| If you are constantly thinking to yourself, "I want | | | | Now your character needs some sort of strong |
| to write a book," then perhaps you should write | | | | personality trait (courage, generosity, etc). And |
| one! It can be a daunting task when considering all | | | | finally, your hero needs a flaw (no one is perfect). |
| those blank pages in front of you, but it's certainly | | | | What happens now is you have your hero |
| doable. After all, look at all the published books in | | | | heroine going merrily along in their life and |
| your local library or book store. Someone had to | | | | suddenly you introduce a problem. This problem is |
| write them, and that someone may have had a | | | | going to be the focus of your story and what |
| hard time getting started as well. | | | | your character needs to solve to live "happily |
| But first things first, you need a plot. Even before | | | | ever after" so to speak. |
| you start naming characters and figuring out | | | | So what happens next? Simple. The hero meets |
| locations, you must have a plot. Or, you must | | | | obstacles in solving his problem. He tries and tries |
| decide what happens first and then what happens | | | | but only manages to make things worse. In the |
| next (and next, etc.). | | | | interim our main character grows, learns what his |
| So you start with a story idea first. It sounds | | | | or her "flaw" is, and eventually finds a way to |
| basic, but that's all there is to getting going. Jot | | | | overcome it using, among other things, their |
| your idea down on a piece of paper or type it | | | | strong personality trait. |
| onto a new document. | | | | Of course, you need to fill in more details but that |
| Now that you've found a possible idea for your | | | | is the gist. So if you are plagued by thoughts of, |
| book, you must come up with a main character. | | | | "I want to write a book but I don't know how to |
| Your main character needs to have a "need" or a | | | | plot," or anything of the sort, use this simple guide |
| "desire." It could be that he wants to become | | | | to get an entire novel plotted out in a single |
| president of his company, wants to ask his | | | | afternoon. |
| neighbor out to dinner, or needs to stop his house | | | | And, you know? It's not that hard to fill in the |
| from being foreclosed on. Anything! A need or a | | | | blanks once you have that first outline! |
| want. | | | | |