How to be a Better Writer (For Beginners)

Make a Plot List

This is my absolute favorite part! Before you start a story, it seems like so many creative ideas are crowding your brain. Suddenly, you feel so inspired that you get excited and want to start writing your ideas down on a spare napkin. Once you finally get going, there is no stopping you. But, wait! Slow down, eager beaver! Did you preplan your story?

Something that I do when starting a new story is make a plot list. Let me explain.

This "plot list" is a pretty clever tactic I use. Every event that I want to happen in the story is written down, like a list. For example, ever seen the movie, Frozen? Of course you have. If I was making a plot list for Frozen, it would look like this:

- Anna announces to Elsa that she wants to marry Hans

- Elsa disagrees to the marriage proposal, saying she cannot marry someone she just met

- Elsa walks away, trying to ignore Anna

- Anna is angry and starts a fight with her sister, ripping off her glove when trying to grab Elsa's hand

- Elsa is startled and tries to seize her glove back, while Anna continues to argue with her, asking why she shuts the whole world out

See what I mean? This is what I always do when starting a story. It helps you remember what you want to happen, instead of your story running offtrack and being a messy ending.