 Hello, hello, writers! I'm Christine Kiefer, author of fantasy fiction and creative writing resources, and you are listening to the Well-Sturried podcast, where I share insights, encouragement, and actionable advice designed to help you craft sensational novels and build your best writing life, always in 30 minutes or less, so you can get back to writing, of course. Ready for the show? Let's get talking! Hello again, writers, and welcome or welcome back to the Well-Sturried podcast. I'm your host, Christine Kiefer, and today is October 12th, 2020. In today's episode, I am overhauling an article that I originally wrote on July 9th, 2015. I then recorded and published the corresponding podcast episode for this article on March 26th, 2018, but like I said, today I am giving this article and episode an overhaul, and I'm excited to share this newly updated version with you. Today's episode is titled, How to Develop Your Story Idea in 11 Simple Steps. If you'd like to read along as you listen in or check out all of the many links to additional articles and episodes that I've included in today's transcript, then simply visit www.well-sturried.com-develop. Now, let's dive in. There is an exciting new story idea stuck in your head, but how can you expand that idea into a well-developed story you're ready to write? The answer to this question depends on your personal approach to the pre-writing process. Some writers, called plotters, prefer to develop their stories in intricate detail before putting pen to paper. Pancers, on the other hand, often complete very few pre-writing tasks before drafting, preferring to write by the seat of their pants or discover their stories as they write. Many other writers fall somewhere between these two extremes. If you've found your way to this episode of the podcast, then you're likely interested in developing your story idea to some degree before drafting. If so, you're in luck. Today I'm breaking down 11 foundational steps writers can take to bring their stories to life before hitting the blank page. Step number one, write it down. Have an idea that's been swirling around in your head? Though we aren't likely to forget our best and most thrilling story ideas, it's nevertheless important to write your idea down ASAP. It's all too easy to let the fruits of our imaginations grow fuzzy in our minds, and all the easier to whip up something magical when we make our ideas manifest on paper. Step number two, tease it out. The ease and excitement with which you can expand a new story idea is a sure sign of its potential, but don't wait around for the muse to strike. Take time now to explore and expand your idea. Can you spin that flash of a scene into the beginnings of a plot? Get some flesh on the bones of that character that came to mind. Find a way to add a little depth and movement to that setting you envisioned. Now's the time to dive deep into your creative sandbox, my friend. Step number three, identify the key players. Character lives at the heart of every story. It's the main character's actions that drive the plot, their motivations that lend meaning to the story, and the trials and tribulation they experience that keeps readers turning pages. As you work to tease out your story idea, search for your key players, the protagonists and antagonists who will create your story's central conflict. Begin to develop these characters in earnest, exploring key characterization elements such as their personality, appearance, voice, backstory, flaws, and false beliefs. This is a good time for me to remind you that there are links to additional articles and episodes exploring each of these topics in today's episode transcript at well-storied.com slash develop. Step number four, define your stories G and C. With your key players on the field, it's time for the games or rather your plot to begin. It's okay if you'd rather discover your story's events as you draft, but to ensure you won't run into any dead-end plotlines or lack of direction along the way, take time now to establish your story's G and C. Ask, goal, what do my key players want? Motivation, why do they want it? And conflict, what's stopping them from getting it? Goal, motivation, conflict, G and C. With your story's G and C in place, you'll have established a strong foundation for your plot. Allow your character's goals and motivations to drive their actions and additional conflict will arise naturally, allowing you to develop and draft your story's events with ease. Step number five, paint your backdrop. Don't let your character's journeys play out in front of a literary green screen. Now that you've established a strong foundation for your story, take a moment to explore where it will be set. Can you visualize your story's backdrop? How about the settings where many of your scenes will take place? If you're writing speculative fiction, then you may also wish to develop your story world at this point. Take time to define your world's geography, cultures, religions and other important facets of your fictional universe. Step number six, develop a premise. With your story's characters, conflict and setting becoming more realized by the moment, it's time to ensure that your story idea has true narrative potential by developing a premise. With narrative potential being the ability to sustain a full-length plot. Crafting this short statement, which distills the essence of your story into just one or two sentences, is vital, regardless of how much or little you plan to plot your story prior to drafting. If you can develop a simple, concise premise that hits each of the necessary story elements, then you can take the next step in your writing journey with confidence and a clear sense of direction. Again, be sure to check out the additional links in today's episode transcript for more on crafting your story's premise. Step number six, map out your major beats. With your premise in place, you can now, if you so choose, begin to map your story's major beats, that