AuthorEdited and reviewed by: Zevar & Ryan Part 3 — PLanning
However, could your story have been the best it would have been? I’m sure you would be satisfied with the outcome, regardless of if you planned the story out or not. The fact of the matter is that there is no such thing as bad writing. But there is such a thing as improved writing.
The first article I wrote was about the organization of world-building. Today, we will go over how to implement what you organized to create your new world’s “skeleton” — or structure. During this stage, you have to compile everything you noted down and start visualizing your new world. Deciding how your characters will interact with the world is the first step. Personally, I write in the third person, so the world is built off what the protagonist experiences. However, if you want a more detailed experience for your reader, writing in the first person is better. Whatever you decide, creating a setting for these characters is how I like to start things off. But I am not you. You have complete control of where you want to start. There are no wrong answers. What helps me visualize the first scene’s setting is looking up pictures of a place similar to it. If I am having trouble describing things, having a picture to look at makes it easier for me to come up with a better scene. If you have something more complex in mind that cannot be searched up, write it down. Having your thoughts put out in front of you helps the visualizing process. Don’t be afraid to cheat; I cannot stress this enough. Don’t plagiarize someone’s work, of course. What I mean is, do not constrict yourself to the bounds of your own thoughts. Don’t put your standards so high that you believe everything you create is garbage. Use things outside your mind to help improve your train of thought, organization, and writing. In this stage of world-building, nothing has to be perfect. All you have to do is collect your thoughts and put them on paper, no matter how bad you think they are. You can always come back to correct, edit, and expand on those thoughts later. So, now that you have had time to think about where your story will start, what it will look like, and how your characters interact with that environment, it is time to create some backstory for your characters. By this point, you should have some idea of what your main character (MC) is like. Write down in a separate document how this character looks, acts, and feels toward other characters you want to add to the story. This way, you don’t get confused about how a character should act with certain people. You don’t want the plot to confuse the reader by having your main character hate someone in one scene and act like nothing happened in another. Keeping tabs on each character as they evolve in your story is a great way to prevent plot holes and confusing scenarios. Once you get a more thorough idea of the characters, I recommend creating a character sheet. The sheet could be designed however you see fit, and you can utilize it all the time. I currently use a character data sheet for my work-in-progress novel, because it makes the flow of the plot easier. Remember that rushing into a story because you want to write it badly isn’t the way to go. Just like with anything else, you have to remember what happened in the beginning, middle, and end. One day, you could be hammering out five thousand words, but the next day, you find yourself wondering what you actually wrote. It’s even harder when you are writing a story and creating a whole universe for it. Don’t be afraid to be meticulous; write down everything about your characters that might help you later. Now that you have figured out the general setting of your world and the characters that reside in it, you can start hammering out some lore to get the plot going. Like I said before, notes, notes, notes. Keep a folder dedicated to each topic — characters, setting, lore, etc. Find an interesting starting point, or maybe even a rundown of your world’s history. It’s all up to you. Conclusion Planning your new world can be tricky if you make it so. There are tools out there for you to utilize to make the process fun and more enjoyable. Keeping everything together is vital to have your story flowing smoothly. I plan to go further into detail regarding character customization, setting structures, plot holes, lore building, etc. All of these have greater explanations and components that cannot be summarized in one article. For now, with your new world coming to light, the infrastructure is there. Always plan ahead before you start writing. Keep your mind outside the box, and be creative. Don’t put yourself down because things aren’t going right. Remember that it is okay to cheat in your own writing. There are no rules keeping your hands tied behind your back, because this is your universe, no one else’s. The next time inspiration strikes, take a deep breath and plan ahead. Keep your head held up high, and you’ll become the best writer you can be.
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EditorsJ.P. DonahueJ.P. is the very first editor and proofreader for The Writing Hub blog. He's been making sure all of our articles are clear and easy to read at a glance since the very beginning. ScarletScarlet is not only one of our fantastic blog writers but she is also a occasional blog editor with our editing team, often working to cross check and review articles before publishing. ZevarZevar is an integral part of our editing team keeping everything to a high standard of quality by editing for our blog and writing showcase. They do outstanding work regardless of tight deadlines or lengthy projects. RyanRyan is our last line of defense against errors and typos by proofreading nearly every piece of content we release. His expertise and fast turnarounds are what keep our words polished and our facts checked. |