For the time being (at least through the Grand Opening week), I’ll be posting simultaneously here with the same content I’ve posted on my new site Fiction Fundamentals .
You have an idea for a great story, so now what? The first step (don’t “duh” me here, okay?) is to write it down. You’d be surprised how many writers I’ve heard who said they’ve forgotten as many ideas as they’ve completed because they didn’t write them down.
Some may think they have to have the latest, fastest, smartest computer; a secluded cabin by the lake in which to write (or at least a nice desk chair); and fancy software to collect their thoughts. If you feel you must make a purchase before beginning your story, buy a notebook. Yep, a notebook. You can get whatever kind you want, decorated with green & pink polka dots or pirates or a plain one, but get one you can carry around.
Keep your notebook with you. Jot down your ideas as they come. Maybe a certain scene has flashed through your mind, but you’re not sure how (or if) it will fit into a story. Perhaps a bit of dialog has haunted you, and the characters are inside your head, nagging you to release them. Can you close your eyes and envision the perfect setting for a story? Write down these story snippets the best way you can so you’ll have these ideas to refer to when the time comes.
As you jot down your notes, don’t just put “haunted house” as your setting idea. Put as much detail as possible. Close your eyes and picture the place. Hear the stairs creak and the loose shutter banging against the building. Is it wooden? Stone? Crumbling? What color is the paint, if any? Faded and peeling? What do you smell? The stench of death? (Ah, a murder mystery in the making!) Or something unexpected, such as the aroma of fresh-baked bread? Who would be baking in there? And why?
No matter what your story idea, record every detail you have come up with thus far before getting bogged down into technical things such as structure and format and grammar. All those are important, of course, but without the STORY, they are useless. Save your story idea first. We’ll get to all that other stuff soon enough.
Seth suggested that NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) be added to our resource list (which I did–thanks!). The entire concept of NaNoWriMo is write now, edit later. The point is to get the story idea down. Another fundamental learned through the NaNoWriMo program is to write every day. Make it a habit, a part of your life. Just as your body needs exercise, so does your writing muscle. Use it or it’ll become flabby.
So, before we get any further, get your notebook and get those ideas down!
Happy writing!
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