If your novel idea is any good, it’ll pass these 8 tests

Key Wellness, Self-Care, and Productivity Takeaways (for Developing a Novel Idea)

The video focuses on productivity and decision-making for writers—helping you avoid wasted time by validating whether an idea is worth committing to. The main “wellness” angle is protecting your time and energy, and checking whether you have sustainable motivation and emotional investment.

1) Dinner Party Test (market/readership gut-check)

• Invite friends to a casual “dinner party” setting.
• Share the book premise without revealing it’s yours.
• Use a single-sentence pitch designed to spark curiosity (avoid summarizing the plot).
• Aim for: people ask what it is and express interest.

2) Right Person Test (fit + competence check)

Ask: Are you the right person to write this? Then separate:

• what you enjoy reading
• from what you can realistically execute well

Self-assess relevant domain knowledge (e.g., science/history for relevant genres). Also consider genre experience:

• If you haven’t read ~30 books in the genre, you likely need more familiarity first.

3) Wow Factor Test (differentiation)

Identify your concept’s “wow” using up to five possible drivers (you don’t need all of them):

• High-concept premise
• Strong plot (twists/reveals that carry momentum)
• Inventive setting
• Main character appeal (charisma, likability, unreliability, etc.)
• Unique writing style

4) Weight Test (sustainable emotional/ethical stakes)

Ask whether the idea has “weight” you can sustain through long writing:

• Can you connect it to:
  • personal baggage/wounds
  • a topic you genuinely care about
  • controversial issues worth grappling with

Reality-check scenarios:

• If it were 3–5 years from now, would you still feel committed?
• If you were on your deathbed, would you regret not leaving this legacy?

5) Town vs. Brick Test (scope control to finish)

Avoid starting with an overly complex first novel (e.g., huge casts, extremely epic scope). Instead, tighten scope:

• Aim to write something publishable and finishable.

Use the “brick” approach:

• pick one small, concrete element (a “brick”)
• write it deeply
• let it expand to reveal the larger world

6) Common Denominator Test (marketability + comps)

Ask whether similar books already exist. If you believe it’s “never been done,” that may signal you haven’t researched enough.

To clarify audience and positioning, find comp titles:

• genre/category fit
• whether there’s an audience

Even with self-publishing, you still need to identify and reach a readership.

7) Forget About It Test (subconscious persistence)

Can you stop thinking about the idea?

Try:

• leaving it alone for a couple of weeks to see if it keeps “bugging” you
• keeping a list of ideas and periodically revisiting them to see which keep sticking

Treat subconscious signals seriously:

• if conscious says yes but subconscious doubts persist, reconsider.

8) Scene Test (specific excitement fuel)

Can you list five specific scenes you’re excited to write?

• These should be detailed character-and-situation scenes (not generic plot beats).
• If you can’t generate at least five, you may not have enough internal motivation to finish the full novel.

Presenters / Sources

• Presenter: The speaker/creator of the YouTube video (not explicitly named in the provided subtitles).
• Examples / books cited (as sources/comp titles mentioned in the video):
  • The Hunger Games (Suzanne Collins)
  • Pandora’s Star (Peter F. Hamilton)
  • Gone Girl (Gillian Flynn)
  • City & the City (China Miéville) / “China, Meowville” (China Miéville)
  • Confederacy of Dunces (author not clearly stated; referenced by the subtitle)
  • Dark Matter (Blake Crouch)
  • Harry Revised (Mark Sarvis)
  • Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (Robert Pirsig)
  • Master and Commander (Patrick O’Brian)
  • Wolf Hall (Hilary Mantel)
  • Pillars of the Earth (Ken Follett)