From Idea to Story

Sometimes it’s easy to see a clear story idea—complete with a character, conflict, and theme—and jump into your first draft. But sometimes, an idea needs more development before it becomes a premise for a story. When that happens, I have a couple of strategies.

Step 1: Start with an issue or topic

Ask yourself, what connection do I have with this subject? What questions do I have about it? Be prepared to set aside your story around the issue, but explore the emotional connections.

Step 2: Research

Do some research on the issue you want to write about and try to get your questions from step 1 answered. If possible, read first person accounts or testimonials. Learn more about the issue’s social context and find its impact on individual people. The goal is to find larger themes, potential conflicts, and ways to create an emotional, tangible experience for the reader.

Step 3: Create your characters

Use what you learned to start developing a character and the world they live in, but focus on their emotional story arc. Who do they start the story as? Who do they become at the end? As you create their arc, start considering how their individual journey relates to the larger issue or theme.

Step 4: Find the hook

Ask yourself, what can make this story stand out? Is there a unique twist? An unreliable narrator? Find the aspect of the story’s crafting that will excite the reader.

Step 5: Start writing!

I usually compile my notes and the story structure into an outline, then I start writing. I work from the beginning of the story, all the way to the end, and make notes of any additional questions or research I’ll need to do before moving on to developmental revisions.

How do you usually turn an idea into a story? Let me know in the comments!