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What exactly must YOU figure out before starting your story?



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Thu Jan 08, 2015 5:40 am
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TheArchon says...



Note: Before I start, for those of you who have read my previous posts, I hope I don't sound like I'm still trying to write the perfect story and am still plagued by perfectionism (completely that is). I'm trying to ask more detailed questions, as opposed to "I can't write!!! How do I finally write?!" I dont know much about the story I'm currently writing, although I should probably just starting writing soon to avoid procrastination. That's why I am posting these questions.

For the story, I am currently working on, I know only a few details. In fact, I might as well tell you what the story is about:

At school in real life, I always wear my green SCOTTeVEST. This vest has dozens of pockets, from one for your phone to one with an atatxhed eyeglass cleaner. Last year, 9th grade, my English teacher started calling it The Vest of Knowledge. Since then, The Vest of Knowledge has been an ongoing thing. My teachers, friends, and I talk about it like it has the power to give me great intelligence, is greatly important, and even has a mind of its own (because all of those things are true. No joke.). Many people at school knows me because of The Vest of Knowledge. They may not know my name, but they do know me as "that guy with the green vest."
I've also imagined random adventures with my friends FOR YEARS. From training Pokemon and fighting like Dragon Ball Z characters to traveling through time and space and other exciting things, my scenarios have always revolved around things that interest me. These have been going on since AT LEAST 2nd grade.

With all that, I want to write a series of short stories about The Vest of Knowledge and my imaginary adventurers. Obviously, I will not include every idea. However, I am a bit stumped on setting and characters. So, I want to know, what do you figure out before writing your stories?

I don't know whether to have my story take place in a real city like Austin and start it off with my character living a life similar to mine, which I would like. Or have my story take place in a village in some imaginary world, which I would like, too. I could include more aspects of my real life that I wanted to include if I take the real city approach, yet it might be easier to add the vague type of villain I have in my mind as well as half elf/half human characters if I take the fictional village approach. I don't exactly want to have to build an ENTIRE world from scratch, so I'm leaning towards the real city idea. Plus, shows like Doctor Who and Guilty Crown have awesome characters (protagonists and antagonist alike) and many of the main characters live in real life cities.

Wow... sorry if this isn't sounding like the topic I addressed in the title...

Anyways, should I figure these things out before I start or come up with them along the way. I am eager to start and want to have fun writing this. What do YOU figure out before writing YOUR first draft? Thank you!!!!! :D

P.S. The Vest of Knowledge was created by an ancient empire a long time ago, so I don't know how to tie that in. Perhaps an alien race?
Wibbly wobbley time-wimey stuff
  





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Thu Jan 08, 2015 1:00 pm
justdream says...



Writing is a process. It starts with the spark of an idea you want to investigate and then gradually evolves. Not knowing how to begin is a normal thing.

In my case, it often takes several months for an idea to transform into an actual piece of writing. What I wait for is usually inspiration. One day I just sit down and put pen to paper. Then it is as easy as breathing.

I'm grateful to my Muse. However, this doesn't work for everything, especially for long-term projects like connected stories or novels. They require persistence and dedication. What's more, there are many ideas that move the plot instead of just one. If you're not sure what is going on in the story, you might get stuck.

On the other hand, you won't finish it if you don't begin. Just give it a try. You might not be able to continue afterwards but this way you get to learn many important things about your story. Additionaly, you can always change what happens in it. It's your story. There are no limits to what you write.

Four years ago I came up with an idea about a novel. I tried to begin it, wrote the first fifteen pages and quitted. Then I would try this again and again. Every time I knew something more about my story. In my case, ideas just need time. I started it all over again in the last year and I'm about to hit 60K at the moment.

The important thing is to start from somewhere. You can try several options, if you want. What you do is completely up to you. Everybody has a different approach to writing. So just go ahead and have fun :D
  





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Thu Jan 08, 2015 4:14 pm
LadySpark says...



First, I don't really understand why it's called the Vest Of Knowledge if it just holds stuff. It's not like the vest talks to you, or teaches you something. It just holds stuff. I hope your not attached to that name because it makes no sense.
Second, you need to figure where the Vest came from, and why it's special. When you figure that out, it'll be easier to decide in what world you want it to be. The concept of a magical object in an ordinary world is kind of tripe.
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Thu Jan 08, 2015 4:22 pm
TheArchon says...



SparkToFlame wrote:First, I don't really understand why it's called the Vest Of Knowledge if it just holds stuff. It's not like the vest talks to you, or teaches you something. It just holds stuff. I hope your not attached to that name because it makes no sense.
Second, you need to figure where the Vest came from, and why it's special. When you figure that out, it'll be easier to decide in what world you want it to be. The concept of a magical object in an ordinary world is kind of tripe.

My reasoning behind calling it The Vest of Knowledge was that it affects the user's brain. How they perceive this world. But I do agree that I should think about its powers and origins more in depth.
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Thu Jan 08, 2015 7:40 pm
RacheDrache says...



In answer to the titular question:

There is much debate and no consensus.

Some writers are meticulous planners who outline everything. Some writers start with a kernel of a thing--a character, a situation, a scene--and plant it and watch it grow.

They're called the Planters and the Planners in many writing discourses. They are the two poles on a spectrum that may or may not exist.

That said, I think what both Planters and Planners know before they begin planting or planning is some general sense of the conflict or problem or question of the story. Planners often start with that conflict and plan it from its fruition to its resolution, working out exactly how the characters go about trying to fix whatever mess they're in. Planters might be a bit more abstract in their approach and might instead have a question in mind such as, "What if there's a magical vest that enhances the wearer's mental capabilities?" So they plant a magic vest and fertilize with some other seedlings and water.

