1. The Story Seed.

When setting out to write any type of story, the story seed is instrumental. It’s the component from which all else sprouts. It is the grounding point for the tale and can be returned to time and time again. The story seed can also be the  starting point even if the story itself is not fully-fledged.

So, what exactly is the story seed?

The story seed is made up of three distinct elements: character, place, and predicament.

1 – you need to have a main character (protagonist). At this point, you don’t need to be weighed down with a tonne of information about the character. The character can become better defined at a later point but the essence of them will be here. Establish a loose backstory, a few personality traits, and physical characteristics. The most important thing in this phase is knowing what the character wants. That’s the key. That’s what drives the plot.

2 – the place is simply the setting of your tale. This sounds pretty simple, but it can be incredibly complex. Visualise what the place looks like, not just the physical buildings, but consider all the elements from culture to geography. Another key factor to consider here is how your character fits into the place. Social standing is crucial to how someone interacts, speaks, and reacts. It is crucial to know this given that we’re going to be making everything up.

If the place is real, do the research. Know the culture. Know the layout. A story can rapidly fall flat in a two-dimensional setting.

3 – the predicament is what happens to the character in the place. You have a choice here in that it can be the inciting incident (the thing which kicks everything off) or it can be the actual plot of the story (sometimes they’re the same). It sort of depends on your style of writing. If you like things to develop along the way, then the first option is probably a good call. If you’re going to be doing a lot of plotting, the latter may be a better choice.

Below is an example of all of the above.

A disrespected ten-year-old orphan (character) in England, living under the stairs (place), wants to escape his situation then discovers he’s a wizard (predicament).

This is the story seed. If you get stuck at any point during the plotting or writing phase, this central idea can be returned to as often as needed to ensure you are doing serves the original idea.

However, the story seed is not an inflexible thing. You don’t have to be anchored to it. If, during the course of plotting or writing, you take the story in a different direction, then change the seed. If you keep pulling away from the original idea, then it may be that you need to rethink what you intended to accomplish at the outset.

2. Building The Character.

Characters need to feel real and grounded. Sounds simple, doesn’t it? This doesn’t mean they can’t have high or fanciful ideals. It doesn’t mean they can’t be full of choice colourful dialogue or choice quips. It means that they need to act and react like real people. This makes it easier for the reader to identify with them. If the reader can identify with the main character, then you have a great bond which you can exploit. You can write the most outlandish or fantastical setting and occurrences because the reader has the character to cling to and anchor them.

There are four elements which are crucial in building a character to make them feel real in any setting – want, obstacle, flaw and need.

Want – what does the character desire?
Obstacle – what is in the way of them getting what they want?
Flaw – what is it about the character that prevents them getting what they want?
Need – what does the character need in order to overcome their flaw?

The character needs to overcome their own flaw in order to overcome the obstacle to get what they want.

These four things combine to create the character arc. More than that, though, is that they are fundamental aspects of being human. We all have flaws. We all have needs. We all want something, and things get in the way. This is how the reader will relate to the character if defined well-enough.

These elements are all instrumental to plot but do inform about aspects of the character. How a character goes about overcoming an obstacle or flaw says a lot about them.

For example, someone who is from a poorer class in an oppressive society may choose to join a ‘criminal’ organisation which is trying to overthrow the ruling elite. What may those actions say about the character? The character is lower class, daring, desperate and acknowledges the power of teamwork.
Looking closer can reveal more about the character. If the character is lower class, they may already be involved in criminal activity to survive. This could reveal a mistrust in others as the character is out for themselves and their loved ones. They then must overcome this mistrust to band together with others to achieve the goal of overthrowing the elite.

You can keep adding to the list and analysing until you have a well-rounded and grounded character firmly rooted in the setting and tale.

Try this.

Take a basic want, think of an obstacle, how the character responds to the obstacle and what that says about them. Make a diagram (a tree, perhaps) out of the details. You can mix them together to make new traits. Cross out the ones you don’t like. Identify ones which get in the way of your character’s goals and you’re on the way to a multi-dimensional character.

3 - The Setting.

In this instalment, we’re going to have a deeper look at the idea of place, or world-building. World-building is a crucial weapon in any story-tellers arsenal, but perhaps most crucial in the realm of science-fiction and fantasy.

Most writers are familiar with the ‘iceberg’ theory where the writer knows everything about the character, plot, and so on but only about 10 – 20 percent of that is conveyed to the reader – the visible part of the iceberg.

This theory is also crucial in the elements of world-building.

The writer essentially takes on the role of a god: the creator. As such, the writer knows every facet of their created world. This doesn’t mean that all of these things need to be conveyed to the reader, but the writer should have a good grasp on how it all goes together, rather than some vague notion. When it isn’t fully-fledged, that comes across to the reader in the form of inconsistencies and convenience in the plotting.

There is a tendency in fantasy and sci-fi to populate worlds with fantastical beasts, aliens or whatever. It’s important to rein this in somewhat. Don’t have them there just for the sake of it. You wouldn’t do this in other forms of writing, so don’t do it in these genres either. They end up becoming cliches and poorly-drawn analogies.

Building a town.

There is no one tried and true way of world-building, however you, as the creator, can keep a check on things by creating lists of what you need to cover or portray.

