Once you've decided on the question or issue you want to
write about, it's time to construct a series of events that best place your
diametrically opposed characters in direct and indirect conflict.
The protagonist and antagonist work best when they both
explore the same issue but with differing world views. For example, in Star
Wars, the question is, "Is good stronger than evil." If you believe
that democratic power comes from the wishes of the ordinary people, then Luke
Skywalker is the protagonist. On the other hand, Darth Vader's world view is
that power comes from a select, small group of people who believe control comes
from a religious designation governing the people.
How you portray this conflict is best described over two
thousand years ago by the Greek philosopher Aristotle in his work Poetics.
I highly recommend you read his principles on writing. He advised playwrights
of the time that a story should include fear, pity, and eventually, catharsis
for all the characters and, hopefully, the reader/viewer. These fundamental
elements can have broad definitions, so millions of stories have been
successfully told since that time.
Fear doesn't always have anything to do with horror but is a
threat to the protagonist's goal, whatever that might be.
Pity is an attempt to connect the audience to the
protagonist's struggle.
The more challenging the plot, the more a reader will invest
their intellect first and emotions secondly. So the main lesson of Aristotle is
to focus on the audience of your work.
The theories Aristotle cites are linear, and he believed
that all stories should occur within 24 hours. While some might argue that this
continues to be the case, I think epic stories can happen over days, weeks,
years, or decades.
There are no limits to the kind of stories you can tell. The
only constraint is your imagination. So, where to begin. I've always looked for
a visual cue on page one for the audience as to what the issue/question will be.
Traditionally, the protagonist is introduced first and the antagonist
second, unless it's a horror story. What these characters do and say, who have traits
evidenced by their actions, is the plot. Some writers list those traits as a
guide in creating the characters. Some writers develop backstories about the
characters that show how the traits evolved. Whatever works for you is what
works for you.
Next, how to write the ending.
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