Gary NormanWriting 3 Ways Developing a Story read
This is our third post in a series about writing. You can develop a story in a manner of ways. Writing 3 Ways Developing a Story read.
From a Single Incident, Observation, or Scene.
What if an author has always been haunted by some image or scene from childhood?
Maybe the writer saw his father pack his suitcase one morning and feared his dad is going to leave forever. Or maybe the father was just going on a business trip.
Usually, a scene taken from real life must be embellished and dramatized before it makes good fiction.
Later on, the adult writer might remember his sense of temporary abandonment and develop a scene in a novel where a father packs his suitcase and never does return.
What happened to him?
What kept him away?
Were the parents having trouble and keeping quiet about it to spare the child, only to hurt him more when he discovered the truth of their marriage breakup?
Or was the father hiding a secret?
Maybe he was forced to leave against his will to save the family from some scandal.
No matter whether an author was inspired by a theme, a character or an image or single incident, the finished work must eventually have all three components.
A writer can start a story with whichever one seems strongest in his/her mind, and used it as a stepping stone to build the rest of the story.
Gary Black
Add comment