Step #1: The idea phase
We all have to start out somewhere. Usually, it’s just a small idea floating around in the subconscious. Sometimes you see something that sparks and idea. Maybe it’s an epiphany. But, wherever your inspiration comes from, it tends to start with one thing and then spread out from there.
Write it down
Let’s say you have a great idea stuck in the back of your brain and you care trying to shake it loose. The first thing you need to do is to begin by writing down your idea. It can be a word, a phrase, a sentence, or a paragraph. Now, look at it and see what category it falls under.
Here’s a list of common starting points
Character driven idea
This is a great place to start. Starting off with a strong character or multiple characters gives you a perfect beginning. When you have a character in mind, you can jump right into the following steps:
- Create a conflict
- Add tension by bringing in other characters
- Give your character motivation and then thwart their goals
Starting with a character is a lot of fun, because you can learn about them by doing a character study.
Here are some ideas for how to go about this:
- Do an imaginary interview with your character
- Create a vision board or Pinterest board of your character
- Write out a character card with their stats (name, age, appearance, personality traits, career, etc.)
- Place you character into different scenarios to see how they react
- Create a second character and give them some dialogue to see how the character’s interact
An ideal setting
This might perplex some writers, but it’s a legitimate place to begin a story. You’ve probably read books that evolved from a setting without even realizing it.
Maybe your idea starts with a doodle or a sketch of a map. Fantasy writers do this all the time. You begin with some random lines on a blank piece of paper then add some water and sketch out some mountains, and pretty soon you are creating inventive names and populating the map with interesting fictional races like elves, orcs, or goblins.
But what about mainstream fiction writers? This is a real thing for them too, but maybe it’s a bit less obvious. Perhaps you went on a backpacking trip through Europe, or maybe you’ve always dreamed of visiting New York City at Christmas. Maybe you have always wanted to write a cozy mystery about a small town with a statistically high murders rate. If you can relate to this, then maybe you have the beginnings of a location-based idea.
Once you have your idea, you can start doing research:
- Create a map or find a map on the internet
- Study the types of businesses, housing, roads, or infrastructure exists
- Study the terrain and climate
- Learn about the people, language, culture, and other demographics of the area
Plot driven idea
Other writers come up with the plot first and add the characters later on. I’ve actually used this approach. I’ve had some really weird dreams before where I don’t know where I was or who was there, but I remember vividly a series of actions and plot points that I turned into the beginnings of a pretty good story outline. So maybe you haven’t gotten the characters yet, and you don’t know where they story will take place, but you know that the story will involve a series of events. This is a legitimate place to begin. You can fill in the characters later on. For now, jot down what’s happening and you will have a fleshed out outline in no time.
To get started, you can use notecards or a favorite software like Scrivener:
- Create a cart for each of the major events and place them in order
- Take note of the major conflicts or escalation of conflict
- Fill in missing details be creating cards to connect the story where there are large gaps
- Sort the cards into major and minor story arcs
A plot twist
This is a bit more vague and could involve a bit more work, but there are plenty of books and movies that start out with an idea for a big ending and then the rest of the story is filled in later. When you watch a movie and there is some major plot twist at the end (OMG, the main character was actually a ghost the entire time! Or…who would have guessed it was the butler who did it?). If your idea starts with a big surprise, twist, reveal, etc. your best approach is often to start at the end of the story and work your way backwards. Or, if you start at the beginning, you will constantly remind yourself that this ending is the main goal, so all plot decisions are made with the idea that you want to drive the story toward this outcome.
To flesh out this type of idea, working backward is often useful, but unlike the notecard method, it might help to do some brainstorming first. First, write down the major twist.
Then:
- Write down a few ideas about things that could cause this twist
- Write down things that occurred before the major surprise
- Write down any clues that could foreshadow this surprise ending
- Write down themes that lead to the ending
- Brainstorm things that would have upheaval as a result of this surprise
Step #2: The Expansion
Now that you have your idea written down and you’ve done some brainstorming, you can start looking fleshing it out into an actual storyline.
