On Writing : What's the first thing you do when you start to write a new book? by Leonardo Ramirez

Think about the story I want to tell and the message I want to give to the world.

Great topic, Leonardo Ramirez! I'm not an author, but the first thing I do is come up with the logline.

Ah, the soul of the story Kevin Jackson. Love it!

I think that's a great strategy, Maurice Vaughan. That's your guiding light and will keep the focus on the story you're telling.

Yep, Leonardo Ramirez. I also pick the theme of the script when I come up with the logline.

KNOW. THE. ENDING. (Especially the last line.). Whether it be a manuscript or a screenplay, I absolutely will not start unless I have an ending.

Agreed Francisco Castro. That's at the top of the list.

I come up with the title, protagonist's name, and the general storyline. Once I have all of those, I can begin.

Nice Banafsheh Esmailzadeh! It's interesting how much the title alone moves us to put proverbial pen to paper. Thanks for sharing!

No worries Leonardo Ramirez :D I know many writers prefer to save the title for last but it never sat right with me. I usually figure everything else out as I'm writing since the pre-planning may or may not actually make it into the actual writing lol.

Sorry for the confusion, Banafsheh Esmailzadeh - I am TOTALLY with you! I absolutely have to have the title before I begin. I can't put my finger on as to why - I just can't. Gotta have that title!

No worries Leonardo Ramirez, for me at least it’s like not naming a pet or newborn for days at a time. I’m sure it happens more often than we think but it feels so incredibly wrong when you’ve already grown attached lol

On the night that we found out we were going to have a girl, I pushed my wife to stay up until 2am until we had a name for her Banafsheh Esmailzadeh. Yeah, I can't move on. I had to know who I was talking to. LOL

Great topic, Leonardo Ramirez ! Sometimes I just start writing scenes or outlines for potential stories. I mainly write screenplays so it varies. With a sci-fi story, I think worldbuilding is a good way to start.

I have an addiction to world building William Joseph Hill. Knowing when to stop is my problem!

Leonardo Ramirez Plot outline comes first for me. Then I wonder what kind of people would be involved in something like this? Where would these people live, in what kind of conditions and resources. What is their background and how did they get where they are today. Finally, what do they say to each other. Why do they say that. What do they sound like. How does their interaction drive the plot.

That level of background information lends to rich storytelling Robert Franklin Godwin III. Thank you so much for sharing. Love it.

Great question, Leonardo Ramirez! I usually start with either a story concept or a strong sense of who my main protagonist is. From there, I begin to worldbuild and slowly fill in the gaps, developing the environment, supporting characters, and plot threads that bring everything into focus. It’s a bit like a puzzle or a paint-by-number; each new detail adds clarity to the full picture. The more I build out the world, the more the characters and plot start to naturally evolve within it.

"I have an addiction to world building William Joseph Hill. Knowing when to stop is my problem!"-- I feel seen.

Haha Ashley Renee Smith! I’m so glad you feel seen. I’ve accomplished the mission! I do love your process.

Yes, Ashley Renee Smith ! You can never do too much world building -- most of it will stay as your "show bible" as opposed to being published. Though, if you create a wonderful universe, your readers will probably eat up all the ancillary content you can create. Like all the "Star Wars" and "Harry Potter" ancillary content.

Leonardo Ramirez It's been a while, but my process is just setting aside the time. If I have an idea or a title, I sit down at the keyboard and let my fingers fly.

Hi Leonardo. The first thing I do as a nonfiction author and screenwriter is research. I read everything I can find about my topic at hand: newspapers, magazines and books.

Love it DonnaMarie Miller. Getting all the research done ahead of time heads off any possible holes. Nice!

i am writing my first new book it's a beautiful experience, plot outline , i do some researches i write down the ideas that came into my head also , i imagine the whole book in my mind and i start writing and later on i start connect the dots

That does sound beautiful Naim Tirsi. Congratulations on your first book. Savor the moment!

I do up an outline.

I write until my fingers ache

I usually start with the last scene already planned. Then I just write it and hope that's where it ends up. Usually it's how I get there that is the fun part.

