Start Me Up: Writing That First Draft

Whenever someone I meet hears that I wrote a book, the first thing they say is, "People always tell me I should write a book." The second is, "Oh, so you're going to be the next JK Rowling?" because I write YA fantasy. (For the record, no, I'm not, but it's nice of them to say.) Writing a book is hard work, especially if it's your first book and you don't know where to start.

So, what's first?

Decide what your story is about. Maybe it's about a boy who goes to the moon and discovers a lost tribe of Martians. Or a woman who must overcome her mother's death. It might even be vague, like a man who works at a meat packing plant. But it'll be about something. This is typically called your logline or pitchline. Think of it like a TV Guide description. It'll capture the bare essence of the story.

Next, pick your protagonist. They're the hero (or anti-hero) of the story, and the person the reader will follow throughout the course of the book. This is the person who has the most to gain or lose from the experience.

Now, determine what problem that person is facing. All stories need conflict, and that conflict is what will drive your story. Martians think human boys make great snacks. The woman is contemplating suicide. The man finds a body in the sausage grinder.

Then, figure out what the stakes are. These are the consequences for the protagonist if they don't solve the problem you've just created for them. Stakes are pretty critical, because if it doesn't matter if the protagonists solves their problem or not, why should we read about it? The boy has to escape the Martians or he'll get eaten. The woman must pull herself together or she'll kill herself. The man must find the killer before he winds up in the grinder himself.

Finally, put those three things together in one sentence. The [protagonist] faces [a problem] and they must solve it or [something bad happens]. It doesn't have to sound professional at this point, or even good, just capture the core idea of the book.

On a school field trip, a boy is captured by a lost tribe of Martians who will eat him if he doesn't escape.

A woman spirals deeper into depression after the death of her mother, and unless she can find something worth living for, she'll commit suicide.

After finding a body in the sausage grinder, a man must identify the killer before he becomes the next victim.

Novels can take on a life of their own, and it's not uncommon to find yourself 100 pages in and have no clue what to do next. This often happens because we have a general premise for the story (usually a situation a story can happen in), but we don't really know what it's about. The core story sentence is your story compass. It will guide you as you write and help you determine which way to go when you get stuck, because you'll always have a solid reminder of what your story is about at its heart.

And every journey is easier with a good compass to guide you.