How do YOU begin a fantasy story?
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As in, what do you decide on first? The world, characters, basic plot premise, message/theme?
There’s no “right way”. We’re all different. I start with a basic idea of setting and plot (which I guess includes the theme), then the world, then characters. But I know some who start with characters, and some with worldbuilding. Heck, you even get Tolkien who started with the Elvish languages.
What do you do?
Once upon a time…
I’ll resist being juvenile now.
It’s images for me. I see an idea in my head and out of that spins an entire story.
@deeprun
It’s about time someone published a novel that opens with, “Once upon a time they lived happily ever after,” followed by 200 blank pages.
Also, that’s different but cool! What sort of images? People, places, events? A combination?
@michael-erasmus I almost always start with the premise, but not plot. The premise is normally something like “What if Beauty and the Beast was told from the POV of the enchantress?” Or a line of prose or dialogue comes to me and I think, “Whoa. What’s the story where this line happens?” Recently it was, “Does that make her the Beauty or the Beast?” You may be sensing a theme in my story ideas.
Fleshing out the “What kind of story does this moment I’m picturing happen in?” gives me a couple of characters and a good sense of the world. Plot/theme comes last. I can know the characters and the beginning and end of my story pretty quickly but have no idea what happens in the middle.
The cake is a lie. acaylor.com
I kind of tend to just get a “feel” for a story, I guess. I might have some concept that’s been really on my mind and all of a sudden it blooms into a story(Sort of like my Hi-Fi WIP, which just began with the idea of war-time pen pals and the concept of accountability and loyalty.), or I get an image of a story I want to write. I might have sudden inspirations for a plot or a place or a thing, and then weave a story around it. Occasionally I start with just characters, but usually not so.
"A hard heart is no infallible protection against a soft head."
- C. S. Lewis
I always start with characters. If I’m going to spend an adventure with someone who doesn’t exist, it might as well be an interesting someone who doesn’t exist, get it?
They're not mistakes, they're unexpected plot twists.
Theme. Always. I cannot write a story if there is no theme. Usually, that means I get an inkling of the MC’s inner struggles and what the climatic moment will entail. I also usually get a simple worldbuilding and plot idea based off that theme.
"Beauty will save the world." - Dostoevsky
It varies for me. I’m sort of a plot-first writer, but when I come up with a plot I like, I love developing my characters into people as I go. Sometimes I get an idea by taking a cliché and seeing a really cool way it could be twisted. In fact, a major part of a few of my characters’ backstories came about like that. I saw a way to twist the dying mentor cliché and started developing it like crazy in a wild planning spree on a Word doc. As I developed it, I realized that plotline could become my characters’ backstory. So I was thrilled out of my mind. 😀 I ended up minimizing certain parts of it to the point that the mentor aspect might not even be mentioned anymore, but it’s a great way to get ideas.
Basically, I have a very difficult time starting a story based solely on characters because I need to have a solid idea of what’s happening and what they’re doing to keep my interest. However, developing my characters to their utmost is one of my favorite parts of the writing process once I’ve gotten started. 🙂
Hearts are like matter--they can be beaten down, torn, and burned, but they cannot be destroyed.
Wow, I love how the responses vary. It shows how unique we all are, and different methods work for different people.
As in, what do you decide on first? The world, characters, basic plot premise, message/theme?
@michael-erasmus Great question! 😀 It really depends on the story for me. My first book started with a simple idea, and I literally had no plot. *insert facepalm here* 🤦♀️With my current WIP, however, I started with an idea of the MC and idea of my fantasy world. Then I expanded on it to create the plot. But like I previously mentioned, it really does depend on the story. 🙂
Grammar Geek | Steampunk Enthusiast | Published Author | Winged Warrior | Avatar by RedPhoenix15
@michael-erasmus Ooh… It varies for me. Usually, I’ll be doing a writing exercise with my writing club… and after I write my couple paragraphs or whatever, I look at it and go “this is actually really cool.” That’s kinda what happened with my NaNo plot for last year. I had drawn a picture of a tiny owl sitting under a mushroom, and I used that as inspiration to write a couple paragraphs for my writing exercise, and then that became the 19k words I have in my word doc now. I have a short story that’s conceivably ready for publication that came from a Pinterest prompt. I hardly ever just sit down and go “ok. I want to write a book. What’s it gonna be about?” I don’t think I’ve ever done that. I don’t like forcing plots and ideas on myself. Other times I think I’ve been daydreaming and came up with a cool scenario or dialogue bit and then made my story from that.
@bigideaskc *jumps up and down, squealing* STEAMPUNK IS SO AESTHETIC!! I love it!! And like… that steampunk green shade?? That’s kinda like a toned-down shamrock+lime?? *faints* And the copper and brass… *makes happy fox face*“Enough! Be quiet! I can’t hear myself think! I can’t hear my teeth chatter!"
*jumps up and down, squealing* STEAMPUNK IS SO AESTHETIC!! I love it!!
@anne_the_noob14 Ah, YAAAS!!! Steampunk rocks. 😁⚙️🎩And like… that steampunk green shade?? That’s kinda like a toned-down shamrock+lime?? *faints* And the copper and brass… *makes happy fox face*
Ooh, yesss! Do you, perchance, mean this kind of steampunk green? 😏
Grammar Geek | Steampunk Enthusiast | Published Author | Winged Warrior | Avatar by RedPhoenix15
@bigideaskc Y E S EXACTLY THAT
*is metaphorically hyperventilating*
“Enough! Be quiet! I can’t hear myself think! I can’t hear my teeth chatter!"
Y E S EXACTLY THAT *is metaphorically hyperventilating*
@anne_the_noob14 *grins* My work here is done. 😏(But seriously, though, after seeing that, I’ve decided I LOVE THAT SHADE OF STEAMPUNK GREEN TOO!!! I’m usually not a green sort of person, haha, but WOW. That’s awesome. 😁 ⚙️)
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. Reason: tagging Livi. MAN, I need to remember to keep tagging people. XD
Grammar Geek | Steampunk Enthusiast | Published Author | Winged Warrior | Avatar by RedPhoenix15
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