Who, What, When, Where And Why Are Your Most Useful Tools When It Comes To Brainstorming A Story | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Student Life

Who, What, When, Where And Why Are Your Most Useful Tools When It Comes To Brainstorming A Story

Not sure where to start? The five Ws can help with that.

91
Who, What, When, Where And Why Are Your Most Useful Tools When It Comes To Brainstorming A Story
Pexels

So, you've come up with an idea for a story and decided that completing said story is something you want to pursue.That's awesome! The world can always use more stories, whether you plan to publish this particular work or keep it to yourself. However, the act of actually sitting down and attempting to pen beautifully eloquent sentences that relay a well-rounded, attention-capturing journey is much more difficult than it seems. When it comes down to it, character development is hard. Plot development is hard. Scene setting is hard. Luckily, the five Ws provide the layout for an outline that will help you work out the kinks in your story before you even start writing.

Let's start with "Who." Who are your characters? What do you know about them? What are their names? Their ages? What do they look like? What are their flaws? Their attributes? Who is the protagonist? The antagonist? Supporting characters? An important thing to note is that your characters should have flaws - "perfect" characters make for boring stories. Your characters should be relatable. They should have challenges to overcome. If your character is completely carefree, the story will have no stakes. You can find plenty of character development worksheets online that will help you create a well-rounded character.

Next, what is your story going to be about? What are your major plot points? What are the minor plot points? How does the story begin? What choice does your protagonist or antagonist make that sets the story in motion? What is the climax of your story? The resolution? Again, characters should make choices. These choices are what propel the story. Your audience should be able to understand and accept your characters' reasoning behind the choices they make as well. Otherwise, the story may come off as confusing, and the audience may not be able to suspend their disbelief.

Additionally, it is important to establish when your story is taking place. At what point in the protagonist's life does your story begin? What year is it? What season? Month? During what span of time does the story progress? Readers will notice if a writer fails to establish appropriate time frames within their work.

"When" goes hand in hand with "Where," as the two combined form your story's setting(s). Where does your story take place? A city? A field? Are there multiple locations for your characters to visit? Or does the story play out in one place? Including descriptions of your locations, whether they are thorough or brief, will help the audience understand the space through which your characters are maneuvering.

Lastly, we come to "Why," which ties everything else together. Your characters need to be motivated to pursue their goals. Why are they setting forth on their journey? Why are they willing to put themselves or others at risk in order to obtain what they want? Your characters' actions should be justified through their desires. If readers cannot determine what it is your characters want, they will not feel connected to the characters.

Writing a story is by no means an easy task for anyone, and if it is, you must either be a literary genius or doing it wrong. Stories require work. They require effort and brainstorming. They are frustrating, maddening even, but they are so, so worth it

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
girl
Pexels

In case you're unaware, "resting bitch face" is the term used to describe when a person's natural, expressionless face makes it look like they are mad at the world. Whether they are walking down the street or simply spacing out thinking about what to eat for dinner, it's very easy for others to assume that this person is either upset or mad at them. Because of this, those of us with Resting Bitch Face (RBF), and especially us women, have all experienced many of the same situations and conversations, including:

Keep Reading...Show less
Entertainment

The Stages Of A Crush As Told By The Cast of "Bob's Burgers"

We all go through certain stages when we have a crush, Tina just explains it better.

828
my heart just pooped its pants
Google

We've all had a crush before. Whether it leads to something or nothing, the process has all been the same. The awkward feelings, the stalking, and the stress of trying to keep this huge secret. The feeling of becoming a total spazz is something that cannot be avoided, and the most spazzy family that can relate to this feeling is the Belcher's.

Keep Reading...Show less
you didnt come this far to only come this far lighted text
Photo by Drew Beamer on Unsplash

At the tender age of 18, we are bestowed with the title of “adult.” For 17 years, we live under the rules and guidelines of our parents, school, and government, and to stray from any of those rules or guidelines marks us as a rebel. At 18, though, we must choose which college we want to go to or what career we want. We are allowed and encouraged to vote. We can buy lottery tickets and cigarettes. We can drop out of school, leave our household, and do other "adult" things. At 18, we start down a path of thinking for ourselves, when for the entirety of our lives other institutions have been mandated to think and do for us.

Keep Reading...Show less
university
University of Nebraska at Omaha

Creating your schedule for the upcoming semester can be an exciting process. You have the control to decide if you want to have class two-days a week or five-days a week. You get to check things off of your requirement checklist. It's an opportunity for a fresh start with new classes (which you tell yourself you'll never skip.) This process, which always starts out so optimistic, can get frustrating really quickly. Here are 25 thoughts you have when registering for classes.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

10 Thoughts Of A 5th Year Senior

What about those of us who don't do it all in four years?

1794
college shirt
pointsincase.com

"College will be the best four years of your life" is a phrase that we have all heard growing up. College is painted as a magical place to us while we are in high school. A place you go to learn, meet your best friends and probably have the time of your life while all of this is going down. Four whirlwind years, where everything that you've known changes and you start to learn what it means to live on your own, have a job, etc. But what about those of us who don't do this all in four years? Major changes, hard courses, switching schools, career paths changing, these are just a handful of factors that could extend your four years to five, six or seven. There is nothing wrong with taking extra time to graduate, but returning as a fifth-year is a little different. Most of your best friends have most likely graduated and moved and while you may be one of the oldest undergraduates on campus, you might feel as awkward as a freshmen. A world that became home and comfortable to you is still there but it's slightly different than you've known it to be and you have to find a groove to fall into. These are thoughts you'll have as you look ahead to returning to your college campus, with a victory lap planned.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments