Chit-Chat: Random Writing Nonsense

I get an idea for a plot and first decide on the world it's taking place in, since that decides the characters. Like, there wouldn't be a skateboarder in the 1700s, so I have to create characters that fit into the world I make. Even though I'm saying that, I can/will actually write ten chapters before I myself come up with two ideas on what the story's universe is like. :P

Am I the only person in the world who thinks of the characters first, world second, and plot third? I fee like interesting plots and character arcs are built on the characters and setting.

↑ That's what I do, unless I'm writing a fanfic that takes place in an established world.

I have to have some idea of the plot. Once I have a pretty good idea on what I want, then comes the main character. I decide upon the beginning, the ending, and then the stuff in the middle. Once I have that, the world starts getting built a little, then the characters, and back and forth we go. Once I have my main group of characters and the world, I start fleshing out the plot and what happens between point A and B. I introduce characters as I see fit, and just continue along from there.

So I start out with a rough skeleton of the story, build that characters and world simultaneously, and fill in the details last.

ShivaDF said:

Am I the only person in the world who thinks of the characters first, world second, and plot third? I fee like interesting plots and character arcs are built on the characters and setting.

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Having been a writing RPer for years now, I always focus on the characters. The world and plot usually grow around them, but sometimes I of course have an overarching plot idea I want to write about and the characters are formed around that. I always need interesting characters, I couldn't write a character I feel isn't believable.

I'm a mixture - I usually get pieces of plot and characterisation come to me, and I try and fill in the gaps as I go with the planning (or writing). The setting tends to be tied to the plot in some way, but I do need to flesh it out later as well.

Since now these days I write with established characters and world, plot is what I think of most. Sometimes I'll do some world building too if I feel I can add a few places in the source material's world and if I'll do an AU setting depending on time and place. Character development goes along naturally.

Back when I did Pokemon fanfic with original characters, I do plot, some world building, and then characters.

Errr.... for me it's characters first, most of the time. Can't help it, they fight their way out of my brain.

bobandbill and the others, how do you go about filling those gaps? Do you go back-and-forth between settings and plot?

Also... Hmmm... for those who showed interest in me completing the scenes that had to be dropped for my SWC entry Misaimed for Life, I'm interested in getting a beta reader to go over two of the three scenes sometime soon. Hope you guys like the results.

Once I've got a plot, I usually think to myself "What sort of characters do I need for this to work?" and, once I've got an end-game in mind, I think "How do they get there?" and the how is, for me, the gaps in my story, in-between the major events and plot twists that I started with.

As a random example, if I want a character who will ultimately kill the protagonist, I might design someone who is perhaps very goal-oriented; someone who is focused on the ends and can justify murder if they believe it serves a high purpose, be that a virtuous one or their own ambitions. Then I'd have a think about WHY they're goal-oriented, or why they'd want to kill the protagonist - are they close, or do they hate each other? What has made them so goal-oriented in the first place? Depending on what the plot is, I'll use fleshing the character out for the gaps in the story, so things flow and, hopefully, they're a little more connected and a bit more personal for both the characters and the reader - I want the reader to react to the events, but I want them to feel something for my characters as well.

Just an example...probably a poorly explained one, but there we go. xD

I think my approach is similar to bobandbill's (I think). I start off with a general plot and world building. After that, I introduce characters to fit the plot and, like others have pointed out, focus on how they move the plot from A to B. I like to see this as the main purpose for each character. After their respective purposes for existence are established, I create character traits for all of them, making sure I have a nice mix of pros and cons for each one. Then I create subplots focused on specific characters to keep things interesting and stimulate character growth, hoping it will connect in the end, and that's pretty much my middle. So I guess, for me, it goes: plot, world, characters, traits, subplots? Hmm, it's not so easy to explore one's subconscious but I think this is the best I can do.

bobandbill and the others, how do you go about filling those gaps? Do you go back-and-forth between settings and plot?

