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If you clicked on this topic because of the interesting title, I feel obliged to tell you first off that this is not about the practice of fire starting 🔥
Sorry to disappoint you, but, please, stick around!! 😉
Today I have a simple question for y’all:
How do you go from an semi-fleshed-out idea to a real plot? How do you build a bridge from a story concept and a few characters to an actual story? (Man, I do like metaphors, don’t I?)I’ve been working on a story lately that really excites me, but I’m stuck in this rut of fleshing out the plot. I don’t want to just go with the first ideas that pop into my head (which usually end up being cliches 🤷🏼♀️), but rather, really spend time forming a unique plot.
How do you guys do this? Do you have a process?
(I guess this question might be more for outliners, but I’d love anyone’s input!)
Now to tag some random peoples…
@joy-caroline @daisy-torres @elfwing @autumn-rebecca @elanor @keilah-h @faith-q @kathleenramm @devastate-lasting @lydia-s @power @annabelle @e-k-seaver @elishavet-pidyon
(please hop on even if you’re not tagged!)
~In Christ Alone My Hope Is Found~
Aww girl! No actual fire! I’m disappointed… 😜😆
Sorry, I won’t be much help in this as I seem to be having the exact same problem! But I’m excited to hear people’s feedback.
"All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us." - Gandalf
Mmm, yes, the title was very misleading. I take full responsibility for crushed dreams and severed hopes 😋
Hey, you and me both!! I guess we just hang out here and try to start fires while we wait for the people of wisdom-ness to show up 😉 (maybe someone could a teach to how to start a fire too… I’m not even good with matches XD)
~In Christ Alone My Hope Is Found~
Ah yes, right on cue for me today, wanting to write a whole novel with nothing but an idea for the villain. I can feel the general vibe of the thing. I heard a song lyric today that I want to incorporate into the plot. I know nothing else.
I think generally I’ll feel for how long the work will be, like a short story, novella, or novel, so that I know how many ideas/characters to garner. And then I’ll start stealing ideas from everywhere, and I mean everywhere, and write them all down on a note. And then once I have enough to start plotting, I’ll write an outline, and then start when I feel like it.
Yeah, I guess that looks pretty simple, but it’s actually a lot of pain hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
Good luck! Heh.
Lately, it's been on my brain
Would you mind letting me know
If hours don't turn into daysOoof, I have the same difficulty. Or rather, a very, very similar one. I have been working on two WIPs for almost a year. No, scratch that: it’s been over a year. Anyway, these two book ideas both started from ideas for characters, with vague impressions of their plots. Now after months of quiet world building, scene crafting, and character delving (fiddling with a couple other WIPs in the meantime), I am finally feeling ready to plot out the first book in both of them, since they have each become a series.
But other than a plot mountain and plot beats (which I have yet to start either), I don’t exactly know what to do next. How do I make a plot?
Although, I can help start a fire (a real one with sparks and kindling and all), at least in theory. I’m a little out of practice.
Wait, that wasn’t the question. Nevermind! 😉
You have listened to fears, child. Come, let me breathe on you... Are you brave again? -Aslan
My disappointment at no fire is best summed up with a quote from a favorite TV show:
(a character) Please tell me we’re blowing something up.
(the other character) Sorry [the first one’s name], this is strictly a stealth mission.
(first character) Aaaagh, I hate that word!!
So at least we’re not going on a stealth mission rather than setting things on fire….
My brother knows how to actually start one, the real (and safe) way! And he’s only ten.
In terms of help, I have done the same. I have been working on a story that only has a vague (and partially cliched) plot, but I have been making characters, creatures, and parts of the world like crazy. I’m sure half of the characters won’t even end up in the story, but I want to have at least two of each of my world’s four sentient creatures as a major character.
"When in doubt, eat cheese crackers."-me to my charries who don't even know about cheese crackers
Haha, I feel ya!! In the moment of inspiration, you can visualize the book finished and on the shelf… then comes the hard part XD
Mmm, good ideas!! So like a brain dump… I like it… Thanks!!
Yesss, there will definitely be blood and sweat and tears and pain 😬
Hey, good luck on your new (or old? XD) stories!! Mmmm, yes, doesn’t every book become a series? XD Mine do, at least.
Yeah, I just outline my plot pretty simply (usually make three points for each chapter), but my struggle right now is figuring out what should even happen XD
Niceee!! The next time I’m stranded in a forest, I’ll have to call you! Last time… well, let’s just say it was a very cold night… 😉
Good thing I didn’t say we weren’t blowing things up then!! Because I’m totally up for exploding things *rubs hands*
(love that quote XD)
Wow, that’s talent!!
Gotchaaa, YES, I often end up with more characters than I need XD Sometimes the only reason I create them is because I want to use a cool name 😉
Ooh, what are sentient creatures?
