Try This Test On Your Book Idea.
Segun Iwasanmi@iwasanmisegun212159
2 days ago
© Segun Iwasanmi
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A few months ago, someone stopped me after a small gathering and said she had a book inside her. She was serious, careful, almost afraid actually
I asked what the book was about and watched her pause, look up, then start again from somewhere else.
After two minutes, we were still circling. Characters entered and disappeared. The point kept shifting. I could tell the story mattered to her, but it hadn’t settled yet. It was like listening to king Nebuchadnezzar describe a dream he hadn’t fully woken up from.
This happens more than people admit. Many book ideas die, not because they are bad, but because they cannot stand on their feet when spoken aloud. If you can’t say it simply to one person, the pages will struggle to hold it steady.
Let me share a quiet test I always trust. Sit with one person you are comfortable with. Don't use a notebook, and no big language. Explain the book in two minutes, as if you are trying to make them curious, not impressed. Notice where you rush. Notice where you get stuck.
Those pauses doesn't mean you've failed They are signposts. They tell you where the real story is still hiding and where you are forcing things you have not understood yet. Most good books start becoming clear this way, in conversation, before they ever behave on paper.
I have seen ideas change shape completely just from this small test, and I have seen writers relax when the story finally sounds like something they would actually say. If your book feels heavy before it even begins, maybe it just needs to be spoken properly first.
© Segun Iwasanmi | ™The Man With The Story.
Book Writer | Screen and Scriptwriter | Creative Fiction writer | Book Editor.
I help people turn rough ideas into bold stories that work.
