If you’re like me, you might think of the word “planning” with dread when it comes to writing a book. I want to just hop in and start writing whatever pops into my mind.
That’s how I started writing. And that is one of the many mistakes I first made which you will know (after you finish this post) how to avoid.
You see, if you just start writing without a plan, your story is going to sound exactly like that: a story without a plan. You need a sense of purpose, order, and the events in your book need to be arranged and manipulated in the perfect way to best affect your audience.
So, I assume you aren’t jumping out of order with reading my blog posts. By now, you should have an idea for your story. If not, stop reading. Go back and read my last post. You need something to write about, of course.
First off, get a piece of paper and a pen out. You’re going to need something write on.
Write your story idea on the paper. It might be about your pet cat, or an old coal miner you know, or a made-up story about aliens in outer space. Whatever the story idea is, whatever genre your book will be written in, scribble the idea at the top of the page.
Now start thinking. Here are some questions whose answers you need to figure out.
Who or what is your main character?
Are there any side characters? What are the histories of your characters? Where did they come from and what is their past?
What do you intend to accomplish with the book?
What are the main events that happen in your book?
Those are some questions which you need to think about seriously as you begin your book. This is because those are the essential questions which guide your book.
Let’s start with your main character. Depending on the kind of book you are writing, this might be one of the most important planning steps. There are some books that do not have a main character, of course. Usually that kind of book is nonfiction, written about a place or event in time, for example. If you write any kind of fiction or about a person, you usually have a character who is essential for the plot. Most of the content will revolve around him or her. This is the person who you need to be certain you develop completely before you begin writing. Start writing down his or her past. On a piece of paper start planning out your character’s life.
Maybe it’s a woman who lives in a city. You should write about her job, how she hates traffic, how she goes to the grocery store half a block from her house, how her father and mother died in a car wreck in her teens, how her living room ceiling leaks, how her neighbor’s dog sometimes keeps her up at night, how she likes pearl earrings and perfume, how she loves roses but doesn’t know hot to keep hers alive, and how she buys special food for her cat.
See? You already have a picture of this woman in your mind, even without a physical description. Now you have enough information to give some physical information.
Since she goes to the grocery store every day, she might be on the larger side. If she likes earrings and perfume, she may care about her appearance every day and use a lot of makeup and style her hair. What you decide to make her past can affect what she looks like. If she had parents who died when she was young, she might be bitter, and hating traffic might mean she has a short temper. Buying special cat food means she has a soft spot for animals. The leaky ceiling suggest she is single without a husband who could fix it, and the fact that it still leaks may mean her job doesn’t pay as well as she likes.
Now after coming up with a few facts about your character, the person who emerges will already have a lot of personality and development. Because you know she loves her cat, you can write about her kitty rubbing her legs when she gets up in the morning, and it would come naturally. Since her job doesn’t pay well, you know why she hasn’t fixed the roof yet. Your character’s history is vital to develop a story even from the start.
Repeat the same process for your side characters. With writing, you generally give less detail to the people, places, and events that aren’t so important. If your character drives past a gas station every day you might mention that, but if the character crashes into the pump one day, then that merits much more detail. The same goes for your characters. The closer they are to being vital to the story, the more detail and attention you need to give them.
Now for a question you hopefully know by now. It’s different than coming up with an idea for a book, but it’s similar. What do you intend to accomplish with the book? Perhaps you are writing about a boy in India who encounters issues with the caste system. Raising awareness for the issue might be the purpose of the book. If you are writing a fantasy, perhaps you simply want to share your story with the world. Your purpose could be anything you want, but it will define the book, and the events in it will support that theme.
Finally you need to determine the main events that will happen in your book. Both your purpose and your main events could change as you write to fit the direction you go with your literary pursuits.
The main events also relate to your purpose. If you are writing about a boy in India, half the story shouldn’t take place in Brazil. You need to use your story idea and purpose together with your main character to formulate the main events of your book. Sometimes you don’t have it all figured out before you start writing. Sometimes the main events are a work in progress while you write. Sometimes you don’t know what will happen at the end until you’re writing it. Everyone’s way of figuring out the main events of their story is different, and it’s up to you to be the mastermind behind weaving your story together.
But it’s best if you go ahead and start thinking about your events. I come up with some of my best ideas when I’m in the shower and about to fall asleep. For you it might be when you’re riding in the car. Or maybe when you’re washing dishes.
So take some time every day for the next week to think about your book. Write down your characters’ back stories. Write down your purpose. Think of the main events. Later on in another blog post, we’ll talk more about plot. For now, just think about what’s going to happen.
Good luck and I’ll see you next week!
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