Writing Tip: STUCK on a Story?

[OokamiKasumi]

10 Second Tip:
STUCK on a Story?

Stuck on what to put in your story?
-- This is the list of things I check off when I create a story:

Do you have a Setting in mind?
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- Sci-fi
- Historical
- Modern day
- Fantasy

Do you have a big Main Event for the story to focus on?
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- A battle
- A rescue
- A murder
- A monster to defeat
- An escape
- A love scene
- An act of revenge
- A sacrifice
- A treasure to claim
- A magic spell
- A transformation

In a long story, you want a Main Event in each of the 4 acts:
- Act One: Introduction
- Act Two: Complications
- Act Three: Confrontation
- Act Four: Conclusion

Do you know what you want to SAY with your story?
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- Love sucks.
- Friendship is forever.
- No good deed goes unpunished.
- A snake can only ever be a snake.
- Sometimes you have to take chances.
- Magic makes things worse, not better.
- Jealousy is Not Love.

Do you know where you want to END your story?
-- If you don't know where you're going, how will you ever get there?
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- A wedding
- A funeral
- A bloody battlefield
- An empty street
- The bottom of an ocean

Do you have your three Central Characters ready?
-- Just to make things interesting, any one of these three could be the Hero, the Villain, or the Ally.
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- A main character that personifies what your story is trying to say.
- A main character that personifies the opposing opinion.
- A buddy / friend / love interest of one (or both) to personify Joe Normal stuck in the Middle, between the two other characters. (Most commonly the Protagonist.)

Why did I mention Characters last?
-- Instead of making a story for my characters, I do the opposite. I come up with a story then design characters to make that story happen.

Some people can come up with a cool character and then build a story around them. Sadly, I am not one of those. I can build a back-story for a character just fine, but my back-stories are never good enough to be an actual Story. A back-story is how a character GOT their Issues. A Story is how they FIXED those Issues. See the difference?

Anyway...
-- When I'm stuck on a story, I try thinking on these questions and often they'll jog something loose.

Enjoy!

[KaosMoon]

Thank you for this. Its starting to loosen up the gears in my head and getting the ideas flowing.

[OokamiKasumi]

Thank you for this. Its starting to loosen up the gears in my head and getting the ideas flowing.

Excellent! I love being helpful.

[azureXtwilight]

I think that your writing tips should be a sticky XD

Thanks a lot!

[Sapphi]

Wonderful post. It seems I'm on the right track. Thank you

-- Instead of making a story for my characters, I do the opposite. I come up with a story then design characters to make that story happen.

Some people can come up with a cool character and then build a story around them. Sadly, I am not one of those.

I was trying to think of how I approach this when I realized I kind of have a hybrid creation process. In my mind, I will often think "Gee, wouldn't it be cool if there was a character who..." This usually precedes any real story I come up with, and I usually forget about it pretty quickly. Then one day inspiration for a plotline strikes. Out of my mind jump a couple characters and shout, "Hey, we want to star in this story!" Then as I develop the story I populate it with a few more necessary characters... but usually I have a character type in mind that I would like to use before I know how I'm going to use him or her. Usually I have a rough idea of their personality from the beginning of their conception, but not their plot-related issue, which comes later as I see how they are going to fit into the story.

[OokamiKasumi]

I think that your writing tips should be a sticky XD
Thanks a lot!

Um, my tips are listed in a sticky: General Writing FAQs and Resources

Wonderful post. It seems I'm on the right track. Thank you

My pleasure, I'm glad you liked it.

I was trying to think of how I approach this when I realized I kind of have a hybrid creation process. ... Usually I have a rough idea of their personality from the beginning of their conception, but not their plot-related issue, which comes later as I see how they are going to fit into the story.

It's not a hybrid process. It's YOUR process.
-- It doesn't matter HOW you create. What matters is THAT you Create.

[Ishikatsu]

Incredibly useful. I tend to progress kinda chaotically when writing, but this seems like the right way. Thank you for posting this

[OokamiKasumi]

Incredibly useful. I tend to progress kinda chaotically when writing, but this seems like the right way. Thank you for posting this

I'm glad I could help.