#writewithfire

if you have a grand, sweeping concept for a story and want to flesh out your idea, this is for you!

no idea is original - read, read, read! take note of little details you love about certain books and piece them together

conversely, books that you dislike can have promising concepts that you know you could do better

interview your characters! have someone ask your main character/s about their experiences throughout the story, and let them ramble on for as long as they like. this is a good way of filling in the little details between events.

for those who like structure, make a timeline of events. once you have your major plot points in a rough order, make a list of events you need to get from one point to another - it's a good way to ensure continuity and that your plot flows well

and finally, keep a little notebook with all of your ideas. make sure to write everything down, even if you think its stupid or overdone - you might change your mind when you come back to it

do you have a cool concept for a character that you want to flesh out?

take inspiration from characters you love! what is it about them that interests you? what makes them feel alive?

character questionnaires! you don’t have to fill out every question if you don’t want to, just pick out the ones that interest you the most

you can even answer the questions as your character to get authentic answers in their words

similarly, let your characters journal their thoughts. with a blank page and complete privacy, what are they willing to divulge? how open are they with themselves?

write them in a different time of their lives - people are shaped by their past experiences. how were they raised? how have they changed?

also, if you have an idea for a big event in their past, write about how that affected them - you'll get a clearer picture of why your character acts the way they do.

and finally, just keep writing them! the more situations you put them in, the better you'll understand who they are

🕯️ The Craft: Episode 3 – Build Your Protagonist Like a Familiar

they saved my life but won't stop holding it over my head - I've done everything they've asked and now they've asked me to come here

everything I've done has led to utter failure and this is my last attempt

they're getting weaker and weaker and I'm doing this to save them - why do they want to stop me?

no one knows I don't belong here and I've kept up the charade for too long

they wanted this dream so badly so surely I need to finish what they started?

nothing will absolve me of the crime I committed, but no one here knows that

nothing will absolve them of the crime they committed - now it's my duty to fix what they've done