Start by asking yourself some questions: who, what, where, when, and why?
What genre is the story?
This will help you answer the question of “when.” Does your story idea fit better in the past, present or future? Is the idea more real-world, fantasy, or science fiction?
If you aren’t sure, you can start typing keywords from your story into a search engine and see what types of books you find.
For example: Robot Vampire Old West Novel
By the way, I actually did this and some pretty interesting books came up in the search.
Narrowing your novel down to one or two potential genres will help you shape your story. Different genres have different conventions, tropes, and audiences. I’m not saying you need to write to a specific market. But knowing what genre your story fits into or understanding which genres attract you can help you sift through all the potential paths for your idea and focus on writing a story that you can relate to and enjoy.
Where does it take place?
If you started with the setting, great, but if not, this is an important step. Place your idea or characters into different locations and see how it affects the way they interact.
If you have a single mother as a schoolteacher in a prairie setting in the Old West, that will be a very different book from a single mother teaching on an exploration vessel in the year 2570. And if she is teaching a classroom full of supernatural kids, then it will be quite different than if she is teaching in a high school in Phoenix.
Who else is in your story?
If you don’t have a main character yet, this is the time to start generating ideas for them. Once you have at least one main character, then your character needs someone to bounce ideas off of, fight with, rescue the world with, or cry with. Unless your story is about a lone individual battling nature in a survival story, there will be other characters. And even in survival stories, the plot often involves backstory, flashbacks, or dream sequences involving other characters. And knowing who these characters are will help you to understand how your character reacts in different situations. When other characters aren’t around, your character might interact with non-human characters such as animals, inanimate objects (Wilson, the ball), technology (Hello, Hal), or nature itself, so you can still flesh out how these other quasi-characters can affect your main character.
What are your goals for the story?
This can be goals for your character or they can be larger goals for your fictional universe. Maybe you have an idea for a dystopian novel set in a perfect society that emphasizes sameness. All the citizens are alike, except for your main character whose very presence will create an obstacle for the society’s plan to keep things the same. Your character’s main goal is simply to survive this or maybe escape. Or maybe they have a larger goal to change this society.
- Come up with a list of character goals.
- Come up with a list of societal goals (what morals or ethics exist in your fictional universe. Does it emphasize anarchy, chaos, morality, ethics, warfare, order?)
What are the main conflicts in the story?
This is really a topic for another article, so I will gloss over it here, but your story needs conflict. Without conflict, the plot can’t move forward. Whether you have a character driven story, or you started with one of the other story starter, you still need for your characters to face obstacles on their way to the main goal. The previous question and this one work together in the story to create tension and this friction can keep the story moving forward.
Step #3: Are you a pantser or a plotter?
Plotter
This is where you stop the story starting phase and get down to the hard work of planning and writing your book. But to do that, you need to know what type of writer you are. This can change and evolve over time or vary from project to project, but for today, are you a pantser or a plotter.
If you love to be organized create lists, and keep track of small details, then you might be a plotter. And outline could be the next logical step for you in the writing process.
Pantser
If you like to jump right in and start writing you might be a pantser. Maybe you want to let the story unfold in an organic way. Maybe you love the element of surprise here. If this works for you, then you can skip the outline and sit down and just type.
Here’s a handy tip: If you are a pantser, but worry that you might get writer’s block, you can finish each writing session by creating an scene break and then typing up a short paragraph or list a couple of rough ideas for the next scene. Then when you come back for the next writing session you have a premade story prompt to get you started, This way you don’t have to backtrack or try and regain your train of thought, You already know what the next scene should be or you have a couple of idea prompts to help shake loose more ideas.
Step #4: Parting Ways. Go write!
It’s time to get started on planning and writing your manuscript. Maybe you are off to create your outline now. If so, check back soon for ideas on creating outlines. Or if you are a pantser, maybe you are just going to sit down and write. If that’s the case, check in for ideas to shake loose your creative ideas.
Happy writing!
If you liked this article, don’t forget to share it with your writer friends or subscribe to get more articles like this one!
[mc4wp_form id=”962″]
