How to Plot a Story from Beginning to End

A story is a bunch of incidents and scenes put together, but you already knew that. What you’re here for is how to plot a story. How can you create an entire novel from beginning to end? It seems intimidating when you are starting out as a writer; however, it can be done, as the numerous published writers have already proven.

You should start by figuring out your main character(s) and the premise. Both are essential for starting your story. So, plan these elements before anything else. Sometimes you need to know the setting to create the premise, as they tie together. For instance, the premise could be a bunch of kids who must kill each other in a forest until one of them wins (The Hunger Games). Here, the premise and setting are connected. Once you have this down, you can create a detailed main character.

Now that you have the general structure of your plot, you can add more to it to build a fully functioning story. Here comes the easy part: filling in the blank middle scenes. This means you must put your main character through hell for almost the duration of the story. Figure out what your character loves the most, then take it away or make it difficult to attain. This is the conflict. Keep increasing the stakes to entice readers.

To make plotting easier, create a general outline of your novel. Going chapter by chapter will help you figure out whether your story is too short or too long. It will also show you what your plot holes are so you can fix them before you begin writing your novel.

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