It is much easier to write a character if you know what they want in the moment. Not the character’s general philosophy about life, not a complete catalogue of their personality traits, not the full backstory that explains why they are who they are. Even…
Set a timer to five minutes. Write the opening scene without explaining your character’s full backstory, their world, or the lesson they’ve learned. Set the character down in a place, give them a want, and introduce just one small problem. The result will feel a…
“Emma woke up, didn’t get the bus, went to school, ate lunch, and went home.” These are events, but it isn’t yet a story. First one thing happened, then another thing happened, then Emma’s day ended. A more robust version would be: “Emma misses the…
Ideas often start chaotic and unmanageable. Maybe the idea is an experience you had on vacation or a memorable sentence; perhaps it’s an image or some sort of lesson you want to illustrate. It’s interesting, but it’s also far too broad to use directly. It’s…