How To Turn A Big Idea Into Reality

By Kylie Fennell

Take a bunch of writers from different genres, many who have never met before, put them on the same dinner table and you get... one BIG idea.

This is exactly what happened at GenreCon last year when a light-hearted dinner conversation about lighthouses led to the idea of a collaborative, multi-genre anthology.

Less than a year later Lighthouse – An Anthology, a collection of short stories set in lighthouses, was published. The book features fantasy, sci-fi, romance, crime, historical fiction, dystopian and paranormal stories from fifteen different authors – all connected in some way to the GenreCon dinner that sparked the initial idea.

But how exactly did we get from that initial idea to making it actually happen?

Here is how we did it and how you too can transform a big idea into reality.

Set Your Goals

It was important that all of our contributing authors knew what they were signing up for and had the same goal. In our case, we agreed that our goal was to share our work with the wider world, but also to enjoy the opportunity to learn and develop.

You too should identify an overarching goal for your big idea and a target date for realisation.

Manage Ideas Like a Project

Every big idea should be broken down into smaller achievable chunks and key milestones. Decide what has to be done, by when, and who is going to do the task, as well as what resources you need.

We captured all of this detail in a shared spreadsheet, which was regularly monitored and updated. 

Draw on Your Network for Expertise

If there is something you don’t know how to do, or need help with, reach out to people in your personal network or other writers. Members of the writing community are typically very supportive of each other, and if they can’t help they usually know someone who can. We were fortunate to have among our group: a book cover designer, an experienced editor, marketing professionals, project managers, and some excellent proof readers.

A Quality Focus

We wanted to do more than create an anthology. We wanted to create a high quality, creative work we were all proud of. To ensure quality was assured, we implemented several processes, as well as a style guide and editing guidelines.

Each writer had two editing buddies within the group, who reviewed their work before it went to a Lead Editor. There were two rounds of editing buddy and Lead Editor feedback. In later stages, each writer was assigned two proof readers (who hadn’t been one of their buddies).

The Lead Editor and core project team also conducted quality assurance checks at key stages, so each story was reviewed by a minimum of six people within the group. We had established rules of engagement at the beginning of the project, to ensure all feedback was given respectfully and was constructive. The result was that each writer and story evolved to be its best.

So what are you waiting for? It’s time to start putting your big idea into action.

Lighthouse is now available to purchase via www.lorikeetink.com/lighthouse