Why Write?

Stories are written for many, many reasons. Some authors want people to obtain vital advice from their stories, others write merely to entertain or to please their own wants, and others do it to try and reach fame and endless fortune.

Whatever your reason to write a story is, this is your hub! Here I will show you some great methods on writing a story, and explain the process step-by-step.

Creating

There are several ways a writer can start a story, but actually getting the ideas down can be a stressful and hard process. First, one obviously needs an idea. The idea can be anything, such as: “man gets trapped in a cave full of trolls,” “theme of belonging,” or even the very simple “cave”.

I’ll share my two favorite ways to start the process of brainstorming a new story:

The Spiderweb

Remember this from your elementary days, when you first learned to write essays? It’s back, and better than ever. Simply write your starting idea, circle it, and make “legs” reaching out of the circle. Write more ideas that can branch off the original idea, and connect the new circle to the leg. You can do this as long as you want, and really get down to the tiniest details in this fashion.

The List

The List is quite simple – a list of words, phrases, and themes you may have. In this form, set a timer for three minutes and put your main idea on the top of the paper. Write ANY ideas you come up with that relate to your original idea until the timer rings,and you will have a wonderful start.

Presentation is vital in anything, stories included. Once you have the ideas, it’s time to plan how to present your story. Think of these important questions while you plan:

• What genre is it?

• What’s the setting?

• What are the important events?

• Who are my characters? My protagonist(s)? My antagonist(s)?

• Do I know the story’s end?

With these questions in mind, here’s a short description of the Big Five – parts of a plot that are present in virtually any story:

• Exposition – The beginning. Here a problem is presented, and we meet and learn about important characters.

• Rising Action – The plot advances, and the main character(s) works their way to solving the problem, often with more conflicts.

• Climax – The peak of action, where either the problem is solved, or a major turning point or event occurs.

• Falling Action – The problem can be solved here as well. The plot calms

• Denoument – All loose ends are tied up; often this is where we see characters after the problem is solved and how they have changed.

Keep in mind that these pieces do not necessarily need to be in order. Many successful books have been done outside of chrononlogical order as well as in.

Now, we get to the actual planning with your new knowledge. Planning out a story has several different methods.

Index Cards/Sticky Notes

Put one action each on an index card/sticky note. After you have all the actions down, you may rearrange them however you like to plan your story. This can be done either on a large flat desk, or a corkboard attached to a wall.

Outlines

Outlines are usually done by chapter. They list out the actions that occur by the chapter the actions are in. Ex:

1. Bill and Sarah go out on a date in the park. They talk about their future. Bill buys Sarah a new pair of stilettos, and they depart. Bill drives home and dreams that Sarah has been murdered

Tips

• If you choose to write for money, you’re probably be easily disappointed
• Network with other writers
• Read good books and books on writing
• Go to writing groups and conferences
• Have patience!

Last Words

Remember that as the author, you may change anything you don’t like within the story. Try to make the story satisfy you before you begin writing, as changing after you have started can leave loop holes and cause many problems.

Until the next hub in my Writing a Fictional Story series, good luck and happy writing!

Recommendations on Writing Fiction:

Make a Scene - Jordan E. Rosenfeld

The Making of a Story - Alice LaPlante
On Writing - Stephen King
The Writer’s Book of Matches - Writer’s Digest Books
The 3 A.M. Epiphany and The 4 A.M. Breakthrough - Brian Kiteley
Writer’s Guide to Character Traits - Linda N. Edelstein
The Synonym Finder - J. J. Rodale
The Write-Brain Workbook - Bonnie Neubauer
Webster’s New Universal Unabridged Dictionary (2003)
Line by Line - Claire Kehrwald Cook
Ultimate Wit - Des MacHale
Dynamic Characters - Nancy Kress