Beginning a story is normally the easiest part. After all,
who doesn't have some sort of idea for a story? You can talk to pretty much
anyone and they will have some sort of idea. They don't often write them down,
though, which is why they're busy talking about their ideas instead of writing
them. So if you have sat down to write a story--congratulations! Part one is
done!
Part two is the trickier part. You have to figure out
specifics. Occasionally you already have the specifics figured out--main
character is named Bob! The space station is named the Orion! But generally,
those parts can trip you up. Just don't worry about that. You don't have to
pour through baby name books looking for a name that is absolutely perfect. If
you can't think of a name, just give them a generic one to start off. Names can
easily be changed later on, after all.
Same with settings, for the most part. Your home in Florida
can change to Minnesota if you realize you want snow. A couple of minor
comments about flat-screen televisions and the internet can change your time
from the 1960s to the 2000s. So don't worry about the specifics--those are the
easiest things you can change later on. Just worry about how you’re going to
introduce that exciting plot idea. Prologues can be a great way to do so, and
they don’t have to be from the point of view of your main character. If it
sounds cheesy, you can take it out later (in May). Just start writing that
story!
TODAY’S PLOT DEVICE: Introduce a character named Fred who is
OCD. Trust me: when starting off a story, it is always better to have too many
characters running around.
No comments:
Post a Comment