Before you start writing

I’m not going to write you a book to explain it to you, let’s blow a good shot! But summarize in three key steps the basics of writing writing (before starting, writing, after writing). Here’s the first step :

1) Before you start writing.

The idea is the driving force behind writing. It can come spontaneously, otherwise it will be necessary to look in draft notebooks, oxygenate etc. to have the little spark !

  • Afterwards, sketch the basics of your novel by doing an in-depth study of your characters.

To help, you can set up a detailed sheet of the main characters (their looks, their characters, whether they are bad or nice, etc.) These are physical and moral descriptions.

It will be necessary to write a biography for each one. This will allow you to become one with them ! They will then act accordingly and appear true to readers.

  • Subsequently, a “décor” sheet may be required.

Depict the most important places in which your story will take place. Literature searches may sometimes be necessary, even often.

If your story takes place in an entirely created world, do so too to prevent inconsistencies.

  • Final step before starting writing: make a detailed plan of the novel.

It will allow you to know where you want to take your readers and to have a more general vision of your novel.

Rules to respect :

*Every story has a beginning, a middle and an end. This is essential !

*The incidents that make up the plot are connected by causes as well as effects.

*A story is a “change of situation” for the character(s).

In the end, 5 actions to follow :

  1. Encouragement of the incident/problem. Each story begins with an event that introduces the main problem or conflict.
  2. Progression. The pressure of history is built up as events unfold.
  3. The Atmosphere. At the climax of the drama, an event occurs. It symbolizes a change in the situation of the protagonist/character.
  4. The Fall. The mutation that occurs during this atmosphere (point c) is enriched in a new series of events that all lead to the consequences of this change.
  5. The novel/story ends with a catastrophe (in the case of a drama) or another resolution (such as a joyful ending), which shows the protagonist’s downfall or success.