I agree with Sparksalot, though. Explore the origins of the vest and its powers. What would it do if it fell into the wrong hands? How many Vests are there? Could the term "vest" be abstracted and turned into something else? How would getting one of these vests change your characters' lives? What problems do you characters currently have?

Ask questions, my friend, and the ideas will come.
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Fri Jan 09, 2015 7:58 am
Apricity says...



A lot of the points has been covered by Rachel and Sparks, but what I really suggest you do is find a central theme which connects all your story today, in this case, it will be the Vest. But it's not that simple, you have to figure out just exactly what it is that makes the Vest so special, what are you trying to convey to the readers through this.

Anything else, plot, charatcers, settings will vary with each and every person. Some plan, some just wing it. But I can tell you is you don't have a theme that lies at the heart of your story, midway through it will fall apart and start meandering.
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Fri Jan 09, 2015 5:32 pm
Rosendorn says...



Here's the thing about asking more detailed questions about process: they're still trapping you in perfectionism.

Only, instead of looking for the perfect story, you're looking for the perfect method.

As Rach said, there is much debate and no consensus. The result is, it's flat out impossible to answer your question.

The advice you've gotten about figuring out where the Vest comes from? You can do that in a huge multitude of ways, including:

- Planning it out now and only writing it once you've done so
- Come up with some vague idea and see if more details come up as you write
- Shrug and go "I'll figure it out as I write" then just start with no idea

All of those are perfectly valid methods to figuring it out.

I personally employ all three methods, and with how often stories change as you write them (no, trust me, they do), I tend to stick to the middle method simply because I am not going to get the logic right when planning, I'm going to throw it out anyway, why put in tons and tons of work before I write when it'll change during the writing process?

Basically, some people come up with their canon and write from it, and some people come up with their canon as they write. Neither method is wrong, and neither method is faster than the other. Both have their issues, with canon-before-prose writers sometimes having visibly forced stories because they didn't adjust canon for new plot information and directions, and prose-before-canon writers sometimes having very shallow stories because there's no planning behind it to tie the story together and richen the world.

If you're trying to average out the answers to get an answer to "how much should I plan before writing", then you're not going to get an answer. Every single person's method is different, and it's impossible to get them all together into the "right way [for you]". The average could be miles off from what you need, either on the "not enough planning" side or "too much planning" side. Some people do all their planning on paper, some do all their planning on their phones, some do it all on IM. Some people use all of the above.

If you're really excited about starting the story and can't wait to start?

Start. Come up with your own process. Make it up as you go along. Don't worry about how we write. Figure out how best you write.
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Sat Jan 10, 2015 5:13 pm
Tenyo says...



What does Ten need to figure out before starting a story...

Does it inspire me?

The thing with perfectionism is that nothing is ever perfect, and we have to accept this. The desire to make something perfect seriously stilts the creative process.

When you're in love with someone then you fall into this goopy sense of wonder that overrides any expectation, and everything they do is the most amazing thing in the world. For me the important thing to have a novel I can fall in love with, and then the lack of expectation, the shoddy planning and obvious plot holes, become things of wonder rather than things of strife. That wonder is essential.

Do I want to write it?

Once I have the idea I need to figure out if I like it. This is a legitimate thing. Since I adore detective fiction I naturally get a lot of ideas for detective novels, however, I hate writing them. I might have a great plot for a novel, but once I do a bit of research and discover that I need a strict magical system to pull it off then I know, realistically, I'm going to get bored after three chapters. That doesn't mean I can't have a lot of fun planning it, but I'm probably not going to write it.

Does the topic interest me?

If I'm not interested in what I'm writing then there's no reason to expect my reader to be, either. Historical novels are the easiest example for this. If I'm passionate about the period of history then I know I can delve for hours into my books to find the really good stuff. If I'm not interested then I'm doing boring research on a boring topic to create a boring novel that nobody will want to read because it looks like a history essay. Again, it has to be a topic that creates a sense of wonder in me that I can pour into my writing.

Input cheesy metaphor...

The rest is flexible. It's going to be written and rewritten a hundred times over, and I'm going to change my mind again and again. Lots of planning can save time in the long run, but time isn't important, life is. Take as much time as you need to bring the story to life- kind of like turning an ember into a flame. Not enough wood or structure at the start and it'll burn out fast, but too much and it'll suffocate.
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Fri Jan 23, 2015 10:29 pm
UntamedHeart173 says...



Myself, I have to know the characters before I start any story. In my mind, the character is the most important part of the story and so I want to make sure I have a realistic and plausible character before I begin. I don't plan my novels and I don't usually do anything more than write a summary of what I want to happen with it.
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Wed Jan 28, 2015 3:49 pm
r4p17 says...



In my novels I generally jump right into them, though I have come to see the value of planning as well.

It sounds like you alredy have your main character already, but your main protagonist can't do it all. Make sure to vary your characters and make then flavorful. I try to make templates, which works for me, but for some people it doesn't that is up to you, but I recommend trying it. You could also write a chapter or two from their POV to see what they are like and how they would react to things. That helps you to build relationships with your characters. You have to remember that they are practically living things in every respect except for th fact that they don't have physical form in our world.

For plot I think it's good to have an idea of where you are going in the end and where you are starting from. Imagine it like a bookshelf. Either side is like the beginning and end of your story' each of the books is a chapter and the shelves represent story lines for your characters. Then I will write short summaries for eas of your chapters. Keep in mind along the way that you will want plot twists as well.

Finally, worldbuilding, or setting. Since you are doing this book in a fantasy world I recommend drawing a map for it. One you have your realms established you can determine what each of them is like. This could be anything from the fact that they have a lot of cities and a large army to what types of clothing they wear and what food they eat, depending on how much detail you want. I, however, recommend spending the majority of your time on the location(s) where your story will be taking place. I hope this helps!
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