Shannon Messenger recently wrote about keeping our characters’ motivations in mind, which reminds me that I’ve been wanting to post about my process for developing a new story. I’ll attempt to boil it down into something coherent, but keep in mind this is an organized, sterilized version of what’s honestly a pretty messy creative process. But hey, if it works, it works.

1. What If?

What if there’s a school for witches and wizards, and it’s part of a magical world hidden from view? What if you could extract dinosaur DNA from mosquitos embedded in amber? What if a spaceship broke down over South Africa and the government had to house the extraterrestrials?

My stories all start with this kind of broad, high-concept question. I love learning; I love reading about bizarre theories and scientific breakthroughs. I like pondering ideas about sociology and culture and the extreme possibilities thereof, and that’s what I think about when I’m taking a shower or walking my dog. I’ve been this way since I was a child– I learn something new, and then I extrapolate a wild “what if?” question anchored in an extreme situation.

These questions alone aren’t stories, of course. They’re ideas, and ideas are a dime a dozen. So what next?

2. Who and Where?

Where can I place the idea? What time period? In other words, what’s the milieu? Place, socio-cultural context, political climate. These considerations bring me directly to the most important aspect of the new story: The character. From the “what if?” question come more specific questions about individuals who would be affected by the “what if?” Specifically, people who would be affected so much that they’re compelled to act. Or something happens to them that compels them to act.

Notice that the character acts. Their predicament doesn’t just toss them around from situation to situation as they passively react to the story. They create the story. Their actions shape the events to come. They have motivations. What are they trying to achieve? In my stories, this relates directly to the “what if?”

3.Why, How, and So What?

At this point I have at least a rough sketch of a character, but in order to flesh out a coherent plot, I need to answer three primary questions: Why, How, and So What? Why does the character want to achieve X? Their motivation, in other words. How are they going to achieve X? And most important of all, what happens if they fail to achieve X? What are the stakes? Cultivating both inner and outer stakes is, in my opinion, crucial to creating a character people will care about. This will create inner and outer conflict, and that’s what keeps readers turning the page.

Keep in mind, this isn’t just for the main character. Sure, I start there, but what about the antagonist? They too need a Why, How, and So What. As do any side characters. That is, if I want my readers to believe the story and care about the outcome. I want to create tension, so the antagonist’s Why, How, and So What should be at odds with the protagonist’s.

Answering “how” is often the most time-consuming for me, because it’s not just a matter of, “Character goes here, finds this, and takes it to so-and-so.” Refining the “how” is a matter of crafting the entire plot, because there should be pitfalls and failures and setbacks in addition to successes on the character’s path to achieving their ultimate goal. The conflicts should illuminate the characters’ strengths and weaknesses and ultimately transform them.

4. Outline and Query

Yes, I’m an outliner. This doesn’t necessarily mean I have to outline every last plot point down to the finest detail, but it does mean that I like to know the beginning, middle, and end of my novel before I write the first words, and I want to know how my characters are going to maneuver through the story. I want to know what the conflicts will be and all the major twists and turns. If I know where I’m going, in other words, I’ll have a better idea of how to get there.

As for the querying part– no, I don’t actually query agents at this stage, rest assured. However, I do write a query. This helps me hone the primary conflict and make sure I’ve adequately answered those three questions I mentioned above– Why, How, and So What? If there are plot holes or weaknesses, I’ll identify them by writing a query.

5. Character Development and Worldbuilding

I do develop my characters and setting as I’m answering the above questions, but I also set aside time to specifically address details. I want both my characters and setting to come alive. In fact, in most of my stories, the setting is one of the main characters. The psychology, background, beliefs, and values of the characters are part of their motivation, part of that Why, How, and So What. The milieu contributes to this.

6. Write!

Now it’s time to piece it all together, to use language to craft a novel that breathes, moves, and grows.

What’s your creative process? Do you just sit down and wing it, or do you outline? Do you have specific questions you want to answer before you’re ready to go, or do you hit the ground running?