~In Christ Alone My Hope Is Found~
I can start a pretty good fire myself… just get me a lighter or matches (I haven’t tried rubbing rocks together since I was 8 which I suppose wasn’t even for the purpose of fire. Just to amuse a little me who always had rocks handy and couldn’t sleep fast enough that night and loved the beautiful sparks… Don’t worry nothing caught fire), birch-bark, kindling, and a few larger dry logs.
I have the whole history and background for my whole fantasy world and a heap of characters (most of which will probably never actually appear 😢) and I know what their stories are I just can’t seem to get it onto the page for some reason. 😆 And outlining stories has never worked for me it seems…
"All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us." - Gandalf
Ah, well, here’s the issue: I’m a plantser. I do a bit of planning and a LOT of pantsing. All I know when I start thinking up a WIP is the beginning, ending, or a climactic scene near the end. I rarely beginning working on the project right away, so it simmers away on a back burner while I focus on other things (like, geometry… *grimaces*). I’ll occasionally pop back to look at it and mull over the idea. Then, either while it’s simmering or while I’m thinking about it, a new scene or element or plot twist will pop into my head. I add it to the mental list I’ve compiled for the story, think over it a bit (who am I kidding? I think over it A LOT. I’m a daydreamer, haha), and then the project goes back to the back burner. This process pretty much goes on indefinitely, even while I’m working on the draft. The scenes just enter my head. 🤷🏻♀️ I guess, for me, to get from a semi-fleshed-out plot to the first draft, I just wait for enough pieces to fall into place so that I can start writing. From there, everything usually behaves and unfolds as I go. I’m planning on writing a bunch of books that would require extensive plotting to complete, so I guess I’ll have more to say then. Anyway, hope my ramblings made sense! Go get ‘em, girl!!! <3333
@madelyn Sentient just means they’re like humans, they have souls or minds.
And thanks!
"When in doubt, eat cheese crackers."-me to my charries who don't even know about cheese crackers
That was Wrecker and Hunter from The Bad Batch, right? I love those two!
The end of a story, a beautiful picture; a feeling of longing yet hope~
That’s my wish to create.@trahia-the-minstrel I don’t remember who the other one was, but yep–that was Wrecker, complaining about not blowing stuff up! And yes, I love those characters too–in my mind, it’s too hard not to…..
"When in doubt, eat cheese crackers."-me to my charries who don't even know about cheese crackers
You may not be having this problem anymore, but I thought I’d chip in my piece of advice.
Like someone mentioned before, I like to figure out generally how long something is going to be before putting a whole lot of effort into it. If something seems like a short story idea, I don’t put a whole lot of world building effort into writing it, even if it changes to be longer than a short story, like a novella or something. If it seems like it will be a novel, or close, I will world build and develop it much more, so I am prepared for what I need while writing the novel. Sometimes extra prepared, which isn’t a bad thing, since I usually use most of it, anyway. And if the novel turns into an epic or series, then extra goodie.
As for turning a partial idea into a full story, if it is a shorter story idea, I like to ask myself the question: what can I do that is different, or would interest me? One story I did this with began as “with a girl warrior character and the phrase “I will fight for you”, how can I write an interesting story? It turned into a story about a warrior princess who doesn’t mind losing her throne and becoming a girly princess. (Except with more to it.)
For a novel length idea, I try to flesh out what I have and worldbuild which helps me develop my story, too. My most recent WIP began as just the idea of writing a story from a mentor’s point of view. (How often do we get to see the other side, you know?) Now I have a world, strong villain, strong protagonist, strong antagonist, strong supporting cast, strong plot, and more, resulting in one of my most developed worlds yet. I looked at each point separately: MC, villain, antagonist, side character, cultures, dominating world building factor, etc.
I don’t know if that helps.
"[Write] today like there's no tomorrow!"
I won’t be of much help. I haven’t actually finished a novel… 🙁 I switched my focus to nonfiction for the time being.
Words have the ability to touch the darkest souls... The receiver must simply allow them to.
AND I’M BACK
So sorry I never replied to a lot of you guys!!!!!!!
Oh my, that’s a little frightening but totally awesome XD Good thing nothing caught fire!!!
Yep, I feel ya. I’ve got a heap of world building already done on this story (and lots more planned out), but I’m STILL stuck on the plot XD
Thanks for sharing your process! 😀 And it totally made sense 🙂 I’m starting to realize that maybe I’m looking for a system when there isn’t one XD
Thanks a bunch for your help!!
Yep, I’m definitely still needing advice, so thanks for hopping on!!!
That totally helped!!!! Thanks for all your input 🙂
And I love the concepts for both the stories you mentioned; they sound so interesting!!! Plus, your world sounds awesome 😉
Sameee, I’ve never finished one either XD. I’m hoping that this one will be the first!! And, hey, non-fiction is also a great place to use your writing talents!!
~In Christ Alone My Hope Is Found~
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