Moving from Idea to Finished Draft

by Cat Rambo

Fantasy and science fiction writer Cat Rambo shows multiple ways to take a story idea and flesh it out into a complete draft, looking at different ways in which ideas may manifest, such as plot, character, literary device, theme, scene, title, prompt, historical moment, collaboration, tribute to another writer, and more. Each section discusses a specific way an idea can appear, what that provides the writer, pitfalls to watch out for, and possible next steps, along with writing exercises designed to let the reader test each technique and idea and one of Rambo's stories that started in that way.
Whether you read start to finish or skip around to various sections, this book is designed to fine-tune and amplify your ability to take any idea and make it into a story, taught by one of the finest storyteller teachers working in speculative fiction today.

Genres: Nonfiction, Writing

Kindle Edition

First published May 8, 2018

About the author

F&SF writer Cat Rambo lives and writes in the Midwest. They have been shortlisted for an Endeavour Award, Locus Award, World Fantasy Award and most recently the Nebula Award. Their debut novel, BEASTS OF TABAT, appeared in 2015 from WordFire Press, the same year she co-edited AD ASTRA: THE SFWA 50TH ANNIVERSARY COOKBOOK. Their most recent book is DEVIL'S GUN (novel, Tor Macmillan). They are a former two-term President of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) and still volunteers with the organization.
They run the popular online writing school focused on fantasy and science fiction, the Rambo Academy for Wayward Writers. (academy.catrambo.com)

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Reviews

[Bryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed Moving From Idea to Finished Draft. Cat's ideas for generating stories and the accompanying exercises help writers get their story writing in gear. The sections are organized by topic, from story structure ideas to fragment ideas (such as a character idea or scene idea), and even directives (such as point of view or emotions). I appreciated the breadth of ideas, the considerations and pitfalls, and that each had accompanying writer exercises (and even extensions of those ideas for over achievers to use). The most enjoyable part of the book for me were the representative short stories for each idea section, examples that Cat provides to show the execution of these concepts in her own writing. Not only was I able to see each idea put into practice here, but I was able to enjoy a collection of cool stories to boot! Highly recommended for all fiction writers.

[Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun and informative survey of ways to find ideas and develop them into story concepts, along with the pros and cons for each. Seemed more focused on short stories than longer forms, such as novels. I was hoping for more guidance on getting an idea all the way to the finish, as promised in the title. But found it useful, nonetheless.
Warning: The Kindle Edition has some annoying formatting issues (although still readable).