Many writers struggle with taking the tiny seed of an idea and growing it into a fully developed story. They need compelling characters, immersive settings, powerful themes and a gripping plot. It’s no wonder that many of them wind up frustrated before they even begin writing their first word.
The process of developing your story can vary depending on your approach to pre-writing and how much you prefer to outline. Some writers, referred to as plotters, develop their stories in great detail before they write a single word. Others, referred to as pantsers, complete very little pre-writing and prefer to discover their story as they write. Others fall somewhere in the middle of these two extremes.
Regardless of your approach to pre-writing, the development of your story will always revolve around characters. This step involves identifying the key players in your story, exploring their goals, motivations and trials, and creating a compelling conflict that will keep readers turning the pages.
It’s also important to include internal conflict as well, which focuses on your characters’ struggles with themselves. This is what creates the emotional resonance that makes your characters feel real to readers. It is also the element that often leads to the best scenes in your narrative, such as the climax. The climax is the point at which all the ‘yes, but’ and ‘no, and’ moments you built up through the rising action come to a head in one final showdown that brings your protagonist to the pinnacle of their journey.
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