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Position:Home>Books & Authors> How do you make a "plan" before starting a story?Question: How do you make a "plan" before starting a story!? Usually I just get on the computer and start typing!. But this time, I'm really into this story and what to complete it, instead of just trailing off in the middle!. So how do you make a foolproof plan before beginning a story!?
Make sure it's a STORY - not a book!. Thanks in advance, appreciate it!.Www@QuestionHome@Com Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: Well since I wite books I dont know how much help I will be but this is what I do!. First I start off by figuing out names of characters and settings so that later on I dont get confused or fustuated!. I have found that if I am sitting in font of a compute tying to figue these things out I am far less likely to finish anything!. I am a vey visual person so if there are things that need to be descibed I either 1!. Draw them out or 2!. find pictues on the internet to help me!. With all of my stories/ books I have a few folders and little notebooks in which I keep pictures, diagams, notes and vaious other things!. Right now I am woking on a book so I have a note book that I have witten down all of my characters with shot little bios and family histories along with notes on the settings and places in the story!. I always make sure that I know what I want to happen in the story and kind of make a little dotted outline of the story!. well I hope that helped agian sorry if it didnt cause I am kind of incapable of witing shot stories!. :-)Www@QuestionHome@Com Books are made of a story, so it's the same principle, just compacted!. At least one main character!. Secondary character(s), but very limited and only if necessary!. What's the point!? Do you have a point you want to make, a lesson you want to drive home, a theme you want to explore!? In a short story, think of your story as going steadily up, like numbers on a graph, and ending with a twist in the tail!. A shocking, or clever and witty moment of closure!. In a novella, you have an actual plot arc!. Beginning, middle and end, just like a novel!. However, in a novella, you still have a limited cast of characters and no subplots!. You stick to the main plot!. As far as a "plan" goes, that's what it is!. Write down who your characters are, and a brief sketch of the plot!. Since plot comes from character, here are your key points: What's your character's goal!? What's his motivation!? (Why does he want that goal!?) What's his conflict!? (What's stopping him from getting to his goal!?) There's your plan!. Have fun writing!Www@QuestionHome@Com Write the entire story out in very, very simple format!. Maybe twenty or thirty pages total!. Just so that you know your plot holds up!. Once you're sure of your plot, the writing process becomes easy!. If you're unsure of where you're going though, you're liable to wind up nowhere!. Www@QuestionHome@Com |