Q&A for How to Plot a Story

Think of where each option might lead you, and if it will allow you to reach the ending you want. If you still don't know, then start writing a bit of each of the options and see how well they carry on with the rest of the story. Choose the option that flows the best with your story.

Make sure you know each of the four equally thoroughly so that one doesn't steal the spotlight from all the others. Think about the relationships between all the friends individually or as a whole. For example, does Friend A secretly have a crush on Friend B but hides it to preserve the dynamic of the group? Did Friend C and Friend D once hate each other? Think about the friends' pasts and figure out how they relate to one another and themselves.

The best way to create your characters is beginning with simple things, such as: Who are they friends with? What kind of job do they do?

Make sure you know each of your characters: What would they do in a situation, how they'd act and what personality type they are. Having 20 main characters can lead to readers becoming confused so give them either a lot of detail or make them memorable.

It's really up to you, but if you have that many equally important characters, alternate chapters might be a good idea. Be sure to label the chapters with the character's name so the reader knows who's narrating. I do this a lot and it helps with making the character more... personal. Like the character is telling a story to the reader and it makes the reader like the character more, or feel sympathetic towards them or happy for them. It increases the reader's feelings and understandings towards the narrating character and helps the reader sort of relate to the character.

First, back up the original story, just in case you want to return to the older version. Once you have done that, find the part you want to edit, then cut it out and rewrite it. See if it works better in the story. Keep doing this until you are satisfied with your story. Remember to keep the original draft until your story is complete, however,

This topic sounds like it could be best written as a comedy or tragedy. For example, as a comedy: Giant panda escapes zoo/circus and scares the general populace, despite its gentle attitude, until its owner manages to get him back. If you need it to be longer than that, the giant panda can either: 1) Be found by two kids who don't fit in at school, who try to hide it away when they find out how abusive the owner is to it. 2) Be found by an old miser who only cares about money (and keeping his house clean) and finds out the money for the missing panda is worth a lot. Or both. Have fun with it!

Take your time thinking about it and planning it out. You don`t want to rush into it because then it won`t be as good as it could be.

Try not to introduce too many problems/conflicts. Solve one problem all the way through before you add a second problem or major complication - you may not even need the second one.

Watership Down was like this, but with rabbits. Think about adult themes and try to make them applicable to dogs.

I recommend you have one big conflict throughout the series, and during the process of the characters trying to solve that conflict, they run into other conflicts on the journey, kind of like the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Another thing that would work is just having one conflict issue for a whole book, and then the next book would be a completely different conflict, kind of like the Magic Tree House book series.

Being believable is a pretty core necessity of all writing, but it's important not to confuse "believable" with concepts like "actually possible" or "likely to happen in the real world." Readers of fiction willingly suspend their disbelief to enjoy books that involve magic, so landing within the bounds of "believable" is much easier than one might expect. Write the easier one; you'll probably enjoy it more. If you make sure your character's choices make sense and their characterization is consistent, your story will feel true even if your characters' situation is unlikely or impossible.

So you have an ending. Great! Now think how to move the plot and the characters to the ending point. Take J.K. Rowling. She wrote the ending scene of "The Deathly Hallows" before writing anything else, and then she built the plot and characters in a spot where they would move to that ending.

Have a "normal ending" in mind first, and write like that is the ending you are aiming for. Then, a few chapters before the ending, steer away from your plot and to your alternate ending. You can then go back through the earlier parts of the story to plant clues and foreshadowing.

First of all, I love stories when the main character is secretly the villain. I would probably set it up so the readers really identify with this girl, so that when the plot twist is revealed, it would really tug at the readers' heartstrings. Also, it would interesting if the readers saw the effect of her villainy, even if they didn't know the origin of it.

Try funny dialogue. Is one character sarcastic? Use that to add comic relief and lead to humorous situations. Is one sassy? Let her shoot down everything others say. Sometimes non-funny things can be the funniest moments of all, with the correct comic relief.

Think about how the beginning will lead to the ending and how you will build the reader-character connection. If you've already thought of that and are still struggling, come up with sub-plots and create mini stories around them throughout the story while still relating it back to your initial ideas.

I suggest drawing up a storyboard. It will help you figure out what everything will look before you animate the story.

One very good way to make your reader gasp is to have several plot twists and a very big climax! You should also make sure that your story idea isn't cliche.

Think of something significant in your own life (or somebody that you know) that forced you to make a sudden or risky decision. Think of an event that change your life in some influential way. Think of the different possible outcomes. This may help you brainstorm.

Try thinking about how different mythical beings would relate to one another and to the world in which they live. Do non-mythical people and/or animals exist in your world? If so, how do they interact with/perceive those with supernatural abilities? Think of social and/or legal scenarios and how they might play out depending on the species of creatures involved. Then, take any ideas you come up with while doing this and run with them!

(1) You could describe the character's normal, everyday life, thereby settings the story's scene. What does your character do? Is she making a cup of tea in her farmhouse, or walking towards her apartment in London? Is she on a train to the countryside or travelling to bustling, lively New York? You could start with a normal scenario that then unfolds into your first 'action' point. (2) You could begin with an event. Maybe your character is walking in a dark lane and hears a conversation she isn''t meant to hear?

Start writing and you will probably figure it out. If that doesn't work, put them in any situation you like.

I think that would be a good idea depending on the song. Some songs aren't good for that, but others have plenty of potential for story lines. Just make sure you aren't plagiarizing anything.

Just write something that has an emotional resonance for you.

Think of an idea and just write. Don't look over your shoulder. Get all of your ideas down on paper, then rewrite if you wish.

If your ideas have been cleansed from your memory, try thinking of brand new ones. Doing this gives you a chance to explore other possibilities for your current story.

The best way to do this is create a storyboard. Here, you can separate your characters from one another and map out their quirks and personalities. The plot is no different. Make a diagram listing the events of your story scene by scene or chapter by chapter. This will save you from confusion and make it much easier when illustrating your story.

It honestly depends on what type of sad story you want to write. Does it start out with a sad event and portray a character trying to deal with it throughout the story, or does the sad thing happen at the very end? Once you figure that out, you can begin coming up with scenarios that fit that type of story. Also, keep in mind that sad stories don't need to include bad events taking place, but could focus on the internal struggles we face.

Well, there are several different ways. For example, John meets Chloe at a Starbucks when they were waiting in line at the register. They both noticed that they worked for the same agency and decided to talk. Maybe John met Chloe at school. They were both looking for a place to sit at lunch, and the only place was next to each other. Or maybe someone kidnapped John and shoved him into a room. John sees Chloe there, and they both talked about getting kidnapped and/or how to escape the room.