A Private Fox

(1) Write Utter Insanity.

Seriously. If you're not much of a plotliner and more of a pantser, then embrace the chaos. What's that crazy scene in your head? Write it! How'd they get there? Well naturally this string of inconceivable coincidences! Spicing things up? Time for a murder mystery! And now you got a ton of story material, even if not much of it is quality, it can still be repurposed if you like some of your ideas. Call it the rough draft for the rough draft.

I know it's a lot more writing, but it's good practice and gets the ideas pumping. I've have four pre-drafts of my first draft before, and I don't regret any of them. You can analyze your writing style and improvement, and even copy and paste details into your real draft when your plotline is put together! I have plenty of scenes from draft 0.4 that fits into draft 1!

(2) Use your OCs.

Your characters are a major part of your story and you've spent a lot of time and effort developing them, and there's more progression to come! Your characters control how the plot progresses. What conditions will it take for your characters to get involved with the plot? Let's take mine as an example. Alice (Alyce) is one of my main characters. She's firstly from the Victorian era and a friendly, dramatic young lady quieted by the standards she must keep for her family's reputation.

So what would convince Alyce, or your OC to get involved with the plot? The plot involves Alyce's family, and a friend of hers in need. With this motivation, it drives not only your character, but the story! Now she's starting to shake off the expectations placed on her for the sake of what she cares for. She's eavesdropping on important conversations (which can lead to her own investigations, and branches of the story), changing to accommodate the conflict, and making those motivations very, very clear.

If your OC isn't motivated or given reason to do anything, or if they're made to do things out of character, then your overall story will suffer as a result. (Let's not talk about draft 0.3....)

(3) Make a Checklist.

Let's take your first draft as a grocery trip checklist: What does your MC need to progress through the plot and accomplish their goals? Do they need to overhear a conversation? Is this a mystery situation where they must find evidence in their own unique ways? (Ex: some characters are more perceptive of people, some of their surroundings, etc.) Do they have to go through motions to figure out who the antagonist is, or do they find out through the story in a reveal?

Pick up a popular book of your genre and study it! Write down the steps that lead to the climax, and resolution. Then, read through the plotline you wrote out. How does the author get from point A, to B, all the way to Z?

(4) Take it One Step at a Time

Write down those details and scenes you really want to be included, and put them to the side. It's a good fun start! Keep it simple yet descriptive, enough to remind you of what you envisioned. Now, write down the start, and several somewheres, details, and whatever you want included. Then write the middle, then more somewhere heres and more details, integrating your big ideas like sprinkles on cupcakes. Do not be upset if you can't think of anything. It took me several days to make a plotline for my rough draft, and even now I occasionally go back and tweak/move things around!

Once it's finished, it'll be a lot easier to keep your draft in order. You don't have to have a plotline kept to the side, but it can be helpful for organization, and keep the plot on track.

(1) Appearances are a lot more important than you think.

Seriously, your OC's psychical attribute effect themselves and the world around them! Say your character is a teenaged girl with dark hair, almond shaped eyes, a couple beauty marks and a curvy body shape. She wears comfortable sweaters, sweatpants, and purple. Now visualize that.

Now think about how you choose clothing. Do you like comfort or style?

We can say this character likes to be comfortable, and probably isn't a fan of getting out of her comfort zone. She likes baggy clothes and doesn't put much effort into her appearance. Perhaps she's insecure and has some self-esteem issues about her body, which although she's very pretty, it's not in the way that her surroundings find conventionally attractive like in the magazines. Also, she loves purple!

Of course, this is only an example. Plenty of confident people wear sweaters, and plenty of people wear a lot of one color but not because it's their favorite. There's more you can do to exhibit personality with appearances too. Let's give my girl here some eyebags. Perhaps she doesn't sleep very well. You can always tweak the appearance no matter where in development- hell, I suggest it!

