HOW TO: Plan A Story

Hello everyone!

I’ve gotten a few people ask me how to plan a story and I figured I would create a quick thread on how I start planning a story from the very beginning

Before I start, I just want to say that this is MY process that works for ME - if this doesn’t work for you, cool! Share your process below!!


:sparkles: Step One: Finding Inspiration for a Story :sparkles:

Ok, this is quite possibly the hardest part of the planning process. Finding something interesting to you that inspires you to write is so hard when finding a starting point. I find inspiration from movies and TV shows, where I can say: Oh maybe I should write a doctor drama show, or maybe I should write a high school story. Once I get a broad topic, I like to start a Pinterest board and/or Spotify playlist that I can reference for story vibes and go back to when I need some inspiration.


:bulb: Step Two: Actually Planning :bulb:

This is definitely one of the longest parts of starting a story, because it requires a lot of detail. But know this, taking your time with this makes life so much easier in the future. Having a well planned out story and having something to reference when writing is so convenient.
For this, I like to make a new folder on Google Drive (or wherever you want to plan your story) and create the following documents:

  • Plot Overview → gives a general description of your story. Start of with a brief description of setting and characters, then list out the major plot points
  • Character Descriptions → this is where you list out ALL of your main characters (friends, family, LI, antagonist, etc) and give them a detailed character description and personality. For this, I like to ask myself these questions: What do they like? What are they good at? What are they bad at? What are some of their pet peeves? What do they look for and value in a friend? Having good character descriptions will help you write realistic and consistent characters which is kety for writing a good story.
  • Episode-by-Episode Checklist → now, I know this sounds scary, but it isn’t. Just make yourself a checklist of points that you want to hit in each chapter. This will help to pace your story. And remember, not every episode has to have some insane plot twist or major plot point in it. Filler episodes are another thing that make a story better. Having deeper relationships and connections with the characters are what make readers care, don’t skip over adding some personality to your episodes.

:writing_hand: Step Three: Creating the Story :writing_hand:

This is the fun part. Come up with a few title ideas (remember, you can always change this later), character names, and make your story. Don’t stress to much!! Go for it! You prepared for this and you have a solid foundation of your story at your fingertips.
Go back and reference the documents that you made! They are there to help you!


I hope this helped!! Share any other tips that you have for planning below!

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I just might use this guide to plan my stories.

Bookmarking this :index_pointing_at_the_viewer:

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