is, its events or turning points. Complete this step in as much detail as you see fit. If you're a plotter, then you may enjoy using the three-act story structure and one of my favorite outlining methods to plot your story. If you're a more free-spirited writer, then consider establishing the following six major beats, which can serve as landmark events to aim for in your drafting process. First up, the hook. This opening beat shows your protagonist experiencing an everyday conflict that highlights some flaw in their world or within themselves. Next, the inciting incident. This early event changes everything for your protagonist, providing them with an opportunity or forcing them to address the external or internal flaw the hook identified. Third, the first plot point. It's during this event that your protagonist's journey truly gets underway, whether by choice or circumstance, they're now chasing their goal in earnest. One thing to note is that sometimes the inciting incident and the first plot point are the same event. Next, we have the midpoint. Roughly halfway through your story, a momentous event changes your character's perspective on their journey, often reinforcing their commitment to their goal, highlighting what's at stake should the antagonists succeed, and or opening their eyes to the consequences of their own fears, flaws, or false beliefs. Fifth, we have the climactic sequence. This intense conflict serves as the finale of your story, in which your protagonist achieves their goal and or overcomes the antagonist. And finally, the resolution. This scene or short series of events concludes your protagonist's journey, addressing the consequences of their experiences and establishing their new normal. Step number seven, identify your story's internal arcs. Conflict breeds external and internal consequences. If you haven't already, take a moment to establish the major internal obstacle that will complicate your protagonist's journey. Is there a particular fear, flaw, or false belief that will hinder their ability to achieve their goal or overcome the antagonist? How might this internal roadblock impact their actions and reactions throughout their journey? This inner obstacle will serve as the foundation of your protagonist's character arc, the internal sequence of events they'll experience. Determining whether this sequence will be positive, negative, or static in nature can help clarify the direction of your story as you develop or draft it. Step number nine, determine your story's themes. Literary themes aren't just for English class. In fact, a theme is nothing more than a topic a story explores, and most themes arise naturally from the events of the story's plot and character arcs. The messages that readers might derive from these arcs are called thematic statements, and it's these statements that lend a story meaning. Establishing your story's themes and thematic statements before drafting can help ensure your character's journeys will pack a powerful emotional punch from the start. On to step number ten, developing your secondary cast. With all the major aspects of your story in place, it's now time to add a little depth and complexity to your narrative, beginning with your cast of characters. Unless your key players are living in a bubble, they're going to have strong relationships that impact their journeys. Take time now to explore the nature of these relationships and how they lend value to your story. If you can remove a character without impacting the plot you've developed, then they likely don't serve enough purpose to deserve a place in your story. Also, make sure to develop your secondary characters fully. There's no reason your key players should spend their scenes interacting with cardboard cutouts and caricatures. Finally, step number eleven, develop essential subplots. Subplots are secondary plotlines that lend complexity to a narrative. Rather than existing for complexity's sake alone, good subplots arise from your key player's secondary goals, when applicable, and the goals and motivations that drive your secondary characters. Despite their secondary nature, good subplots play an integral role in a story's core conflict, complicating the protagonist's external and internal journeys. If you can remove a subplot from your story without impacting the central narrative, then that subplot is likely more fluff than integral storyline. Ensure you develop powerful subplots that lend complexity to your key character's journeys, and you can't go wrong. Congratulations, Raider. In completing these eleven steps, you've taken that tiny seed of a story idea and nurtured it into a well-developed narrative, one with compelling characters, immersive settings, and powerful themes. Oh, and a gripping plot, too. If you're looking for additional guidance as you work through the pre-writing process, then you're going to love the insights and guided activities included in our well-storied workbooks, the pre-write project, world-building warrior, and crafting incredible characters. If you'd like to learn more about each of these workbooks and download your copies today, simply visit well-storied.com slash books. Thank you for listening to today's episode of The Podcast Writer. I hope you found it helpful to your writing journey. If so, make sure to subscribe to the podcast so you never miss a new episode and to give the podcast a quick rating or review. Doing so goes a long way toward helping the podcast reach new writers and lets me know that you're enjoying what I'm creating. You can also give me a shout-out directly on Instagram at christen underscore keeper. For additional guidance as you work to craft sensational novels and build your best writing life, be sure to head on over to www.well-storied.com where I share blog posts, workbooks, e-courses, and other helpful resources for writers. Again, that's W-E-L-L-S-T-O-R-I-E-D dot com. Thank you again for tuning into today's episode, my friend. Until next time, happy writing!