Planning a Story · 5:11am Aug 6th, 2015
Evening, all!
IDKNameHere recently asked me about how I plan out a story, and since I thought it was worth talking about to everybody, he was nice enough to allow me to publish my part of our conversation. Let's dig in!
Tiny Book Horse is ready!
Once I have an idea for a story, I always try to imagine how it ends. I want to know where the characters end up and what condition they're in. Doing so allows me to structure the story in a way that serves that ending. For something like "Not in Bluff Nor Bravado Nor Loneliness," I knew I wanted Iron Will to learn about what it means to be a man and for him to make right all the things he'd done wrong, especially by changing his attitude with the ponies. For "Sensation," I know what the last chapters are going to be (some almost down to the word), and I write every chapter with the climax and denouement in mind.
Approaching a story this way has a lot of advantages. First, it lets you put in details that people will find engaging – one of the big hooks with "Sensation" is that Soarin's legs are broken, which I wouldn't have been able to include unless I knew how the story ended. Second, it makes it so your story always has direction. In "Happy Hour," I knew I wanted to end on a heartfelt moment and one last big joke, so I could structure the rest of the story to give it the most punch. Third, it helps you figure out where to start. Kurt Vonnegut has 8 rules for creative writing, and I recommend you take them to heart.
Employ an assistant to take notes as needed.
Of course, the ending isn't necessarily the most important part. Once I know the ending, I work backwards. "What would happen in the second-to-last scene to make the last scene happen? What would need to happen right before that? What would have needed to happen a week before that?" At this point, I plan out all the major plot details and create an outline. Kkat, who wrote "Fallout: Equestria" has described it as connecting the dots: you figure out all the major things that need to happen, and then when you write the actual chapters, you just figure out what happens between each of those major events. It helps keep you focused on just one chunk of the story at a time.
Beyond that, I just try to think about the story a whole bunch. Ideas come to you in the weirdest places, like when I'm out for a walk or in the hot, steamy shower or… well, it can happen pretty much any time I'm alone. 
It sometimes helps to talk ideas out, too. When a good idea strikes, you think how you can make it work and where it would fit in with everything else.
I should note: the ending can certainly change from how you originally conceived it, and it's good to have that flexibility. I just like the sense of direction it gives me to know where I want to be.
Some writers prefer to plan very little beyond an idea, and they just write going forward, a chapter at a time. It works sometimes, but this has led to a lot of fics that stall out after a while. There are exceptions, of course, but it's never really worked for me.
Hope you guys found this helpful! Let me know if I should post more journals like this, and if you have something you'd like me to talk about, be sure to leave a comment.
And now, because you've read this far, have some Soarburn.
Night, everypony!
~Vivid
Thank you so much for posting this!
I'll remember these ideas if I do creative writing in the future for planning a story.
I'm curious to know, how you do character development? I've read other writers post about how they develop their characters, but I want to know you develop your characters.
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Another good question considering i don't even think much about this aspect of writing.
Quick, Vivid, write a book on how to write books!
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Like I said, I'm totally willing to do more of these.
Plus, it sounds like we already have a candidate for the next one!