3 Ways to Build a Story
Developing a Story from a Theme, a Character, or a Specfic Scene
Developing a Short Story or Novel from a Specific Theme
There are several ways a work of fiction can begin in the writer’s mind. Some stories spring from an idea or theme, others from an interesting character, still others from a specific dramatic scene the writer has witnessed and feels might make a good story.
The Theme-Based Story
Theme-based stories usually occur when a writer has a point or moral theme he is anxious to share with the world and believes the best way to do this is in a fictional form. Writers who start with a theme are lucky in a sense, as the theme is like the foundation to a house—the sooner it is established and the more solid it is, the stronger the story will be.
The theme might be a very complex message or a simple one. An example of a complex theme might be—is it morally wrong to kill an evil person, such as a mad dictator, for a good cause? Is murder ever a good deed rather than a bad one?
A simpler theme might be crime doesn’t pay, or it’s human nature to want more than you have.
The Character-Based Story
Not all writers have a specific theme in mind when they start a new work of fiction. Some prefer start with a character and write a little free-hand to see just where that character takes them.
Perhaps the writer had a teacher who was a great inspiration. Mr. Crowley was strict but kind and taught him discipline and he owes his success to him. In order to have a successful story, this great teacher must be someone the reader can identify with. He must become everyman’s ideal teacher.
Incorporating a Character into a Workable Plot
Having a notable character is a good way to start a story, but now the writer will have to set the teacher into a situation that brings out his greatness. What makes him better than the average man? A theme can then be developed that centers around a challenge this teacher faces and overcomes. Maybe he is wrongly accused of a crime or fired. How will he react? What will the outcome be? The answers to these questions will help develop a fictional place for this character to live and grow.
Stories Inspired by a Specific Scene
Sometimes a scene from childhood or from any part of life haunts an author and the writer feels compelled to put it down on paper for others to experience. It might come in the form of a dream or might be some exciting or thought-provoking scene the writer has actually witnessed, one that sparked strong emotion. A scene does not necessarily have to be experienced personally—sometimes an observation on the street, an argument overheard in a café, will spark an idea for a story.
Developing a Story from a Single Incident, Observation, or Scene
What if an author has always been haunted by some image or scene from childhood? Maybe the writer saw his father pack his suitcase one morning and feared his dad is going to leave forever. Maybe the father was just going on a business trip.
Usually, a scene taken from real life must be embellished and dramatized before it makes good fiction. Later on, the adult writer might remember his sense of temporary abandonment and develop a scene in a novel where a father packs his suitcase and never does return.
What happened to him? What kept him away? Were the parents having trouble and keeping quiet about it to spare the child, only to hurt him more when he discovered the truth of their marriage breakup? Or was the father hiding a secret? Maybe he was forced to leave against his will to save the family from some scandal.
No matter whether an author is inspired by a theme, a character or an image or single incident, the finished work must eventually have all three components. A writer can start a story with whichever one seems strongest in his mind, and use it as a stepping stone to build the rest of the story.
For more tips on plotting and getting ideas, see Writing in First Person, Generating Story Ideas ,and Do you Need a Plot Outline?
