Developing a StoryBy SerieveIt's common knowledge that everyone has a different method of developing stories. Still, it is helpful to have tips to see what works and what doesn't. With
NaNoWriMo only three months away, I decided that I should give it a shot and do some research. Browsing websites and reading articles, I've been soaking up as much writing help as I can and have found several tips that I believe could benefit other writers.
IdeasIt may not always seem like it, but ideas are easy to find. Everyone gets their ideas from different places, whether it be visuals or prompts or questions. But you also want to add spice to your idea. What kind of atmosphere should the story have? What viewpoint will do it justice? Think of the possibilities.
One method of developing an idea is to start randomly asking yourself questions and see where they lead you. Ask "Why?" a lot; it's one of the more important questions and can lead you to your subconscious genius. Make it a journal. Don't worry about how many pages you take up or how refined the details are. All you're doing is exploring. This is called the David Morrell Method, so no, it's not some hokey pokey thing I made up.
Also make a list of things that need to be researched. You'd be surprised by how much realism can add to a story. For fantasy writers, this
article by Poul Anderson details several facts that many authors (published and not) ignore all together.
PlottingThere are two types of writers in the world: Outline Writers (OWs) and No Outline Writers (NOWs). Some will do a bit of both, but generally they have a preference. OWs are the funny people who always carry around index cards or huge rolls of paper or some other instrument of plotting-performance. They have the advantage of a story with structure, but they are also in danger of ignoring what their characters want. They like to keep the story boxed inside a nice, neat little outline. NOWs grab an idea and just write. Their plot may not be all there, and it may not be totally cohesive, but some fresh writing and spontaneous ideas can come out. The rest can be fixed with several major edits.
It's always best for one to stick a toe in the other's pool, so where ever you stand, be adventurous and see just how green that grass is. Whether you be an OW or a NOW, find a plotting system that works for you and add your own flare to it.
NoteCardingIndex cards are a lot of fun. You can hold them and shuffle them, spread them out, make them fly, whatever your fancy. They also make for a very flexible plotting system. So to start, buy your own personal pack, big or small, and write down random scenes. If you bought the big cards, you can try writing out the whole scene, or if you have smaller ones, just put down the main gist of the scene. Make sure every scene has the essential conflict and key point.
But like I said, write the scenes randomly. Even if it has seemingly nothing to do with your intended plot, write it down. Dramatic? Write it down. Comedic? Write it down. Listen to your characters. Put them into different scenarios. What do they want to do?
Undoubtedly, you'll start to see connections. One or more of your cards may strike you as a good opening/closing scene. You might see subplots. Put all your cards in order, either as a stack or in a line. If there are cards that you just don't think you can use, put them aside in a pile, but don’t throw them away. Number your stack/line them in
pencil. Then shuffle them well, adding in with your discard pile. Make a mess. Then read through them again, card to card, and see if there are any connections or subplots you missed.
Once again, put them in order as you see fit. Repeat the shuffling and ordering as much as you want, but as soon as you're done you’ll want them in a line. Read through, see what your plot needs. If you think something else needs to happen between two cards, put a blank one between them. If you think two cards can be combined into one scene, put them together.
Start writing. If things change, change your cards. Keep your discard pile. Make new scenes. The whole purpose of this system is flexibility, so flex it.
Outline As You GoNowadays we've got cereal bars and Go-tarts, game boys, ipods, laptops, etc. We can do just about anything on the go, so why not outline as we write? It's a good system for OWs and NOWs alike, so give it a shot.
To start off, have your spiced-up idea on hand along with nifty things like your
New York Times Bestseller one-liner or a back cover synopsis. You'll want all the basics planned out: a good Lead character, his/her Objective, a Confrontation, and an idea of what your Knock-out ending will be. This is otherwise known as the LOCK system. You're allowed to change things as you go, but you'll want these when you start.
Now write the first chapter/scene of your story. When you finish,
immediately write down your ideas for the next segment. Play around with them. Think of all the possibilities. You should have all sorts of things in mind, so write them. If you don't like what you see, then you can rewrite the first chapter and do it differently. Once you're happy, write the next chapter/scene and do the same thing.
One warning: be sure that you don't loose the rhythm or the tone of the story in the middle of your brainstorm. We've got enough stories out there with choppy flows and chapterly mood-swings.
