Assignment 20- Kristin

How to Write a Story

Step One- Inspiration
We are surrounded by inspiration.  Every single person we talk to, sit near, and pass by every single day has a story, and it is the job of writers to make these stories our own.  Find something in your life that rings true to you, and expand on that.  It can be your own life, your friends, other stories or news, or even an event that occurred for a fleeting moment.  I've written stories based on my friends, based on a phrase I heard in history class, and based on the mashing of existing stories.  If nothing comes to you, just ask.  Prompts are anywhere and everywhere.  I've written a story about a fish after my friend asked me to write a story about a fish.

Step Two- Characters
Many writers begin with the protagonist, but this is not necessary.  Find one character in your idea to begin forming other events and characters around.  It can be the main character, a side character, the villain, or even someone who appears in one scene.  Find someone in your story that captivates you, and develop the main characters around them.  Find a character to be your anchor for the rest of your story.

Step Three- Setting
Figure out a general place and time at which your story takes place.  It can be an essential part of the story, or simply a backdrop that lets the story shine.  One major mistake of writers is to write scenes of dialogue and events without explaining when or where they take place.  The reader could be imagining a period piece in seventeenth century England and be quite distracted when they later discover that the book is a dystopian piece set on Mars.

Step Four- Plot
To be clear, plot does not at all mean plan.  You may have your entire story figured out before you write a single scene, or you may have no idea where the story goes until it's finished, but as long as the scenes you write have some sort of coherence or lay on some sort of timeline, your story will come together.  I have completely planned out stories with detailed plot and character descriptions, and I have also written random scenes until they start to come together.  It is all based on what you prefer and how your specific story works out.

Step Five- Meaning
Inject some sort of truth into your story.  Despite how fictional or completely ridiculous your story is, it must mean more than simple entertainment, or it will end up unsuccessful or nonsensical.  Make your leading character learn a significant lesson, or reveal to the audience a truth from the world that only you know.  Despite how fun it is to read fantastical, completely backwards tales, if they have no meaning, they will mean nothing to the world (sorry, but it's true).

Step Six- Confidence
Stand behind your story.  If you wrote what you believe is an excellent story without following any of these steps, then that's wonderful.  As long as YOU know it's good and that it matters, then it is good, and it does matter.  Don't doubt your abilities as a writer and a storyteller.  Everyone has something to say that means something, and it is our job to project those words to as many people as we can.