Remember Freytag's Pyramid? That's more of a guideline rather than a stone-tablet rule for plotting your plot. Still, there are a few things you need if you're going to write a story. Here are the bones of the plot skeleton:
First, you need a main character (or more than one; there's no rule against that). The amount of characters is up to you, but if you have a lot, be sure you can puppet them all. Every character should have some kind of function or purpose whether they're your hero, or they're a name drop to make the room seem full. If they don't do anything to further your story, if it's just a lady asking for directions and that never comes up again, she shouldn't be there.
Some things you need to consider when making a character. Name. Gender. Traits. Appearance. Blond hair, brown hair, hair length/style, green eyes, blue eyes, red eyes, skin tone, height, facial features. It helps to write a detailed bio about him for you to refer to. Also, what is his family life like? Does he live with both parents or one? If one, why? Do they live in a house or an apartment and in what city/state/country? Who are his friends, which ones are close, and how many are there? What are his skills? Is he supernatural at all? I find that once you get all the kinks worked out, characters start to write their own lines/dictate what they do. Just stick him in a situation and see how they react to it based off of what you've given them.
Next, your character needs a goal. He needs to be trying to do or attain something that someone or something gets in the way of. This leads us to the conflict. You need something that opposes your MC's goal or values. I guess you could have a story that is solely about a girl pursuing a boy, but where's the fun in it if there's nothing holding them back? There should be an overall issue that the main character(s) have to overcome.
Once your MC's background is established and he's on his way to solving his conflict, he'll eventually reach the climax. This is the height of the action. The end battle to attain the goal. It doesn't even have to be a literal battle. Just a peak.
After the climax, you've reached your resolution. This is when the MC has resolved his issue. He should typically come away from the story different than when he started. This doesn't have to be a dramatic difference or have a strict and obvious moral, but he should have learned something.
Sounds easier than it is, right?
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Writing Tips and Techniques (Writing Help)
RandomWriting help from an English/Creative Writing major. This is practically a free writing class. It's full of useful writing tips and tricks that I've picked up in my writing career/common mistakes found while editing others' work. I hope you can find...
