Write Now Edit Later

That sounds like simple advice.  Write your story now, worry about editing it later.

Write the story now ... edit it later.

Write now.  Edit later.

Write.  Edit.

Edit.  Just edit.

That's where most of you have probably found yourselves.  If not, then you're probably lost in the bog of eternal stench (sucks to be you!). What happened? You knew you should've been writing it out.  How else are you going to spot those inconsistencies, mishaps, plot holes, balrog, and boogers in your story if it's not written out?

Don't worry about editing.  Your story may not sound good to you now.  Screw having a perfect story!  Don't worry about it.  Make a note somewhere (somehow) in your manuscript that such & such needs fixing.  If your using Word, then use the "review" tab at the top.  Otherwise, just leave some kind of note in your text that you'll recognize during your edit and rewrite.

 Do it, or perish!

Get that story out of your head.  Vomit the whole thing out.  Then you can pick it up, chew on it (gross!), and make it into the nugget of genius you always knew it was (terrible metaphor, I know).  Forget the editing until it's time to edit.  If you get bogged down editing as you go(remember the bog of eternal stench?), you may find that your story never gets written.  That's a problem for someone who wants to make a living from their craft.

Focus, young padawan.  One step at a time.  Get it written.

So how about you?  Have you gotten stuck editing when you should be writing?  Did you ever get out of those stinky mires, or are you still sinking, head first?  Tell us about it in the comments below!  Remember to share, like and follow.  Social media makes the world go round.

Developing Plot & Your First Narrative

If you want your story to sell, it's gotta have equal parts of genius, uniqueness, and well developed story elements.  If you have the beastly ability to shape superb dialogue, but lack scene creation, your narrative will ... suck.  If you have amazing world building skills, but fail to deliver meaningful
dialogue, you might as well put your head on the chopping block.  Every element of fashioning a story must be just as strong as it's counterpart (links in a chain, braids of a rope etc ... hear Mr. Miyagi, young grass hopper!).

So let's take a look at one of the elements you might be struggling with, and don't even know it yet.  I'm talking about your plot, my friends.  You see, at first you have this bright beacon shinning inside your head with clear vision on where the story should go.  You've got the big picture all laid out, and writing it out should be simple.

And then you start ... and stop.  Holy plot holes, Batman!  What happened?  You got a few chapters in, set some things up, and now you've got no clue how to drive the story forward.  Welcome, new writer.  Grab a coffee and enjoy a muffin.  You'll be here for a moment or two.

Think about structure.  It's going to help you dramatically (pun intended) with your plot development.  Some writers are able to fly by the seat of their pants, pumping out story after well crafted story.  Usually that's because they've taken the time to master the rudimentary elements necessary to create beautiful literary works.  There are a few different ways to structure your story, and some of it may be dependent on what kind of story you're wanting to write.  Ultimately, using some of these techniques will help you learn how to develop your plot, and perhaps avoid big rewrites, inconsistencies, and plot holes.

The Basics

So what is drama and why does your story need it?  Drama in a story is that factor that makes the reader want to turn the page. There is conflict, unknown outcomes, second guessing as to where the story is gonna go.  All of it is summed up as drama.  Drama can be formed by understanding and using the following elements in your story.  I'll not explain these elements, but you should really go here and read up on them.  They are key to developing a solid plot that people want to turn the page to discover.

1.  Story Goal
2.  Consequences 
3.  Requirements
4.  Forewarnings 
5.  Costs 
6.  Dividends
7.  Prerequisites 
8.  Preconditions

Again, if these terms are completely foreign to you, go here to learn more about them (I've mentioned the same link twice, so you know it's important).  No matter what story you have, creating tension (drama) will make the story fill important.  I discovered a very simple way to do this.

Have two narratives instead of one.  One narrative if for your hero, driving them to achieve the story goal.  The other narrative is for the villains, where they have their own story goal they are trying to achieve. The villain and their plot opposes the hero in every way.  These are the forewarnings in your ultimate plot. When you work at it from these two perspectives, it is like a whirlpool of story, with tension building with setbacks (to either side) until the two forces meet and resolution must be achieved.

If you plan it out well enough, your story will be compelling.  As a beginning author, destined for greatness, take the time to learn how to formulate a plot.  This simple technique will transform you from being scatter-brained, to being a juggernaut of a story teller.

How about you?  Have you discovered a plot development technique that really helped your writing achieve a new, professional level?  Tell us about it in the comments below.  Please check me out on Twitter, Facebook, and Tumblr!  Share the crap out of this if you found it useful.