Sowing the Seeds - Planning a Story

Alright, now we're in business!  

So, I received a very kind comment to my last (and first) post, asking if I could cover a few specific topics.  They were:

• How do you plan out a story?
• How do you (personally) overcome writer's block/get inspired?
• How do you pick the perfect word?
• How do you see into a character's mind and write from that point-of-view?

I thank, from the bottom of my heart, whoever posted that comment!  Now I don't have to worry about topics for a few days!

So, today's topic will be: How to PLAN OUT a STORY!

Certainly no small problem, eh?  This is pretty much the first biggie you'll face as a writer.  You may be stuck in one of these ruts: 1.) You have a great idea for a character, and there's this really neat world that he lives in, and then there's this awesome race of creatures that he's friends with!  2.) You have two people in your mind's eye.  They are always at odds with each other but through several life problems that come up, they learn to trust in each other.  This allows them to rise up against the tyranny of their community's punitive master through an elaborate battle of wits!


Wait a sec, those aren't problems!  Ah, but they are.  If you look closely, one has no plot, and the other has no setting.  The key is that you need both in order to write a story.  


Look at it like postage.  Do you mail a letter without putting it in an envelope?  Of course not!  The letter represents the characters, the envelope is the setting in which they live and breathe, and then the mailman picks it up and sends it on its way down the chute that could only be--plot.  So you basically have 3 elements: character, setting and plot.



I was about to ponder how all these intertwine and the intricacies of each...but I digress.  :)


ahem...


So, considering you have some plot, characters and a setting to put them in, you're ready to get started.  Personally, I never have much of either three when I commence to put together a story, but once you have a small amount of each, you can always build upon them.  I usually go with what I have and play out several scenarios in my mind.  I may or may not put it on paper, but that's just me.  At this point, I imagine that each author will have his/her own ways of proceeding.  I can't speak for others' processes, but for me--I play around with these ideas in my head, rolling them around as a connoisseur spins food upon his palate.  Slowly, surely, things begin to click, and it's when this happens that I begin to put pencil to paper for an outline.  


I'll cover this point a little more in the next post, but I'll go ahead and say it now: when you get an idea, WRITE IT DOWN!!!  I can't emphasize that enough.  I can't tell you how many good ideas have passed through one side of my head and out the other before I could memorize them.  


I think the essence of what I'm trying to say is that 1.) you should have at least a basic grasp on the main character(s), the setting and the plot of your story (i.e. the Who, the Where and the What [are they doing]/How [are they doing it]).  These are essential, and you should try to figure these out simultaneously, because they all affect each other.   2.) The outline/plan/grand idea of a story can and WILL change as time goes on and new ideas come to you.  As inconsistencies begin to show in your characters and the plot, as details of the setting get augmented and detracted, as you realize, "hey, wait a sec, that doesn't work (with a groan)," your plan will change.  And it should!  This is only natural, and it's usually for the better.  Embrace change and flux, hold them close to your bosom in a bond of the closest friendship!

Here's a basic list of my process:

1. Get an idea (bam!  little control over this one)
2. Figure out the WHO, WHERE and WHAT/HOW (at least in a general sense)
3. Write down a very general outline (going all the way to the end if you can, leaving areas blank/vague if you have to)
4. Begin writing the story (amending the outline as you go depending on how things progress)!

Did you notice anything special about no. 3?  I said to write the outline all the way to the end.  This is important, because I have seen instances where a writer simply writes and writes and writes with no end in sight, which is...okay if you're simply writing for pleasure, or for the sake of writing...but all stories (technically) should be like walking up and down a hill, having an initiation, build-up, climax, wind-down and denouement--THA END!  


Okay, time for WORD OF THE DAY!!!

Sibilant - [sib-uh-luhnt] - 1.) [adj.] hissing;  
Origin:
1660–70; < L sībilant- (s. of sībilāns), prp. of sībilāre to hiss), equiv. to sībil(us) a hissing, whistling (of imit. orig.)
Example: Whispers echoed through the catacomb, sibilant shrieks that raised the hairs on my nape.



That's all for today--hope that helps clear up that question, though feel free to ask me anything that you'd like!  :)  Sunday, I'll cover writer's block/getting inspiration!  

May your quills always be inspired,

-J. Cole

Image: Ian Kahn / FreeDigitalPhotos.net