How many of us have thought up a story? How many more have even picked up a pen (or opened a Word document) and dove into one?

But then what? What structure should we follow? How do we know what events should happen? What kind of characters should the story have?

There are endless questions to ask about this. There are so many things to consider and so many obstacles to navigate that most people who start writing stories never finish them.

Well, I’m here to tell you that it doesn’t have to be that hard. In this blog series, we’re going to break down every term and practice known or needed in writing. We’ll dissect it, understand it, and apply it as needed.

Today, we shall start with a brief introduction to the three fundamentals of any story: character, world, and plot.

When we boil down any story to its very basics we will be left with this: a character in a certain setting has to hurdle through events in order to reach their goal. In other words, characters going through a plot in a setting. Understanding these three puzzle pieces can guarantee that we understand stories and their structure.

1. Character

More specifically, we’ll be discussing your main character. This person is going to be the reason your audience follows the story. The reason they care.

Before you begin writing your story past the very premise, you should get to know your character. Now, there are many resources and character profile templates you could use. Some more detailed than others. What I recommend is that you understand your character as much as possible. Here is a small list of things you need to know before you begin writing:

–          Name

–          Age

–          Height (approximate)

–          Skin/hair/eye color

–          Hair style/length

–          Body shape

–          Markings or noticeable traits

–          Occupation

–          Hobbies

–          Social status

–          Family and their relationship with them

–          What are they afraid of?

–          What do they love most?

–          What is something they’d sacrifice the world for?

–          What is their biggest strength?

–          What is their biggest flaw?

–          What event or events in their past shaped them?

–          What is something they believe about themselves or the world that shapes the way they live?

–          What archetype are they the most similar to?

–          What 3 words describe their personality best?

–          What motivates them?

These are just a few examples. The list goes on but these help you determine the most interesting ways to challenge the character’s beliefs, the logical way for them to mess up and so much more.

Next, you’ll want to know what kind of character development you want to give them through the story. Is this a character-first story? Is the character going to change significantly through the events of the plot? Or are they going to stay the same throughout because they’re just there to react to the plot? If there is going to be change, is it positive or negative? Are they going to start as normal people and end up heroes, or are they going to go to the dark side? Is the story going to break them? Are they going to come out stronger or not at all?

Again, all this shapes the story before it even begins. We also recommend doing this with antagonists and prevalent side characters.

2. World:

Same as the character, this helps you decide what direction your story should go. Are you working in a contemporary realistic setting or is this a magical fantasy world? Are you free to create monsters and dragons for your characters to fight or are their threats closer to paying rent and angry boss? This template would be more diverse that the character list. It would depend on the genre and book ‘vibes’. For example, a contemporary setting for a rom-com would be bright and cheerful, if we take that same setting and use it for a gritty thriller, it would be dark, crime-infested, and full of shady people.

 

Here is a general template that could be used for fantasy but could be condensed and used for contemporary too.

• Who rules the countries/kingdoms? 
• What jobs are most common?
• What jobs are most appreciated/looked up to?
• What kind of geographical components are common in your setting (forests, hills, rivers, caves…etc)
• What trade/product does the economy of the land depend on?
• What kind of punishments are given for crimes like theft and murder?
• What are some common myths/legends that people enjoy sharing or even believe in? 
• What methods of transportation are common?
• How clear is the divide between socioeconomic classes? Is moving up easy or hard?
• What other creatures are there? Any magical fauna or flora?
• How is magic taught?
• How do these changes (magic, geography, politics etc) affect everyday life?

 

3. Plot:

The plot of a story is the sum of its events. There are many ways to plot a story (and some people prefer not to plot it at all. But that’s a conversation for another day) the most famous of which is the three-act structure and the hero’s journey in the adventure genre. No matter what method you choose, they all have some similarities and those are the parts you need.

–          The hook: what’s something that happens within the first few pages that hooks the audience into the story and makes them want to keep on reading?

–          The inciting incident: what is something that happens that switches up the status quo of the main character’s life?

–          Development and events: this is basically where the story happens. What are the events or obstacles the main character faces to get what they want?

–          Darkest moment: also known as the belly of the beast. This is when it feels as if a happy ending is impossible. The main character loses hope and doesn’t know what to do.

–          Resolution: This is the ending. It can be happy, sad, bittersweet or anything in between. It marks a new status quo.

Once you have these three parts thought of and detailed as much as you can, the story becomes clearer in your mind. Additional characters, events, and new setting details will come to mind easily all to add to and develop one another. A vivid setting can give us more challenges and fantastical adventures to add to the plot. A plot revolving around a character’s worst nightmare can make the character overcome it and make the character development that much sweeter. 

 

So pick up a paper. Brainstorm some answers to these questions, and before you know it, you’re ready to write your epic story.