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 Malkin   Manager  |
I've had the germ of an idea bubbling around in my head for a very long time, but I have no idea about how to plan out how the story should go. I have a few disconnected scenes built up in my head, but I don't know how to connect them, really. I don't want to write myself into a corner by mistake, as I'm not yet sure how the story should go. How do the writers of Creatures Caves go about planning out their stories? My TCR Norns |
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 EmergencyTowel |
come up with a concept. Imagine your characters. Think out some details. Make it interesting. then write an ending. In my nerd cave, nobody can hear you scream. Feed my pets: Shroomy and Glow! |
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 Tea Queen Laura |
I find using mind-maps and headings useful when I'm planning out a story. It allows me to organise my ideas on paper. My mind-maps just tend to be a mish-mash of different thoughts and suggestions: the stuff that I write down that I think might be interesting or useful to remember, or the ideas I don't want to forget. I make several mind-maps - one for plot, one for each character, ones for particular scenes I've thought up, etc. Then when I've decided on an idea, I write down headings like "Beginning", "Middle" and "End" (or Chapter 1, 2, 3 whatever) and underneath each one I jot down, (in bullet points) what I want to happen in that section of the story - usually referring to a mind-map. Things just seem more clearer and make more sense when it's all out in front of me in black and white. Sometimes though I don't bother with plans. I just sit down, pick up a pen, grab several sheets of paper and just start writing without actually thinking about what I'm writing. Whatever comes into my head I write down. Anything goes. Sometimes I go on writing like this for so long that I enter a "zone" where it feels like a bit of a trance - I just write and write. When I eventually stop and read through what I've written, I often surprise myself. Some of my best scenes or descriptions have spawned from these intense writing sessions.  This method can be the easiest - when you stop thinking about what you're writing you don't agonise over it. You could give it a try? |
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 sam999 |
I just sit down at my computer and start typeing. |
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 Officer-1BDI |
Laura's mindmap idea is pretty useful; I've tried them in the past, but mine get so cluttered that I get lost in my own map unless I break it down into tons of little chunks. Edit: Deleted because this is about planning, not writing. >_> One of the things that's helped me immensely is keeping a series of Access data sheets on my characters so I can keep track of names, important dates, certain traits, and so forth. You can probably do the same thing in Excel or a similar program, but I prefer Access' interface. I have a few disconnected scenes built up in my head, but I don't know how to connect them, really. I don't want to write myself into a corner by mistake, as I'm not yet sure how the story should go. I wouldn't be afraid of writing yourself into a corner. The worst that'll happen is you'll realize you've done so, have to backtrack a bit, and pick up again from another point (maybe even the beginning if it comes to that). BUT, you'll at least know that it doesn't work and hopefully why that was the case. I'm not happy with what I've written, but I'm really glad I wrote it because I have a better idea of what pitfalls I need to avoid in the future. You have to be honest with yourself when you are writing. If that leads to somewhere unexpected then perhaps you really needed to go there. -- Jim Adkins |
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 Prodigal Sock Ghosthande |
Who is in the story? Where did they come from? Why are they doing what they're doing? You might be surprised how much of a story can be extrapolated just from basic background information, since working out a character's past can help give you ideas on what they're likely to try to do in the present. What I usually do is plot out different directions that the story can go in. Say you have two characters that get into an argument. Write out a "sketch" describing how the plot would flow depending on how they react to it. If they make up right away, maybe one character is there to conveniently fill-in a plothole regarding where the other character gets a certain tool, but if they don't make up immediately maybe that makes it easier for the bad guy to do his thing because they aren't watching each other's backs. Once you have some idea what your choices are and where each one leads, you'll start to be able to see which plot points will make the most logical pattern. I tend to mix-and-match elements from the different ideas I come up with too. Maybe what seems obvious for one is still a neat plot twist for the other, even if it isn't as likely to occur. This is how I do it now because I used to write myself into corners all the time. It makes it easy because you're "seeing" several steps ahead of what you're writing, so if there are any road blocks you can find the best detour before you reach it.   |
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Malkin Manager |
Thanks guys! They're all really great tips.  I think part of what I need to do is to 'just write', and nut out the characters' growth arcs somehow. Mindmaps can be very complex, as I learned when I made the Ettin Terrarium Food Web, but just to have them there to combat procrastination might be okay. What do you think of The Hero With A Thousand Faces formula?My TCR Norns |
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Prodigal Sock Ghosthande |
It's a useful concept, although I think if a writer wants to use that type of formula they need to be very careful to keep their story original, or else their "hero" may end up looking a little too much like a Frodo Baggins/Luke Skywalker clone. |
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Officer-1BDI |
What do you think of The Hero With A Thousand Faces formula? I almost posted that, but I couldn't remember where I'd buried the link to it. The formula was all but hammered into me during my playwriting course. I think it's worth considering, but don't be afraid to stray from the formula if you feel like it doesn't fit your idea. You may also want to check out the 12 archetypes if you haven't already. You have to be honest with yourself when you are writing. If that leads to somewhere unexpected then perhaps you really needed to go there. -- Jim Adkins |
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Malkin Manager |
Hm, I don't really get what the 12 archetypes are... maybe I don't get the language they're couching the archetypes in? How do you decide to commit to a story? That this germ of an idea will be the one that you'll develop completely? I always have trouble finishing anything I write. My TCR Norns |
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Tea Queen Laura |
I find that writing about what I know, and using aspects from real life, can help me commit to a story. Especially if I'm using writing as a tool to express an opinion, or to subtly express displeasure. Not everyone likes to write about what they know, I know, but personally, I find it works for me to write about something I know. That way I'm likely to enjoy writing the story more and I feel more confident, because I'm writing about something I'm familar with. I guess you have to believe in what you're writing too - having faith in the plot in order to finish it. |
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Officer-1BDI |
Hm, I don't really get what the 12 archetypes are... maybe I don't get the language they're couching the archetypes in? Ah! Sorry; now that I actually look at the page I can see that it's not very clearly written. What I was taught was that the 12 archetypes represent the 12 basic characters that appear in stories. As the story progresses, your character(s) should evolve through a couple of the archetypes (i.e., "character development" . So, if someone starts out as an Innocent, by the end of the story they should have gone through the Orphan stage and "matured" into the Warrior... or even gone past that to become a Caregiver.My professor gave me a several page worksheet that made the process much more clear; I can try digging through my stuff to find it and scan it if you think it might be useful. How do you decide to commit to a story? For me, it's mostly a gut reaction: if I think it has enough potential then I'll start writing it. I can usually tell within a few pages if the story will work out or not, and more often than not I end up stopping it because something feels "off." Now, what I SHOULD be doing after that is figuring out why it's off so I can go back to it, but I usually don't for one reason or another. You have to be honest with yourself when you are writing. If that leads to somewhere unexpected then perhaps you really needed to go there. -- Jim Adkins |
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Malkin Manager |
Thanks Laura, that helps give me some perspective - my story is important because it's true to life in some respects.  Thanks Officer 1BDI, your explanation's helped clear it up for me a bit. So the twelve archetypes are like stock characters/states of mind, and as the story progresses, your character should progress through a logical sequence of these and come out the other end a more whole person? I appreciate the thought, Officer 1BDI, but I wouldn't like to put you to any trouble.  Ghosthande, I'll try my best not to turn my protagonist into Luke... My TCR Norns |
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