Story development is the process of turning an idea into a full-fledged narrative. It involves brainstorming, fleshing out characters and situations, and identifying the themes your story will explore. It also includes writing an outline for the plot and ensuring that it has the necessary elements to become a compelling and engaging story.
Developing your story requires that you have an idea of the world where it will take place, its setting and the settings where most scenes will occur. You will also need to have a clear picture of your protagonist’s journey and the obstacles that will be faced throughout the story. You will also want to identify the key conflict that the story will be exploring.
Once you have the basic framework established, you can begin developing the plot of your story and determining the key character’s journeys. It is a good idea to consider utilizing a narrative structure like Joseph Campbell’s monomyth or Blake Snyder’s beats to help you develop your story and ensure that it follows a logical flow.
When you are developing your characters, make sure that they have meaningful and relatable goals and motivations. This will allow your readers to connect with them more easily. You will also need to identify the central conflict that your story will be exploring and create a powerful antagonist for your protagonist.
If you are working on a short story, you may want to consider including a subplot. These secondary plot lines are important to a story because they can increase the depth of your protagonist’s internal and external journeys. However, you should be mindful to only include subplots that serve a purpose.
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