Digging Foundations

So, you've exercised your imagination and have come up with an idea. That's great. What now? Everyone seems to work a little differently here. My ideas never come fully formed, sometimes not even partially formed. Sometimes I get more of a "general impression" for the kind of story I want to tell. Like squinting your eyes at a great painting and only having a vague sense of a few colors the artist used. Only problem is--I'm the artist and I have to fill in the details! That could be panic causing if I didn't have a plan--start with the basics.
Writing a story is much like building a house. Start big and think about the details later. Let's take a look at house building.

• First, you dig a hole. This is setting. Where is the story taking place?
• Second, pour cement and lay block. The foundation is key to a good story. This is what will hold up the walls later, so it had better be strong. In a plot-drive story, foundation is plot. One key sentence that states what your story is all about. In a character-driven story, foundation is your protagonist, the person who will carry your tale.
• Third, build stairs to the first floor and lay the plywood sheathing that will be your floor. Still foundational to your story, these are, in a character-driven book, your plot; and, in a plot-driven book, your characters. Because while a story may focus on one or the other, truth is all stories have both. Some plots are internal, finding peace with the world; some plots are external, finding the Holy Grail.
• Fourth, time for framing the walls, plumbing and electrical, exterior sheathing, rough sheetrocking. This phase is where subplots, character development/background and motivation are created.

Well, I think that's enough for now. So, start digging your hole. Just don't fall in!

More tomorrow,
Traci