I have read books on Story Arc, Character Arc, Story Structure, Plot Development, and a number of others. Nowhere is there is there a hint of which comes first in the writing process. Would anyone care to try and order which of the above comes first? I have plenty of ideas, and I know how to write, but I want to become a better writer.
Welcome to the forum, Ray. Assuming that you want to write novels, I have to ask - have you read lots of good novels? Have any novelists that you like and admire? If so, what is it about the writing and the stories that grabbed you? And, of the elements that you've read about, which ones do you see reflected in the quality writing that you enjoy? Since you have "plenty of ideas", pick one - the one that grabs you the most, the one you think you can really make come to life. Pick a character or two or three. Know at the outset that this is the beginning of a long journey, and don't worry so much about "getting it right"; focus on getting it written. If you understand the notion of character arc, you understand that your mc starts at Point A, and in reaching Point B, is changed. So, keep that in mind as you write, but, as I said, don't fret about it. Don't worry about story structure. I'm not sure it matters much, anyway, as long as the story is coherent. And since is your first attempt, it's more important that you learn how to drag a complete story out of yourself (takes time to learn and there is no one right way to do it). Understand that, as you write, new ideas will occur to you about both your characters and your story that you did not think of when you first conceived it. Don't be afraid to follow these new ideas (after all, when we first meet someone, we don't instantly know everything about them - that happens over time). The manner in which your character evolves will impact the flow of your story, and the flow of your story's events will impact how your character develops. Best of luck writing, and I hope you find this helpful.
Hi Ray. Welcome to the forum. A question here. You said you know how to write, but does this mean you've already written stories/novels? Or do you mean you can (obviously) string sentences together and have a good command of written English, but you've never done any creative writing before? I'll second @EdFromNY 's question as well. Do you love to read? Do you have a particular type of book in mind that you would like to write?
I don't think any of those things comes first, really... they all come at more or less the same time, at least for me. They're too intertwined to develop one without the other. Like, hopefully your characters develop and go through their arc because of the events of the plot, right? So... how could you figure one out without looking at the other as well?
Just start at the beginning, it will come together from there. Introduce MC(s), a bit about the world, and a little bit about where the plot is going to take off. Then as the story develops, then all the other elements of it should as well.
Ray, I'll give you what I do, just so you have a technical approach (assuming this is what you are after.) Step 1: Story Structure/plot. Step 2: Subtext. Step 3: Conflict & Imagery. Step 4: Grammar. Though, I want to echo what Bayview said. They all fit and work with each other, but in terms of layers, that is how I view it.
I would start with story arc first, of those mentioned. You're telling a story, so it starts with that. You can't structure a plot until you know what the story is.
Welcome to the site! I tend to be all over the place: sometimes I start with a character idea that leads me to a scene idea, sometimes I start with a plot idea that leads me to a theme idea, sometimes I start with a scene idea that leads me to a plot idea...
I believe you want to be a better storyteller, since you already know how to write. My ideas are forged when I sit and write anything that pops into my head. Sometimes the subject is ridiculous, but it's to get the creative juices flowing. Sometimes I write for amusement or to let-off steam. But lets pretend I write about discovering a small, homeless person living in my boat parked in the driveway. There's a little guy in there with his furniture and all his belongings. We get into a struggle, me trying to evict this guy, throwing his stuff out onto the lawn. And he's fighting back, trying to put his things back in. As I'm writing this goofy story, I'm developing two characters. I'm starting to feel sorry for both of them. So I look for ways to resolve this conflict. The first thing that comes to mind is to have the little guy break down. He's sitting there on the lawn crying, and he begins to tell his story. An idea pops into my head. What if this guy is a leprechaun, and he's homeless because he has been ostracized by the Leprechaun Counsel. He has no place to go. Now this is where I stop writing and start outlining, because I'm realizing a story here. The goal will be to reunite the leprechaun with his people. My two characters are about to undertake a journey. Maybe the leprechaun has a girlfriend or a family. Maybe there’s a nemesis - an evil leprechaun taking advantage of the leprechaun people without their knowledge and making my leprechaun look bad. I continue to brainstorm characters and events. When I finish my outline, I start writing the individual scenes. I will think of new characters and more scenes as I write. This is not a story I wrote, by the way. It’s just an example of how my warped mind creates ideas and develops stories. Writing everyday is important. Ideas, character development, and scene generation come through writing.
=========== I would say they come simultaneously overlapped in an iterative manner until you have enough of all of them to guide your writing the book. I would start with the premise and a hint of the plot. Then start with characters that would make sense for that story. Then come the details of all of them which might require repeated iteration. Enough detail to start writing with confidence anyway. And the details might not be complete until the story is written. Maybe never fully complete, or at least still changing, if you write a series.