A change of appearance can also show growth! Suppose our girl learns throughout the story how to be confident and not conform to the unrealistic expectations of the world because she's a rebel! She still wears those awesome sweaters but now she styles them and has fun with it! This can show your character learning to love what they're comfortable with at the same time change for their own betterment in subtle, optional ways.

At any point in time, feel free to go back and tweak them! I've had a character change between every shade of blonde under the sun! And my OC above used to be pretty bland.

(2) Don't be Afraid of Stereotypes.

Before you drag me off to the looney barn let me explain! Let's introduce a new character. She's the popular girl in school! Straight brown hair, bleached highlights, loves hot pink and is very extroverted! She's dated just about everyone in school too. Sounds like your average popular girl cheerleader stereotype right? And that's how she started out. Hell, she still is. But let's think.

Why is she this way? Our girl is a serial dater, and has some pretty serious non-committal issues. Suppose her family is very conservative and restrictive and out of rebellion she decides to rack up a kiss count to announce on graduation day! Humiliate her family and be publicly disowned, safe to go off and start her own life. Is this healthy? Not at all. But it's a complex issue that gives her more depth and backstory. Development.

The stereotypes don't stick around forever. Our girl can be difficult but she's an Insider! She's got friend groups with everyone, and then her main friend group. Eventually she gets kicked out of cheer because she got into some wild makeup and nail press ons as a new way to tick off her superiors. This shows more then a stereotype: she's rebellious and loves scandalous attire like low rise skinny jeans and crop tops.

Of course, she's still that popular girl stereotype. She's got mounds of friends, wears pink, and dates half the football team! But she's not a static antagonist. Stereotypes can be amazing and really help you evolve your character if they're your starting point! They're just poorly written and barely evolved in most medias.

(3)

Write AUs.

Your character is lacking since it doesn't have development through content right? You can't progress through your plot since you have no idea what your OC will do in that situation.

So make content!

Find writing prompts, make up your own silliness or angst! Write about your OCs riding dragons, working in an office, subjected to an arranged marriage, anything! This is for you. Now you can ask yourself, what will your OC do? Will they object to the marriage and try and run off? Will they discuss this peacefully and set down a negotiation? What about dragons? Will they be nice to their new dragon friend? Will they use them for thievery or the greater good or just basic travel? Do they even like the idea of "using" a dragon? What's their morals? Do they get angry or weepy at situations and most importantly: what makes them tick, tock, and crack.

None of it has to be canon. Not only does it help with characters, but even your plot! Maybe you get a scene idea you adore! Or detail you love! Because of those silly AU's (which will never see the light of day...) I figured out one of my characters adores dancing! Another has a deep overprotectiveness and loyalty over their people, and perhaps that'll only worsen before it improves...

(4) Let them Write Themselves!

I know, that doesn't make any sense. But the voices are calling! Through those AUs and First Drafts, sometimes they react differently then how you wanted the character to be. For example, my girl who loves her sweaters in (1)? I originally wanted to make her sweet, friendly and bubbly. However, when writing I don't understand how or why, she was very snippy, short-tempered and socially awkward, sweet in a rough way.

I could be crazy, but from then on I couldn't imagine her the way she started. And with these anger issues, came more development. Why is she this way? Where did it come from? Suppose she started out as that Orphan Heroine Stereotype? What happened to her parents? Who's alive? And then suppose in the system, she required medical help but she was ignored for being too quiet, too reserved. Eventually, she snapped. What was this medical issue? Perhaps she kept passing out, getting fatigued, and too hot and too cold. Well, then I guess I'll give her PoTS, something I'm familiar with and researched. Now she's got an adorable service dog, and whoa- she's a dog lover!

See how fast your character can develop?

(5) Finally: Just Ask Why.

That's the key for development. Every situation, every reaction they have, ask why. Why're they doing this? Why do they care? Why is this their problem? And why did they solve it this way? Do not question yourself, question your OCs.