Beginning a Story
In honor of this very website just starting out, I have decided to discuss how to start a story in my very first writing help post!
This article will help you ONLY if you want to write a novel or short story with a consistent plot and permanent characters.
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You may have an awesome idea for a story. Heck, it may be the most original and spectacular novel idea this world has seen since J.K. Rowling first penned "Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much." (I'm sorry, non-Harry Potter fans. Wait - no, I'm not. Go read Harry Potter.) But your book idea isn't going to do anything unless you write it into existance.
Sure, you could attempt to get a friend or some stranger online to write it - but chances are, it isn't going to turn out just how you'd like it. It's safer - although harder - just to write the story yourself.
The following are five very helpful steps in beginning your story.
Step one: Figure out how your story's going to end.
I always know how my stories are going to end, even in the barest sense. In So Actually, I'm Not Okay, (shameless self-promotion) I knew exactly what was going to happen at the end of the book from around chapter one. It was only later that I decided how it was going to happen. (I'm still sorry about that, by the way...)
From there, it's going to be...I'm not going to say "easy," because writing a story is never easy (and if it is, you're doing it wrong), but having an ending in mind is going to make it a lot easier.
Step two: If you want, make a loose plot plan
I personally dislike doing this, but it admittedly is helpful. You can either write down an event-for-event plot in a notebook or on Google Docs, or just keep one in your brain. What I usually do is listen to music, as it inspires me, and think of a few plot points that I know I just have to include. From there, it's just a matter of fleshing in the story - how do I reach those points?
You could just sit down and start writing as long as you have an ending in mind, but it'll be much more difficult.
Step three: Make sure you understand what's realistic dialogue and what's not.
A biggest part of stories is certainly the dialogue. If your dialogue feels at all forced or unrealistic, it can seriously turn a reader off. Be sure to know what type of speech matches what type of story, too. If you're writing a story set in the 1940's, the main character probably isn't going to be calling their friends "fam" or "homies" or other cringey 2017 slang. Here's another example. Say you're writing a fantasy story.
Nonexample: "We got this. We're totally gonna win this battle. Let's go do this!"
Example: "We are unstoppable and we will prevail. Charge!"
Step four: Accurately match quotes with characters.
One of the things that I struggle with is making sure all of my characters get to talk equally in a scene if I have more than three. (It's like having kids - you'll never admit it, but you do have a favorite. Too real? Sorry.) However it's better that a character stays silent than says something that is totally unlike them. Your timid, shy character isn't going to boldly suggest a daring plan. Your headstrong character isn't going to raise doubts about a dangerous situation. Know your characters and what they would say inside and out for perfect quote-matching.
Step five: Reread chapters before considering yourself "done" with them.
If you don't reread the chapter you just wrote, you're doubtless missing several opportunities to subsitute words with their stronger synonyms, catching gramatical errors, or noting that red squiggly like that tells you what you spelled wrong.
If you reread, your chapter will be much more polished for others to enjoy! And if you're publishing on a website like Wattpad, it'll be sure to attract more readers.
I even reread this blog post, and found several corrections that could be made!
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These are not all of the steps to writing a book by far - these are just a few of the basics that I've learned from many years of writing. So, all in all:
Step one: Figure out how your story's going to end.
Step two: If you want, make a loose plot plan.
Step three: Make sure you understand what's realistic dialogue and what's not.
Step four: Accurately match quotes with characters.
Step five: Reread chapters before considering yourself "done" with them.
Good luck!