The idea is to get the idea of the setting over to the reader in the most robust and direct way possible.

1. Where I the town located within the world?
2. What is the local climate?
3. What is the local flora/fauna?
4. Who rules the area and how?
5. What is the culture like, and do folk beings believe in a higher power?

Location.
The location of the town within the created world is especially important. There’s a big difference between a desert terrain, coastal terrain, and mountainous terrain for example. Each will have a different way of life and differing challenges for the inhabitants. A coastal town may be bountiful in food from the sea. A mountainous region may offer greater protection from invaders.

Climate.
This is just as important as location and is closely linked to it. Different climates offer different challenges and shape the lives of the people who live there. One of the most obvious would be in their attire. Sunny climates differ greatly from arctic ones.

Flora & Fauna.
This can be crucial in helping to make your world believable. It is tied closely with location and climate; once you’ve established those two aspects, this one should become much easier to draw. Lizards are more inclined to inhabit warmer climes. If they don’t, it’ll probably require some explanation (exposition) as to why not and how they cope out of accepted norms.

Governance.
A town and its people are influenced heavily by those who govern them. The demeanour and mood of the people can be determined by their ruler. Can folk move about freely or is there a curfew (remember the why)? Answers to these questions throw up others: Why do the rulers act this way? Is there a greater danger? Are the governing powers unjust or protective?

Culture.
Culture involves many things and can be determined in some ways by the things already mentioned in this list. Many cultures adapt because of their environment, such as traditional clothing, certain prayers, and beliefs in gods for specific purposes (rain, sun, food, etc).
Don’t underestimate the importance of the history of your locale. History plays a huge rule in shaping the community. It also helps to give the place a lived-in feeling which will hopefully come across to the readers.

Try this.
Have a look at the list above and the basic definitions and give it a go. The richer you make the town, the richer the story can be.
Remember, though, that all of this doesn’t need to come across to the reader. Exposition and description for its own sake can bog down a piece. A lot of what you invent or discover bubbles under the surface, and it may be only the repercussions that play an active role in the storytelling.

However, by creating this beforehand, you have it on tap should you need to explain something later in the tale and rather than it feeling convenient, it will be integrated and feel organic because it already existed and influenced what has already happened.

4. What happens?

This is the section where we look at the third element of the story seed - what happens to the character, or plotting.

Plotting can be daunting in many respects. Some writers prefer not to do it and let the story dictate events as they go (sometimes known as pantsers!). However, it can be advantageous to know where you’re going!

The third element in the story seed can be simple or complex depending on the route you want to take. It can be one specific thing which incites it all or a series of things. However, these things should have an impact on the main character, or their group.

Plotting, at its core, is a series of events which are strung together to create a story. These events can be big or small, but they should be meaningful. This doesn’t mean that the story should rush from plot point to plot point like a raging rhino.

Just as important in the tale are the spaces in-between.

Big plot points give us the plot but the smaller points along the way give character depth and detail. It allows you to show off the world you’ve created and interact with it to make is a visceral experience for the reader. It’s when character traits come to the fore, when characters converse with another and produce revelations, backstory, and desires. All the kinds of things which give the story depth and range.

If you rush headlong from big set-piece to big set-piece, the pacing will suffer, the story will feel rushed, and the reader will get exhausted. The smaller moments may not be as memorable, but they are no less important. As the writer, you need to incorporate quieter moments to give the reader some down time. It also allows each major plot point time to breath. There’s a build-up and a cool down. When you rush from one to another, there’s almost a need to make each one bigger because it's competing directly with what came before. When there are quieter moments mixed in, this desire is quelled somewhat.

The traditional 3 Act Structure is defined as a story beat template that breaks a story down into three major components. You’ve got your setup, your conflict (or confrontation), and your resolution. In other words, there’s a beginning, a middle, and an end.

By re-evaluating this, you can add in extra steps to allow for better pacing and a more rhythmic feel to the tale. An example of how this might look follows.

1 – Act 1 : a meeting of the main characters, an introduction of the conflict. The opening should have a hook fairly early on to entice the readers. This opening salvo is generally lower in energy than what follows but with enough there to hook and hold and reader.

2 – Ascent to Act II : the journey itself begins and often starts on a high – the inciting incident.

3 – Act II : The Trials. A series of smaller stakes. Minor conflicts which allow the reader to experience the character as they adjust to the world.

4 – Midpoint Climax :  after facing the smaller-scaled trials, the characters are tested to a much high degree.

5 – Act III : The Breather. After a big moment in the midpoint climax, allow the reader to re-acclimate with the characters in a quieter moment or two. Explore what has happened and how it has shaped or changed the characters. Let them, and the reader, come to terms with any ramifications.

6 – Ascent to Act IV : The occurrence of another large event. Usually one which seems insurmountable, but the characters will pull together for that final push to success.

7 – Act IV : The Climax. The characters face and overcome the antagonistic forces.

You can see here that the 3 Act Structure has expanded to a seven-act piece. It can be larger than that by following the same basic principles, dependent on the length, complexity, and scope of your story.

Try this.
Take your story structure and look at your major plot points. Then plan out what comes between them and look for opportunities to deepen your characters within those quieter moments. Remember to think about what we learn about them and how this will affect them going forward.