How To Write a Story

Are you having trouble writing your story? Perhaps you have an idea but you just don't know where to start? Or maybe your inspiration is gone? Don't worry, Noelle is here to help.

Step One: Get inspired.
So, you have an idea, you have time to write it, but you don't have that certain "feeling" to put it on paper. Here's what you do. What's the setting of your story? Does it take place in the backstreets of town? Maybe it happens in the 50's? Or perhaps you have a Christmas story in mind? Once you figure out the setting you look for some songs that would be appropriate for that setting. If it's a backstreet story you listen to some garage bands, if it takes place in the 50's look up some oldies, if it's a Christmas story, what else? Listen to Christmas music! This is the easiest way to get re-inspired for your story.

Step Two: Write an outline.
I've always had trouble when it comes to writing an outline for my story, so I made a sample guide that I follow. Here it is:

Setting:

Characters:
Name:
Age:
Gender:
Personality:
Situation:
Looks (optional):
Other:

Viewpoint: (is it first or third person and from whose perspective is it from?)

Plot:
I. Intro
a.
b.
c.
II. Conflict
a.
b.
c.
III. Climax
a.
b.
c.
IV. Resolution
a.
b.
c.

Title:

Step Three: Have a goal.
Sometimes it's easier to write a book if you have a minimum amount of chapters you want the book to have. Usually ten to fifteen chapters is a good place to start with five to fifteen pages for each chapter. Sometimes if you're lucky you can go through your plot and write down where each section is going to take place in each chapter. For example:

Chapter 1- All of intro
Chapter 2- Conflict a-b.
Chapter 3- Conflict c
Chapter 4- Climax a.
etc.

Step Four: Beginning
There are many different kinds of ways to start your story. I'll just name a few.
(1) Intro. "This is a story of... and it takes place..." This is probably the most common beginnings. It tells about the characters and setting before it gets into the story.
(2) Climax. "So-and-so did this and this while one thing did that." This is usually used for a more thrilling entrance. It goes straight into the story and the reader gathers the setting and characters gradually as the story goes on. Sometimes it even starts in the middle of the story and then it backs up a bit later to explain what just happened.
(3) Conflict. "There was trouble about the place...." This is usually how a mystery novel begins. It starts by explaining the conflict before anything else.
Personally my favorite is a little Intro mixed with Climax.

Step Five: Be diligent.
Set a time limit for yourself. Say you'll work on your book an hour a day or something of that sort. Even if you can only work on it for five minutes, do it anyway. It's not easy to stop for ten days and then forget the whole thing so you have to look everything over again and try to remember where you were heading.

Step Six: Relax.
If you don't get a whole lot written, or if you decide you don't like the idea, it's okay. You have the right to take a break from it and move on to another story. I get ideas for other stories in the middle of something all the time. But don't throw away what you were working on before. You might get another idea for it and go back to it later on.

I hope this helps all you poor helpless writers out there. But remember: A true writer does not write a story, but rather a story captures the writer and writes itself.