What Are Novel Ideas?

I've said this before, but it's true: novel ideas are funny things...

• On the one hand, they have no value whatsoever (try selling one to a publisher and see how far you get). Why do they have no value? Because novel ideas by themselves tell you virtually nothing about the novels that those ideas might become.

• On the other hand, they can seem priceless when you are struggling to find one - and let's face it, you are not going to get very far without one. Just as a tree grows from a seed and a fire from a spark, so novels begin with ideas.

The good news is that ideas for novels are easy to find, particularly for us creative types, who tend to be naturally receptive to ideas.

The things which drew us to creative writing in the first place - curiosity, a good imagination, an interest in our fellow man, an inquiring and questioning mind - are precisely the things which make us excellent idea-finders.

But what are novel ideas, exactly? And how do they differ from plain old "ideas"? I'll be getting to the difference between the two in a moment, but first take a look at five examples of ideas:

1. A zookeeper falls for a woman he meets in the elephant enclosure and must overcome his shyness to win her heart.

2. An inept New York detective must solve his final case if he wants to retire with dignity.

3. A once-great actress has to fight tough to secure the leading role in a West End show.

4. A bullied schoolboy takes up boxing when a girl he secretly fancies says he has to stand up to his tormentors.

5. An ambitious female lawyer has to choose between her career and her principles when asked to defend a man who once raped her.

The first thing you will notice is that there is nothing complicated about a novel idea. In fact, if you can't express the concept in a single sentence, it is probably half-baked still.