I feel like this is the question every author wants to know the answer to.

When should you take a leap of faith and dive into writing a full-fledged novel? Perhaps your idea came from a vivid dream you had one night after indulging in too many chocolates before bed. Maybe it’s the result of a conversation you overheard on your morning commute. No matter where an idea sprang from, it’s never easy to know if it could fill a couple hundred pages.

I’ve seen blogs and posts about the difference between having an idea and having a plot. Ideas are scraps of dialogue, fragments of scenes–generalities without fully fledged characters or obstacles that face them.

“Ideas are a dime a dozen.”

While I agree to an extent, I think it’s also important to remember that no matter how good/bad your idea is, it’s what you do with it that matters. You could have the most creative, never before written ideas, but they’re not worth much if they don’t lead to something. Ideas are meant to inspire–so if you’re not excited about something, scrap it or store it away for later.

If you feel good about an idea, try to shape a plot around it. Figure out your main characters. What do they want? What’s stopping them from achieving their goals? Is there some kind of outside shaping event?

There’s nothing wrong with sitting on an idea for a while and letting it marinate. Sometimes you may be struck with sudden inspiration and race to write it down lest you forget it.

And sometimes, you realize your idea is frozen and you can’t get any further.

My main point is: it’s okay to drop an idea after working on it. There’s no shame in coming to the conclusion that your idea isn’t a viable plot.

So don’t be afraid to experiment with all your ideas. After all, that’s half the fun!