Whether you’re 16 or 60, deciding to write a story is a scary thing. It’s overwhelming in its size and effort required. It seems, at times, a mountain much to large to even consider climbing. But for writers, it is a fear we must learn to overcome, an obstacle we must not go around but instead find a way to go through. And I’ve put together a simple way to minimize the struggle, to make the overwhelming mountain a small mole hill, one that can easily be stepped over. It’s quite simple actually, something that we all learned in grade school: the 5 Ws. Establish a who, what, when, where and why before you begin writing, and I promise you that your fear and uncertainty at tackling such an immense project will disappear. Here’s why:
Who?
This is single-handedly the most important thing to establish before sitting down to write. You needed to decide who you will tell your story through. Will it be one narrator, two, more? Will it be written in first, second or third person? Who will your story center on? What does he/she/they look like? What is his/her/their name(s). What draws you to this character(s)?
What?
Answering this question begins the plot line. Focus on “action-word” verbs. Think about what your character(s) will do, what actions your character(s) will take, essentially what decisions your character(s) will make that lead him/her/them to the climax of the story. In it’s most basic form: what is your character doing?
When and where?
Setting is particularly fascinating and important to a story because it adds ambience and sets the mood for the entire story. Placing the characters in Massachusetts will create a much different atmosphere than placing them in Kansas or Hawaii. Stories that take place at night give off a suspenseful or even fearful vibe. Sometimes stories tell of the past (historical fiction, for example) or of the future (dystopian fiction) or often times flip between the past and the present. Giving considerable thought to time and place will greatly affect how readers will perceive your story.
Why?
This step is what makes your characters come to life. Determining a “why” gives them motivation, ambition, reasoning, emotion, etc. Discovering a reason for characters’ behavior, actions, words, etc. transforms them from utterly flat characters to three-dimensional figures that the reader can picture as real people. After, the who, the why is perhaps the most important step in the planning stage. The why is what makes a story realistic, believable and honest. It is what gives a story character and what makes it stand out from other stories. Without a why, there would be no character development—characters would never change, and really, who wants to read a story where everybody just stays the same?
I’ll be the first to admit that I hate any type of pre-writing. I’m the kind of person that wants to just dive right in, tell the story, and get on with it. But answering these questions is worth the extra time because it helps steer you away from writer’s block. There’s not nearly as much thinking that needs to happen during the actual writing, and the words can just flow freely.
Really, just give it a try.
