Before I get into how best to plan your story, I need to clear something up first.
I know that some of the people who will end up reading this probably think that they can just wing it with their story and somehow make one billion people fall in love with their work and have twenty publishers begging them to let them use it.
News Flash: The real world doesn't work that way. If you don't know where your story is going, most likely you won't even finish it. Ever heard of writer's block? No planning = writer's block for life.
Now, of course I am not saying that every planned book will make it big. Heck, I'm not even saying every unplanned story will be crap! But do your chances of being published increase by 99% if you do plot your story before hand? Hell, yes. Think of that 1% of books that were not planned that are published today.
Are you still feeling good about yourself?
Now that that messy business is out of the way, I will teach you how to plan your story. Quick note: these are simply guidelines. There are many ways to plan your story, but this is just the way that I do it and it works for me.
Step 1: Materials
Remember those old art notebooks you had when you were a kid? The notepads, boxes of markers, pencils, and pens? If not, what about that science notebook you never filled the pages? Rip the used pages out and store the rest away somewhere! Keep everything to do with writing and paper and even dividers in a drawer for when you might need them. Some essentials or more important things are listed below.
- Loose-leaf paper
- Spare notebook
- A pen
- A laptop/desktop
- Word (optional)
It is up to you whether you work best typing or writing. I like to write when planning, just because I absorb more and can easily flip through it when I want to.
Step 2: Getting Organized
I always start my notebook by creating a table of contents page. If you want to, you can even make a cover for your notebook. If you're artsy, that might help set the mood for your planning and remind you what you're there for, especially if it is themed. Keep all of your supplies together so you don't have to go searching. Number your pages and, if you are on Word instead of using a notebook, start a folder for your book planning and give a title to every section.
Step 3: World Planning
I'm going to assume that you have already decided on a plot for your story. Especially if it is a science fiction or fantasy novel, this is key. However, this part of planning is not limited to those genres. Every genre needs world planning because we need to know the climate, place, and other important details.
To start, you need to plan your world. It comes before everything else because you have to know how the world works so you can build off of everything. Some things to write about would go as follows (create separate sections for each).
History - Was there a war that ravaged the Earth? Who does the government hate? Do they have allies? Does it even take place on Earth?
Economy - Who runs the government? Are they dictators? Is the government representative? Is there a constitution? What do they do for the country? What must the country give in return?
State - What is the state of your setting? Is it wealthy or poor? Are there limitations on materials due to a natural disaster or such?
Inhabitants - Are they human or alien? Other? What is the average population? Are genders or age groups separated? How are people defined (eg. their wealth, position, etc)?
Clothes and Homes - What do they wear? Why? What sort of houses are there? How big? What materials are used? Why?
Divisions - Are there different sectors or levels? Do people live underground, in space or aboveground? Does your rank or age or gender affect which area you live in?
Out of everything you must be able to explain why things are how they are. Why can people not wear cotton? Explain to me. Maybe it's because there are no cotton plants on space. I don't know, but there will always be people with questions.
Step 4: Research
After your world planning, you might have to research different parts of the world or production of cotton or whatever. Don't be lazy. Do it! The reason is, if you don't have a good reason for everything in your story, there will be plot holes and plot holes are a recipe for disaster. Research a topic. I recommend Wikipedia.
I bet your teachers have told you Wikipedia is inaccurate but it should be pretty clear when something is amiss. In fact, it is so rare to find bad information on Wikipedia. Why? Because Wikipedia changed it so only people who actually work for Wikipedia can edit the site now. You can't just sign up and change everything.
The point is, Wikipedia is more secure than you probably think and it has information on, like, everything.
Step 5: Characters
First, you should have an idea of what characters you want to include in your story and make character profiles for all of them. All of them. If you have a random character that helps your character, include them, but don't get too detailed. That's the difference. Your main characters will have more information required whereas the homeless person that stalks your block probably won't.
Or maybe they will. Don't let me stop you from making the hobo have a deep, dark past.
Some things that you should definitely talk about are the following:
Name:
Age:
Date of Birth:
Place of Birth:
Current Location:
Appearance:
Back story:
Friends:
Enemies:
Flaws:
Traits:
Fears:
Significant Other (or N/A):
Relations:
Job or Education:
Other:
Other would be where you would include extra information that is important that you must include. Make sure you explain reasons for everything. Why do they hate that person? Why can't they trust anyone?
There is lots you can do to plan your map out your characters and I have a whole other part to this under a later chapter dedicated to three-dimensional characters. If it's posted and you are looking to expand your knowledge on this particular subject, I suggest you check it out.
Some things that help visual learners would be to watch movies and spot traits in their favourite characters, or draw pictures of their characters or find some on google images. Whatever works for you is the way to go.
Step 6: Events
Now that you have fully established your world and your characters, it is time to build your story! What I like to do is write all of my big events in order on a page, leaving spaces in between for notes or add-ins. This way you have a guide for writing your story, but it is flexible. You can still add in scenes if you really want to. Make sure that you have enough plot twists and interesting events to keep your readers interested. I'll be going over this in later chapters.
Step 7: Questions
Once you are done all this you might feel ready to write, but in all likelihood you'll feel like there are parts missing. The way that I tackle this problem is I list all of my personal questions about characters, back story and setting and don't start writing until I feel confident about each one.
For instance, why is so-and-so always so ruthless and violent? How is it possible that this person could teleport in their dreams? These questions should really challenge you. You might have to research some more to find the answer. Don't be afraid to talk to people who know more on the subject instead of just depending on the internet to solve all of your problems.
Step 8: Writing Guides
I like to top it all off by reading writing guides and using loose-leaf paper to jot down notes and websites as I go that I can refer back to when I'm writing. This helps a lot. Many of these guides actually link you in to other websites that can help you with other skills. They teach you how to write fight scenes or the first kiss or whatever you need to know. Many focus on what people are looking for when you go to publish and what readers want to read. I can't stress enough how invaluable this resource is. Use it.
All that being said, I must remind you that these are simply guidelines. When it comes to it, you can do what you want. There is no limit to what you can do. This is just what I recommend and what seems to work for all stories. Remember that planning is time-consuming. This isn't just a few hours out of your life. It can be three weeks or even a whole year. I take a long time to plan, but you might only take a month. Keep this in mind.
Now that that's done, thanks for reading! I hope my advice on this subject was very helpful!