Instead of jumping back into things this month I thought it might be a good idea to review some of the earlier posts, just to make sure no one gets left behind.

For starters, you need to know where your characters came from to know where they’re going. Back story is not the devil, you just need to know how to use it. You can read more about it here – Back Story: Its Proper Place.

Once you have an idea of where everyone came from, you need to know where they’re going. There’s no better way to do that than to lay out the plot. Now I don’t want to scare you, but that can mean … outlining. Don’t freak out! Take a second to find out the benefits of outlining here – Vizualize the Story.

If you’re going to picture the plot, you might as well picture the people. It’s not only beneficial – it’s fun! Take a peek here and tell me what you think – Vizualize Characters.

Make sure everything’s in place before you start writing. It’ll make the process a lot easier. It may even give you some ideas that you hadn’t considered before. Once you’re comfortable here, you’re ready to start writing.