Dr_Jekyll_and_Mr_Hyde_poster_edit2There isn’t a one-size fits all when it comes to writing fiction, but all good fiction must have a want + obstacle + action, you can make up a want list, an obstacle list, and an action list.

Each want has an obstacle and an action. That in itself can get you going.

Having some idea what you want to write about is the usual first step. How much of an idea you have varies widely. You may just want a strong (or even a weak) sense of a character and drop him on the page and either let him take you or push him into doing something meaningful.

Naturally you want to have a story idea that excites you.

Remember, there’s no such thing as a bad idea since we can add, subtract, adjust, and tinker with the manuscript until we uncovered the energy that makes the story take off.

Now this can be a character that stimulates your curiosity (someone who can’t stand to admit he’s wrong, explosive boss, a corrupt preacher) or it can be a situation (being falsely accused of a crime, getting kidnapped, being in love with someone who can’t stand you). It may be something you see in real life, read in the paper, or dream up on your own in a daydream, or during meditation time.

There are many ways to come up with an idea:

For example: Two lovers whose families and culture are determined they will not unite (Romeo and Juliet). A good man in power whose “trusted” assistant is feeding him false advised to cause his downfall (Othello).

All of Shakespeare’s plots can be modernized and told the new. In modernizing a story you make it your own. If you can’t handle reading Shakespeare, you can get the Cliff Notes, which in a scene is advantageous, because you will be working from a sketchy or but still dramatic version, which will leave you more room to invent. There are cliff notes for most of the great books.

The best – selling novel The Seven – Per – Cent Solution by Nicholas Meyer is an example of mixing fictional characters with real ones.

Then there’s history. With history, you can research an historical event and uncover the story that appeals to you. The behind the scenes action and in Creek that is never in the history books is all yours to invent.

So, existing plots and characters are a solid and endless source of story ideas.

If you only have a character you like but no story and no idea how to get the character into a story?

You can give him a problem to wrestle with to get him going. One of the best ways to do this is put him with someone who is the opposite – not just put him with his opposite but lock them in together. The Odd Couple neat – freak Felix and slob Oscar living together creates a nice conflict and lots of drama. It’s not only that one is fastidious, and the other is sloppy in housekeeping, but that those qualities are expressed in everything they do. This dramatic setup is called the unit of opposites. One character rigidity is expressed as it collides with the other impulsiveness and vice verse. So if you have a character you like, lock him into the worst possible situation for him (with his opposite), that which goes against his strongest character traits so he must face the problem and himself.

Remember, what were doing, always, is to put the characters to the test in every possible way so we can see what they made of. Also, if the character has a weakness that he must face and overcome in order to succeed, it increases the drama and deepens the character.

Remember it’s a complication that makes the story fuller.

Just make sure you let nothing be easy for anyone, ever. Making everything difficult is the best thing you can do to uncover your characters and your story. The worse it gets for the characters, the better it is for the story. Is conflict and conflict will never fail you. Also, remember things must be worse at the end of every scene and every chapter until the final resolution at the end when things may get good (victory) or end badly (defeat). Drama builds as things get worse.

Choosing your medium and your genre.

Choosing the right medium and genre is important if you’re concerned about selling your story and making maximum money.

Once again, the story craft (conflict, action, resolution + emotion + showing) is identical in all media and all genres. This never changes – ever.

Acknowledgment to Immediate Fiction- Written by Jerry Cleaver.

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