Developing story is the process of taking an idea and expanding it into a fully-developed story that’s ready to be written. Some writers, called plotters, complete a lot of pre-writing tasks before they put pen to paper; others (called pansters) prefer to discover their stories as they write them. The techniques discussed in this article will help you develop your own approach to developing story.
The first step in creating a character is to think about their background, including the events of their life that led them to where they are now. This helps establish their personality and gives a sense of what makes them unique.
Next, students will want to explore how their characters interact with each other. This allows them to create a supporting cast of characters that add depth to the protagonist’s story and highlights their flaws, conflicts, and inner strengths. It also shows the audience how the character’s actions can both contribute to and create conflict in their story.
Lastly, the character must have “story stakes.” This could be a literal life or death situation, but it can also be something less dramatic, such as proving their competence or finding a new job. The stakes should be built throughout the rising action, giving your protagonist a series of challenges that build up anticipation for the climax. Then, in the climax, all of those obstacles and tests will come to a head and your protagonist will have to make a difficult choice.