosity am I exploring?
Even if no one else read it, what would make it worth writing?
For me, the answer changes from project to project. With my current idea, I’m excited to explore a new magic system, to challenge myself by writing a true mystery, and to once again highlight and celebrate Black culture in a way I haven’t really seen before. I’ve created a vision statement for this novel to help ground me and keep me coming back to the page.
Step 2: Why You?
Here’s a deeper (sometimes uncomfortable) question: why are you the right person to tell this story?
I don’t believe that we can or should write only characters who look like us or have our exact background. But pausing to consider your connection to the material is valuable. It clarifies what you bring to the story that no one else can. Why should someone read your take on this genre, trope, time period, or character?
Are there assumptions you’re making about the character, culture, or world, even if it largely matches your own? What in your background connects you to the character journeys? What fascinates you about this situation or arc? What do you have to give to the story that is personal, respectful, and genuine?
For me, I often write about Black women finding their place in the world—usually in magical settings, lately in historical ones. These characters aren’t me, but they resonate with my own lived experience, my own questions, my own longings. That resonance gives the story authenticity and heart.
Step 3: Situation, Character, or World?
One way to think about your story seed is to categorize it. I break them down into three types:
Situation: A premise, or “what if?” (Example: a hotel maid is hired by supernatural warriors.)
Character: A protagonist you can’t stop thinking about. (Example: the grumpy warrior, the sunshine heroine.)
World: A setting or system that’s begging to be explored. (Example: a hidden society of warriors with their own magical rules.)
Knowing the type of story seed you’re starting with helps identify your gaps and what you need to work on during this story preparation phase.
If you’ve started with a situation, then you’ll need to focus on developing characters that will carry out your premise. A world story seed might need a conflict to drive it. And if your inspiration is a character, then learning more about the world they inhabit can help you flesh them out.
For example, in my last NaNo, my idea was a situation: a young woman enters a mysterious house, unaware she’s stepping into a hidden supernatural world. From there, I knew I needed to build the characters and the rules of the world before I was ready to write.
Step 4: Ask the Questions
At this stage, don’t worry if you have more questions than answers. In fact, that’s a good sign. Curiosity fuels drafting.
I like to write down everything I know about the story and all the questions I have. Sometimes I can answer the questions immediately, but more often, the questions tell me where I need to spend my researching and brainstorming time.
I capture all of this in my notebook, a text file (my favorite at this stage so I’m not distracted by formatting), or a Scrivener file. Right now I’m asking things like:
What does my main character want?
What is her wound?
What are the rules of the magic?
What’s at stake if she fails in her mission?
The act of writing all the questions helps, and I propose answers and accept or reject them as I move along.
Step 5: Consider Your Theme
Some writers know their theme from the start. Others discover it only after they’ve completed drafting. Your relationship to the theme of your story may change from story to story, or maybe you wait for an editor or reviewer to reveal it to you.
While knowing your theme in advance is not necessary, pausing to ask, What might this story be about, underneath the plot? can give you a North Star to guide you in the idea nurturing stage.
Common themes might include:
Belonging
Redemption
Love vs. fear
Power and responsibility
Hope in darkness
For me, the recurring theme in my work is often about people finding where they fit—whether in their family, community, or the wider world. That thread will probably show up in my next novel, too.
Don’t stress if your theme is still fuzzy. Just make a note of what’s tugging at you right now. It may evolve later.
Step 6: Why Now?
Another anchoring question: Why this story, at this point in my writing life?
Sometimes the answer is practical (this is the idea that feels most achievable for a NaNo draft). Sometimes it’s emotional (this is the story my heart needs right now). Either way, articulating “why now” helps you commit.
For me, I just finished a heavy, ambitious project. This new one feels lighter, playful—even if it still touches on deeper themes. That shift is exactly what I need creatively at this moment.
Overview
Why does this story matter to you?
Why are you the right person to tell it?
Identify your seed type: situation, character, or world.
List your burning questions.
Jot down possible themes.
Ask yourself: Why now?
For more on developing your story idea, check out my Story Seed mini-course.
✍🏾 Your turn: Why does your story matter to you? I’d love to hear in the comments. Sometimes articulating your “why” is the very first act of commitment to a new book.