Where do you all begin?

[operationremie]

Since I'm having such a hard time figure this out, I'd like to know what all of you guys think of the subject: where do you/did you begin when you were first writing the storyline?

[TTallan]

As you can probably imagine, there is no one answer to this, but here's my advice: just begin anywhere. The hardest thing, and the most important thing, is just to start. You can (and should) always go back and edit your writing later, after you've finished the first draft of your storyline.

Some general advice is to start in the middle of something exciting or mysterious, something to hook the readers. I don't know what sort of story you're telling, but if it's one of those where you want to begin with a bit of exposition to set the scene in your fantasy world, then skip it and let the readers discover that information as the story goes on.

But the key thing is to do it, to commit something to paper. You can only get better from there. 

[Rob]

I can't draw so when it comes to webcomics I always start with an outline.

When we started Remedy I actually gave the people I was working with 4 different comic choices; or four different outlines if you prefer.

They unanimously chose Remedy (I was leaning that way myself despite my affection for several of th e other tales).

The outlines are usually just three or four paragraphs describing the main characters and the main theme of the comic with a bit of discussion related to what kind of comic it will be (comedy, action, fantasy, and so on).

Once that was done And the decision made then I spend a lot of time thinking about my main characters. I write the profiles that give not only a physical and historical description but also an emotional tendency.

Once I have my characters created I take my outline and I think about the story long term. This where new story arcs and characters and themes that never occurred to you before tend to come up. This is the Bible and it becomes a living, changing document that guides the storyline for... well in my case years worth of comics.

Then from there I fill in any character profiles I need to add and start writing comics. If a story line occurs to me that isn't in the bible I'll pull out the bible and see if I can fit it in without futzing the timeline or making circumstances too convoluted. If I can... in it goes and a new version of the Bible is born.

That's my process. Patent pending. 

[Gibson]

This might sound glib, but it's not. I start at the beginning. What I mean is I figure out where I want the story to start and I write a quick scene or series of scenes or ideas or what have you. Then I write the ending, which is something I think everyone should do with everything they do. Knowing where you're going will help you get there. After that, I'll usually write disconnected scenes all over the place and make ridiculous amounts of notes. Depending on the length and complexity of the story, I've even gone so far as to write out in meticulous detail every plot point I can think of on its own index card and then sort them chronologically later.

I've actually written a lengthy article on the various steps in the writing process that Rob's been posting on the main page and archiving in the Discuss Feature Articles board on the forum. It seems to help a lot of people who're new to writing in long form. The first article is here.

[operationremie]

thanks you guys! that's a lot of help.

and gibson, i actually did read that and it helped me a lot!

[JGray]

For me, I start with ideas. I brainstorm as I'm walking along or going to sleep or taking a shower. Come up with a bunch of ideas. Then I let them grow in the back of my head. Put them away, revisit them in a day or two and see what happened.

Once I have a basic concept down, I go further. I start from the point of view of character growth. What do I want to happen to the characters. How do I want them to change and grow. For me, any story is first and foremost about the characters and plot should be approached from the viewpoint of how it moves them through the story.

Then I do a roadmap. Roughly, where do we start. Roughly, where do we end. what points do we want to hit along the way? Only then do I really think about the beginning of the story. What tone do I want to set? What characters do I want to introduce? What do I want the reader to get right off the bat, what do I want to tease them with?

The first page of Mysteries of the Arcana, for example, starts with a photo scrap book being burned. There are four pictures. One shows a little girl on her daddy's shoulders. Another shows the same girl, older, being taught to shoot by her dad. The third shows the same girl, much older, hugging her dad goodbye. He's in a military uniform and there's a bus in the background. The last shows her accepting a flag from an officer at a military funeral. There's a text box reading: I didn't leave a note.

I wanted that first page to tell a story. I wanted the first page to give a good, solid introduction to the character. Readers get a quick snapshot of her life story, though not all of it, and they hear her voice as she says she didn't leave a note. That, combined with burning the book sort of should suggest either running away or suicide right off the bat.

The story moves from there. I show her walking through the tunnel in the equivalent of the opening credits of the movie. Narration over setting shots to establish the initial tone. Dark. Damp. Somewhat depressing. First person narration so the reader can more quickly identify with the character, who will serve as their point of view character. As she learns about the strange multiverse the story takes place in, the readers do.

Then BAM! Elf fighting robot. The first pages were about the character, Theresa. We learn about her, learn she's going to kill herself. Learn she's thought a fair amount about it and wants to do it right. Then we end her narration with her wanting to die with that shot. Elf and robot fighting. We introduce the fact that this world has magic and super science. Just like she's thrust into something strange that derails her suicide plans, the reader is thrust into something strange as well.

By the way, I want to emphasis the importance of research. In this case, I read a lot about suicide and teens, especially teen girls. That research was folded into the narration. Girls usually choose less physically violent methods of suicide. Boys usually pick more violent (and often much more succesful) methods. I made sure to point out that Theresa wasn't going to use gentle methods. No pills. No razor blades. She knew those didn't work as often as a bullet did. Just like Theresa's hair and clothes, her chosen method for killing herself was designed to show her tomboy nature.