Part 1.2 - Laying the Foundation: Progression

Simply put, what is your intention for your story?

Here are some intentions to consider - see if you identify with any of these:

*Changes in a situation - e.g. (i) a conflict will be resolved, (ii) a series of events will create change in a place or situation

*Character development - e.g. a character/s will go through a process of change

*Revelation - e.g. something interesting will be revealed through the course of the storytelling

Your intention for your story can be one of the above or a combination of any of the above.

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My Personal Examples

My intention for George Frost: Creator of Winter was to give a revelation. I just wanted to create a unique, magical take on winter for readers to enjoy! If you read the story, you will find that I didn't focus on any problems or character development. There was no major conflict - except for when Timmy gets hung in the air by a Fir tree haha! - and my characters did not change/evolve much over the course of the story. However, by the end of the story, readers are treated to a new perspective about winter and how it is created :) This perspective is gained through a series of revelations and experiences throughout the story.

On the other hand, Funzie Daizy is a combination of a change in a situation and character development. You may have been taught or been accustomed to the idea that character development needs to occur in the main character - wrong! What if I told you that the main character can be a catalyst for change without being changed themselves?! Even though Funzie Daizy is the main character, she doesn't change much in the story, but she creates change in the place/situation where she is and in the characters she interacts with. Toward the end of the story, you will find that the state of Mopey Meadow and its flowers are transformed!

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Now, let's use what we learned today to

progress from Part 1.1 - Basis Points

During our previous post, we created an hypothetical outline using basis points:

"Harry Cow runs away from his home and hitches a ride to another place."

Now, how do we progress with this story?

We must ask ourselves, "What is our intention for this story?"

Here are some options using the intentions we touched on above:

*Changes in a situation -

e.g. (i) a conflict will be resolved, (ii) a series of events will create change in a place or situation

(i) Maybe, the story will be about Harry, the cow, trying to find his way back home - the conflict is that he regrets running away from home and now has trouble finding his way back.

OR (ii) maybe, the story will be about Harry, the cow, creating a change in the place where he hitchhikes to, through a series of events!

*Character development - e.g. a character/s will go through a process of change

Maybe, Harry, the cow, transforms during the story from being one way to being another way, e.g. his thinking/maturity level changes.

OR, maybe, Harry, the cow, causes other characters to change while he remains the same!

*Revelation - e.g. something interesting will be revealed through the course of the storytelling

Maybe, Harry, the cow, will journey through the new place where he hitchhiked to so that the reader can discover this new place. There is no major conflict to overcome or changes to place or character.

OR maybe, you have multiple intentions for your story so that you can use a combination of points from above to progress your story!

Ok, now it's time for Homework before the next post!

Choose YOUR intention for your story from the Intentions listed above!

This will help you to progress writing your story using your basis points from Part 1.1.

Talk to you in the next post!