the five stages of plotting

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all plotting styles are different, but i believe these are the most common.

1 ) that little idea

the little idea can come from literally anything. that's the beautiful thing about a creative mind. the idea is also usually very, very tiny at first. it's a character or a setting or a bare-bones plot or a prompt. but it's an idea!

2 ) a bigger idea

this is where you flesh out the little idea. i braindump (i.e. writing down every little idea i have pertaining to the story, including plot points) during this time. this is also a good place to figure out the central idea/question/themes, and important characters.

3 ) setting the stage

now is the time to flesh out worldbuilding, characters, arcs, and relationships

4 ) the worst puzzle known to man

now you've got to start arranging the plot points you have into a cohesive-ish order. i find this is also the time i get tired or bored of my story, so i've included my post about beating writer's block. because, as we know, it can happen well before you even start writing.

5 ) five seconds to launch

a working outline should be ready for you to work from now. you've ordered the plot points, filled in the gaps, your characters and their relationships are ready to go. while i have a "working title" from the get-go, this is when i settle on the final title.

 while i have a "working title" from the get-go, this is when i settle on the final title

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