The writing day is about thinking about writing.  

I enjoy many posts from Storyfix.com.  The fix attracting my attention this week is 'The Secret To a Successful Concept', by Larry Brooks.

I often had many ideas.  Getting from idea to concept to story was a struggle for many years, yet I knew that I needed to make that move.  The challenge was how do you make that move.  I largely learned it from understanding that most stories benefit from action.  The exceptions to that observation are those stories so beautifully written or profound that you become lost in the words as you read.  

That, alas, seems to be beyond me.

But I'll keep trying.

Meanwhile, I learned from critiquing others how to move from idea to concept to story to drama.  It was not enough to diplomatically say, "This sucks," as a critique.  There had to be a reason for why it sucked.  Thinking about trying to understand why I thought another writer's story sucked helped me address my stories' deficiencies.  Everyone story is different, though, so each has unique deficiences to address.  I have trends, though, certain aspects of fiction writing which I love and do very well, and other areas where I struggle and must focus more attention.  

I thought the Storyfix article about idea, concept and drama is worthwhile for me as a writing hunting for ways to improve my story-telling and writing.  As others have said, we're always trying to master writing.  I share the Storyfix link in the spirit that others might read it and find another small nugget of understanding in their quest to master writing.

"The Secret To a Successful Concept" by Larry Brooks, from Storyfix.com

Here it is, right up front. No elaborate setup. Not even a needs-analysis as a lead-in. We’ll get to that once you know what a successful concept is… and what it isn’t.

The secret of a successful concept is to move from the situational to the actionable.

From a state-of-being to a call-to-action.

From a snapshot toward a moving and evolving set of images and possibilities.

From an explanation to a proposition.

From a character to a journey.

From a story about something to a story about something dramatic.

http://storyfix.com/the-secret-to-a-successful-concept