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I suppose so! Often it's plot first which'll happen in *place*, and as I consider what happens in a particular part of the plot I decide where it happens and the details of that location as I go.

Taking my last fic as an example, I had the (a) base idea for the story first - roughly what will happen and the tone of the story to fit it. Next I considered who the characters should be and decided (fairly quickly in this case) a bunch of NPCs from the game as the main characters; by deciding on them the first setting (where they are in the games) were decided upon. I then went back to the plot, and decided they should end up on place X (hence thinking about that setting as I go), and then thought what characters would make sense to be there along with the main ones, what they'd do and how that'd fit with their characterisation, etc. And it just continued like that from plotting through to writing, where I changed various parts of the plot and characterisation a number of times. :B

solovino said:

bobandbill and the others, how do you go about filling those gaps? Do you go back-and-forth between settings and plot?

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Pretty much.

With the idea I'm working on now, I had my basic idea, and kept tossing it around in my head under different scenarios until one day something just clicked. I wrote down the idea, and got a basic idea of what the main character was. Once I got that, I started to world build a little. I kept going back and forth until I got my world, and main characters figured out. Then, work began on the plot. I figured out my ending, a few main points in-between, and started to flesh things out, and that's the chunk I'm currently on. It takes a while!

I make stuff up as I go along.

Like Aisu, I make everything up as I go along. The finer details of everything related to my story aren't known until I actually write them down or think of them when necessary. I wouldn't recommend anyone to work on their stories this way, as you're really working with nothing. Sometimes, you'll just get stuck while writing and wonder why you can't plan anything out.

The other problem I've had with this way of writing is having too large of a plot reveal itself. I had to throw out a 40,000 word story because the plot just ran away from me and I couldn't bring it back together in any way. If I knew better how the characters were going to get from Point A to Point B, it would have been better.

For example, I just found a writing prompt that works for a story I want to write. The story that I want to write has nothing planned for it other than the bare minimum of a plot and the few characters that will be in the story. Tomorrow, I won't be thinking of that story or anything related to it until it comes time for me to sit down and work on it. It will be interesting to see how far I get.

Well I have a problem because I've tried to redo my story and I'll be starting my 4th try soon. The first couple of tries I just kind of winged it and then this past try and I planned things out and then I got stuck. I planned my chapters out and then I couldn't figure out what to do for say 2 chapters without it feel like it was rushed. So I dono how I'm going to do this next try.

Caite-chan said:

Well I have a problem because I've tried to redo my story and I'll be starting my 4th try soon. The first couple of tries I just kind of winged it and then this past try and I planned things out and then I got stuck. I planned my chapters out and then I couldn't figure out what to do for say 2 chapters without it feel like it was rushed. So I dono how I'm going to do this next try.

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Just plan everything out before you start writing, if you're having problem getting stuck. Plan out the beginning, the end, the middle, the chapter breaks, the major events, everything. Whenever you're stuck, just look at your guide and you should know how to continue from there.

Caite-chan said:

Well I have a problem because I've tried to redo my story and I'll be starting my 4th try soon. The first couple of tries I just kind of winged it and then this past try and I planned things out and then I got stuck. I planned my chapters out and then I couldn't figure out what to do for say 2 chapters without it feel like it was rushed. So I dono how I'm going to do this next try.

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Mix it up. Plan your story out with how you want it to go, but don't be afraid to deviate from that plan either and improvise.

Well I never know when I want the end to be if there will ever be an end. I don't know if that's a good thing or not...lol.

I personally think it's important to consider the ending. Without an end, there's no resolution, and without an end, are you telling a story or are you stringing readers along?

ShivaDF said:

Am I the only person in the world who thinks of the characters first, world second, and plot third? I fee like interesting plots and character arcs are built on the characters and setting.

Click to expand...

I always think of the plot first to figure out where I want the story to go. Then the world, in terms of where do I want this plot to take place (time period, scenery, etc.). Finally, the characters come.