the best to start writing: theme, plot, or characters????
By solrani
@solrani (43)
Indonesia
July 16, 2008 9:33pm CST
dear friends,
i am writing a novel.
sometimes i confuse, where to start a novel. should i start it from theme, plot, or characters??
WHICH ONE would you choose to start writing a novel, and WHY?
i myself start it from theme, i think it has a better chance of survival.
i didn't choose plot, because i guess it can result in hackwork.
i think, the best point to start is from characters.
why??? after reading a novel, people usually remember and touched by its characters. it's true, isn't?
so, WHICH ONE would you choose???? and WHY???
1 person likes this
4 responses
@Ramaditya (1227)
• Indonesia
17 Jul 08
I will choose theme as my first thing to do, as it will determine what kind of story, plot, and characters I am going to build. The second, should be the plot, even though you only need to write down outline for this, because we haven't made the characters. After you are sure that you have set theme and plot correctly, then you can start making characters. Make differenciations, and strong sense among them, so people will recognize them easily just by reading their actions...
@kbjunior15 (1309)
• United States
17 Jul 08
I am a 7th grade Language Arts teacher and here is the process out students go through.
Start with some sort of graphic organizer (venn diagram, map, web, timeline, outline, etc.) and come up with themes for what you want to write about.
Once you have a theme, use a web to brach ideas off of it (characters, plot, conflict, setting)
After you have branched off, web branch each one of those.
Then prewrite a rough draft.
Edit
Final
@solrani (43)
• Indonesia
19 Jul 08
thanks, kbjunior15
thank god, i got comment from language arts teacher.
it's helpful, i think.
i used to apply your method.
but i discovered that, while i was writing my book, sometimes the plot becomes expanded or even shrink.
that's what makes writing so joyful, right? :-)
@k1tten (2318)
• United States
17 Jul 08
I start with a very basic plot idea as a skeletal work for my story. I usually fill in things as I go. Because I usually dream up the plot easily. But the story won't get far without a good character base. Many people won't get into a story unless they can relate to a character somehow.
@Xdrowninghavocx (3117)
• United States
17 Jul 08
I always start with the theme. I'm heavily into dark stuff. Most of my screenplays that I've written fall under the category of film noir. I like these types of stories because they unfold into something you may not have seen coming. And the characters aren't in the category of 'good' and 'bad'. They are all flawed and they fall on both sides of the fence.
