10 Things to Do Before Writing a Story

There’s no perfect guide to writing a story, which means there aren’t universal steps to preparing to write a story either. Every writer is different and the goal should be to find the structure that works for you, or if that’s still too grandiose, the one that is the most fun for you, regardless of the result. 

If you prefer to have a plan and a firm base before building your actual story, or if you feel stuck trying to get an idea story-ready then these prewriting exercises and ideologies might help. In theory, you could use all of them, or any combination. It’s necessary to have everything figured out before writing chapter one. What’s important is that you take the time to learn something new about your idea, feel more motivated and excited about writing it, and get closer to seeing it realized. 

Write a Scene or Just Start Writing From the Beginning 

Prewriting and planning can sometimes be a trap. I know I’ve had projects where I was focusing too much on the planning just to procrastinate writing. That’s why I wanted to cover the bases here and just note that there’s no “right” way to approach a new story, and sometimes you just have to start writing. 

If you feel like you’ve been outlining endlessly, or if you know deep down you are only reading this list to avoid finally writing the thing you’ve been mulling over, then it’s time to write… something. Pick a scene you’re excited about, or start from the beginning and do a vomit draft where you just put as much onto the page as you can before getting lost or running out of material. 

This may lead to some new problems, such as revising a messy draft, or figuring out what to do with one big scene out of context, but both of those are better problems to have than “I haven’t started it yet.” 

Strengthen or Expand Your “Main” Idea 

If you’re preparing to write a story, you likely have an idea you’re excited about. Maybe it’s a massive world, a specific character, or just a bizarre situation that you want to explore and share. If your project stems from a core idea you think is golden, the first thing you need to do is strengthen it. 

This doesn’t necessarily mean your “idea” needs work or rewording. What it means is that it likely needs depth. If your idea is built around a character, take some time to think about what setting, antagonist, or mission would be the most interesting for them. If your idea is situational, figure out what character(s) you need for that adventure.

A good story isn’t one idea. It’s a handful of ideas being combined. Taking the time to come up with some extra pieces before proceeding will keep you from running through your core idea too quickly or flatly. 

Read Similar Work 

I’ve known writers that disagree with this wholeheartedly and actively avoid similar stories while writing out of fear of overexposing themselves or stealing too many ideas, but I think it can be helpful in moderation. 

When I have a story idea, I tend to immediately seek out movies that had similar ideas. I love watching them and thinking about what is working and what isn’t. When I think the story is going one place and it doesn’t, fantastic, that other direction is my idea now. The book Steal Like an Artist is all about absorbing inspiration from practically everything creative without feeling guilt and I can’t recommend it enough. 

Oh, and notice I never said seek out “good” stories. You’re looking for things that explore similar settings, plots, or themes to your story and the worse a final product you find, the better. Figure out what went wrong while also being extra inspired by the challenge of doing better. 

Consider Your Genre 

You don’t have to fit an idea into one or even a few genres, but the tropes are there for a reason. If you want to hone in on what aspects of an idea excite you the most, try thinking about your idea if it was made in every genre. 

What does your heist thriller look like as a horror movie or a comedy? What parts of it change fundamentally, and, more importantly, what parts are almost the same? Those may be the heart of your story. 

Now, when you considered the genres, was there an obvious fit or mashup that shined more the others? Are there specific gimmicks or cliches that would actually be really fun for this project, or that you know you don’t want anywhere near your story? These types of general “rules” for yourself can be helpful to keep in the back of your mind while writing.

World Build 

“World Building” can be as general or specific as a writer wants. Most fantasy projects have an extensive amount of this, setting up the regions, governments, creatures, and a ton more so that the writer has an instant reference manual as they write their actual story. 

That all said, I think world building can be an unbelievably useful tool regardless of scope or genre. I’ve used world building tools to create tabletop rpg campaigns, but I’ve also used the same ones when writing smaller scale stories that have a layer of realism. 

What is your protagonist’s office like? What kind of people live in this town? What are the “dangers?” They may be goblins, or they may be awkward social interactions with hot dog vendors. Regardless of the type of story you want to tell, running your ideas through a world building template of some kind will almost certainly offer you new insights. 

Pick a Medium or Format 

Okay, this may seem obvious and I understand that most writers probably have a project type in mind with their idea, but as a person that generates way too many ideas I’m precious about, this step has helped me lock in on more than one occasion. 