SnowflakingI hate to say this, but math really does tie into everything. Fractals, for example, are a much explored mathematical thingamabob that can be implemented in plotting. For a good demonstration, go
here. This example actually turns out looking like a snowflake, so it gives a better idea of how this system works and why it's called snowflaking.
The
article I originally got this from is very long, very detailed, and goes in ten steps, but I will shorten the steps as best I can. Take time on each segment of this system. Weeks and days are nothing to bat an eye at.
Let me say this now and stress it: While making this plot outline,
go back and change things as you see fit. It's a good sign, and means your characters are helping you shape the story. Also, your outline does not have to be perfect! This is meant only to advance things, so
keep a forward momentum!
[1] First, write a one-sentence synopsis of your story. Don't use character names, and the shorter the better. This is really hard, so look for examples to read. I have one here that I blatantly reworded from the article's original example: "A crazy psychiatrist travels back in time to kill himself."
[2] Now expand your one-liner into a paragraph, taking as much time as you need. Five sentences is ideal, so don't go crazy. Make sure you cover the story's climactic points (there should only be two to three) and the ending. If you've heard of the Three Act structure, make sure each Act conclusion is included. For those of you who don't know what the Three Act structure is, go
here.[3] Next write a one page summary on each of your main characters. This is very important and will help a lot. Include each of the following:
- Character's name
- A one-sentence summary of the character's personal story line.
- Character's motivation (what does he/she want abstractly?)
- Character's goal (what does he/she want concretely?)
- Character's conflict (what prevents him/her from reaching this goal?)
- Character's epiphany (what will he/she learn and how will he/she change?)
- A one paragraph summary of the character's personal story line, expanded off the one-liner.
[4] Now go back to your plot synopsis and expand each sentence into another paragraph, detailing the climactic points and then the ending. Spend time on it.
[5] Next, do a one page description of your main characters
in his or her point of view. Do a half page description of minor characters in the same way.
[6] Again, switch back to your plot synopsis and expand on the paragraphs, giving more details. You should have several subplots in mind and little story threads for your characters. Remember that you can go back and change things!
[7] Make full-fledged character charts (your own, or try
this one. Detail everything there is to know about each character. Include standard things like birth date, description, history, motivation, goal, etc. Expand on the info in Step 3. Great fiction is character driven, so take your time!
[8] Use your synopsis in Step 6 and make a list of all the scenes that you’ll need to turn the story into a book. The easiest way is to use spreadsheets, or Microsoft Excel. Learn how to use this program, because it will be very helpful in writing and makes it much easier to analyze your story. Buy a book on it or look it up on the web (
here is a good site). Make one line for each scene. In one column, list the POV characters. In a another wider column tell what happens. Optionally add other columns for things like word counts or page numbers, chapter transitions, etc. You can add things and make new versions of this spreadsheet as the story develops.
[9] [Optional] Switching back to your word processor (squee), write a narrative description of your story. Take each line of the spreadsheet and expand it into a multi-paragraphed description of the scene. Add cool lines of dialogue that you happen to think of or sketch out the essential conflict of the scene. If isn't any conflict, add some or scrap it. This is like a prototype first draft, which is why it's optional.
[10] Start the genuine first draft. Fix the design documents as needed. They are not cement shoes; they are flippers.
Links & ResourcesCharacter Chart-A large chart that you could use and improvise on. Now you and your character can be more intimate than you ever wanted to be. Yay!
Fractal SnowflakeIt's Just a Phase by Lazette Gifford
-I didn't mention this plotting system, but it’s a lot like the
Outline As You Go segment, except that you don’t outline as you go, and you're supposed to have this completely done before you start writing.
NaNoWriMo, directed by Chris Baty
-National Novel Writing Month. 50,000 words, 30 days. Widely celebrated in the Writer's Forum.
Notecarding: Plotting Under Pressure by Holly Lisle
-This is another version of the notecarding technique, only there's more math and I don't like this one.
On Thud and Blunder by Poul Anderson
-A whole slew of common mistakes made in Generic Fantasy. Who knew?
Romance Guide by limyaael
-This has some valid points and useful tips on writing romance.
Snowflaking by Randy Ingermanson
-This is my resource for the Snowflaking segment. It has more details and gives a few tips on what editors like (which I left out of my version).
Spreadsheet SiteThree Act Structure-This looks like a nifty writing site. Try exploring it sometime.
Plot & Structure, by James Scott Bell. Part of the
Write Great Fiction series.
-I used this for several of my article points, such as the LOCK system reference,
Notecarding, and
Outline As You Go.
