Writing Your First Story
Twilight Lady graphic novel by Blake Ju Chen

Thinking about writing your first story? Here is a simple and effective way to get started regardless of medium, whether you’re writing prose, a screenplay, a comic script, or a song. Remember, there are no rules. The key is to get going, and get flowing.

First, find a premise that interests you. When you’re reading a newspaper, or surfing the internet, or chatting with friends, what catches your attention? Find a scenario that compels you, that inspires you to think and talk. For instance, it could be an incident you heard or read about.

Writing Your First Story
VINE: Gateway to Subrealm graphic novel written by Blake Ju Chen & illustrated by Coskun Kuzgun

Now take this incident and use it as a springboard for the ending of your story. Some of you may ask, why the ending rather than the beginning or middle? Because every story is a journey. Would you begin a journey without knowing the destination? While that’s possible, my advice when one is embarking on a maiden voyage is to know your destination and think of the shortest route possible to get there. You will have plenty of time later to write that meandering opus. For now, know your ending before you even know your beginning.

Once you have this premise in mind, think about the theme of your story. This incident you’re basing your story on – what does it reveal about the human condition? Is there a lesson to be learned? A moral? This is not something that has to be explicitly stated, but it is good for you, the storyteller, to be aware of it.

Next, who are the people involved in the incident? Why were they there? Did they cause the incident, or were they simply bystanders? These are the characters of your story, and it’s important you know as much about them as you can. Think about the location where the story takes place. What city or town? Indoors or outdoors? If indoors, what kind of building? What time period? These are characters as well. The environment – the world in which the story takes place – is as much of a character as the people in your story.

Writing Your First Story
Subhuman Sanctum: First Civilian Contact graphic novel written by Blake Ju Chen & illustrated by PR Dedelis

Now, once you have these elements, come up with a plot. The beginning, middle, and end for your story. My suggestion is to have as simple a plot as you can, since this is a short story and the aim is to get to the destination the quickest way possible.

To summarize, what I’ve just outlined are the three most important elements to keep in mind when you’re writing your first story – plot, character, and theme.

One last thing I strongly recommend – have fun with it. If there’s one thing I’ve learned in the years I’ve been doing this, it’s that telling a story is a creative endeavor where no boundary exists between work and play. Before you go into this, intend to enjoy yourself. Intent is everything for a creator. Intent is energy. If you want the reader to enjoy your story, put as much pleasure into writing it as you can. Write a story that you would enjoy reading yourself.

Any questions? Happy creating!

Writing Your First Story
Twilight Lady graphic novel written & illustrated by Blake Ju Chen

By Ju Chen

Intergalactic explorer. Writer and artist. Favorite topics - Creativity & Consciousness

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