If you have an idea you love, or a handful of ideas you like, try considering different mediums. Ask yourself if that would be a great book or if it’s actually just a short story. Consider left field options or things you haven’t tried yet. Maybe it would work better as a screenplay, audio drama, or a visual novel? 

There are guides and softwares for writing and then producing practically anything. You can learn the literal steps as long as you have the story pieces. There have been a number of times the excitement of taking on a new type of project and learning that process along with writing my story has given me the extra interest and motivation to actually sit down and work. 

Create an Outline or Beat Sheet 

The most obvious of the list and arguably the most essential. If you craft a tight enough outline, then, in theory, writing the story should be easy… Okay, it should be “easier.” The beautiful problem with suggesting how to outline is that there are dozens if not hundreds of proven templates and/or methods. There’s not a lot of helpful advice other than to look around until something speaks to you or seemingly fits your story or goal.

Another angle is to try something that is more specifically structured, like a film script beat sheet. Something like the Blake Snyder beat sheet will seem too simple at first look, but that doesn’t make it any less effective. 

If you have a story you want to tell and no idea at all how to start, I would suggest looking up a beat sheet or outline for a story that shares a similar structure, theme, or genre and then rebuilding it with your story details. 

Make a Writing Plan or Schedule 

This tip is only for those of you who know how to actually follow your brain’s orders, and those of you that don’t already beat yourself up about your “productivity.” If you, like me unfortunately, get mad at yourself far too often about your writing output or time commitment, then just skip this one. I’m not here to offer you more reason to be hard on yourself. This is supposed to be fun! Go back to my world building tip or something. Remember how fun that was! 

For those of you pseudo professionals who have cracked the ability to set a routine and follow it, one of the best things you can do for yourself is to make a full plan and set a schedule for your writing. This can be a certain amount of words a day or certain chapters finished by certain dates. Anything that constantly tells you where you should be and how to get there. 

This trick is also helpful for avoiding writer’s block on longer projects. Stuck on chapter 6 because you can’t nail the big reveal? Too bad, chapter 6 is due tomorrow and then we are moving on. You can always fix chapter 6 later on a revision, but you can’t finish the book if you sit on chapter 6 for two months. 

Find a Writing Challenge or Community Goal 

I didn’t really understand NaNoWriMo when I first heard about it. Then, I had one friend do it, and for some reason that made me want to do it more than anything. I already mentioned I’m not good at setting schedules for myself. I never have been. I sometimes need external pressure. It’s not ideal, but I’d rather be up front about it and offer some advice on how I’ve used it to my advantage. 

I’ve done a number of film writing jams and competitions where I had to form a script out of story elements given to me before a certain date. I’ve done an online “writer’s sprint” where I had to send in a new batch of article ideas as well as one finished piece every week for two months. I’ve written way more freelance work that I pitched to websites before starting than I have published pieces that I finished beforehand. All of this for free I should clarify.

There’s something that just can’t be overstated about knowing you have a deadline and knowing someone else will know you missed it. If you have trouble making yourself hit goals or schedules, then search around and find something that will help hold you just the smallest bit more accountable. There are a lot of places where you can bring in your own story idea without having to retrofit it to match some kind of qualifications. 

Oh, and just to make sure I include this. Neither my friend or I finished our books during that NaNoWrimo. We had a ton of fun, read each others work, and wrote A LOT. I was able to recycle most of mine into smaller pieces. Books are long! 

Think About an Ending 

No advice used to make me madder than this one, but it is, unfortunately, great advice. If you write like me, you probably have a gimmick idea or a few scene ideas that make you so excited you want to make the whole project just to see them realized. The problem is you then have to come up with an ending for your story and, if you’re me, you want it to be good. 

For anything longform I write, I now come up with an ending before I start, or at least before I get too deep in. It doesn’t have to be Earth shatteringly good or have some massive final twist, but it should convey to you where this is going and why. Think about your favorite part of your story. The romance? A quirky fight scene? A cool side character you love? Whatever part is your favorite, take it and figure out the ending that connects to it the best. Have that in your head as you start, so no matter how stuck you ever get, you know what path to work back towards. 

The best part of this advice is that you don’t even have to use the ending you come up with. If you figure out the perfect climax on page 76, that’s great, ditch that bad ending I forced you to write down and slot in the new one. I won’t tell anyone.

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