Oh Bill. Really. My current book is the first one that I've written the last scene first. Now, somehow I've got to get the story to it. This is the final book in the series and trying to move it from the end of book three onwards is giving me a wee bit of stress.

Hi Carol. For some reason that's the way that always worked for me. I started writing a novel that way and, much to my surprise, it took me 4 novels to get there. I sometimes figure if I don't know where it's going the reader won't either. Good luck.

Same here Jeff E. Gregory. I can't proceed without an outline.

Haha, love it Carol M. Salter! Or until they fall off or we're malnourished!

I think that's great part of planning Bill Albert. How the story ends is usually telling of what the theme will be. Good on you friend.

Bill AlbertI understand the value of visualizing an ending and using it to guide the story’s arc. But as you mentioned, the narrative can often take unexpected turns—and that’s part of the fun! Discovering what a character needs to say or do is one of the most exciting aspects of writing. That said, I’ve found that this approach can sometimes lead to dead ends—plot holes, unnecessary characters, excessive action scenes, and a slew of random locations. That’s where the outline comes in (shout out to Mrs. Connery, 9th grade English Composition!). It’s as essential as a road map, yet flexible enough to adapt as the story evolves.

They start talking and doing and you just take dictation.

Ha! That's EXACTLY right Jon Shallit!!

After I have some semblance of "what will happen," character development. Plot and character inform one another, so I like knowing very early who my characters are and how they would act/react in certain situations.

You're absolutely right Erin Leigh - characters needs/wants determine direction. Thanks for sharing!

Robert Franklin Godwin III you've just described most of my eleven novels!!!!

Carol M. Salter 11 novels??? Are you one hundred fifty years old??? I am working on my second in a series. Still two months before I hope to have a first draft manuscript. Of course, writing screenplays for short films kinda extends the timeline...but I need a break sometimes!

Research!

DonnaMarie Miller "Research" If you don't have a story idea how do you know what to research?

A bit too clinical to start with research for me. Sure investigate stuff to make sure it makes sense and you know about elements. For example, the things I don't know about Challenger's Deep and the Amazon amaze even myself.

Reading as much as I can about topics that I would love to write about inspires me. I not only read newspaper and magazine articles, I also read what other authors have written on the same topics. Best-selling author Jodi Picoult has admitted to the same inspirations for her 29 novels.

Thank the lord we are all different.

Rough outline, just get the ideas I have down, building from there. So maybe hand, a hip bone, an eyeball, a kidney, a toe. Not a full person but something to build on. It's like when you get the easy parts of the puzzle down and then that can lead to the next and the next and the next.

Zackary Goncz "So maybe hand, a hip bone, an eyeball, a kidney, a toe. Not a full person but something to build on." As the monster moves Dr. Frankenstein cries out, "It's alive, ALIVE!"

Makes total sense Zackary Goncz. I can’t move on it without an outline.

Investigate Leonardo Ramirez lots of studying if I am not familiar with the plot or what makes the characters tick.

Wise moves Mark Deuce. Smart way to go!

"Uh..."

Jeff E. Gregory Nice one Jeff. Too funny. Right there with you.

I am a pantser, so I just write. Usually I take a shower for the ideas, and after that I go to a cafe to drink a cappuccino and look around, laptop open. It usually inspires me to write.

There’s nothing better than being inspired by the smell of good coffee Raymond Zachariasse!

I start with pages and pages of character development, a schematic of the plot as well as others for character arc, and both literary and archetypal themes of the main characters. As I put those together, I see dialogue and scene structure and makes notes, which are poured into a chapter story tell outline. These keep me from writer's block and rambling down a path that doesn't make sense. I don't want to reread it 70 times to fix a shitty first draft.

That's some. in-depth, well thought out planning Jayme Norrie! Nice!

It's different for me every time. I have books I completely plotted out and ones I had a vague idea and jumped in. Some I had the characters and figured out their story, and some I had the story and figured out the characters. If you know world building, story structure, and character development, then you can start with what you have and build on it.

That’s great that you can be open to a different process each time Debra Holland!