Writing Tip: Making a Plan
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- 1/2/2009 |
- 10:00 am
There are two types of creative writers: those who simply sit down and begin writing, watching the words tumble out onto the page, and those who insist on planning everything first. This month's tip addresses the subject of planning and plotting. Here are some quick suggestions...
A rough outline of a story can take shape in a variety of ways. For some it's easiest to arrange things in a standard outline form like this:
I. Introduction A. Meet characters B. Tease story
II. First conflict A. blah blah blah
You get the idea. You lay out the story in a very simple form, one that gives you a blueprint of how you're going to tell your tale.
Other writers, however, find that the best thing for them to do is to write a summary. Some pen a summary of the story itself, while others write down paragraphs that summarize each chapter or section. So, instead of a chart (like the first example), they're able to read their outline in a story form itself. There's no right or wrong here; it's whatever works best for you.
There's also the matter of planning your characters. Here on the Big Brain Club site we have talked about writing character biographies, which I highly recommend (see the April, 2008 Writing Tip). That's a form of outlining which really allows you to get to know the stars of your story.
I would add that some writers love to jot down a quick description of their settings, too. You could almost treat this exercise like a Wikipedia entry for the locations where your story takes place: What's it called, what does it look like, who lives there, what are the interesting and distinguishing elements of the setting? All of these make you - and eventually make your readers - feel as if you're actually there.
All of these planning exercises can be knocked out fairly quickly. And remember that these are not set in stone, but rather rough guidelines to get you going.
