How To Give Your Story A Great Foundation
The most important elements of a great story
This series is a continuation of my prior writings, which focused on providing writing advice to myself and my fellow readers/writers.
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Before constructing a structure, dig deep to lay a strong foundation. The time and effort you put into creating a foundation will pay benefit in the long run.
Let’s have a look at the foundational elements.
Your Story’s Title
It’s a significant benefit if you have a good title at the start of your adventure. It, like every other part of your foundation, should have a purpose. Great titles set the tone, contain a clever twist, and can even be a sneaky reflection on or oblique reference to the story.
Keep in mind that a clever title can help you market your stuff, so keep it in mind as the project progresses. Try not to become too committed to your original title so that you can remain open to new choices as the plot develops and the writing process unfolds.
Logline
The idea of the story is crucial. I recommend that you focus your first efforts on refining your concept. If you’re beginning from scratch, start with a concept and work your way up to a logline.
Your logline may change over time — which I think is a good thing — but it’s a fantastic place to start when articulating your hypothesis. If you can’t express your thought in a single sentence, it’s a sign that you’re not ready to move forward.
A logline is a one to two sentence description of a film that shows the most interesting elements of the storyline to hook the reader.
Do check out this video to write great loglines,
What I do is read the loglines of my favourite films, and I’ve included a few examples below for your reference.
- Forrest Gump: Forrest Gump, while not intelligent, has accidentally been present at many historic moments, but his true love, Jenny Curran, eludes him.
- The Godfather: The aging patriarch of an organized crime dynasty transfers control of his clandestine empire to his reluctant son.
- The Hangover: A Las Vegas-set comedy centered around three groomsmen lose their about-to-be-wed buddy during their drunken misadventures, then must retrace their steps in order to find him.
- Django Unchained: After being rescued by a German bounty hunter, a freed slave sets out to rescue his wife from a brutal Mississippi plantation owner.
- The Matrix: A computer hacker learns from mysterious rebels about the true nature of his reality and his role in the war against its controllers.
Genre
Consider genre in a certain way when you create your idea. Get specific instead of using terms like “comedy,” “drama,” or “action.” This is what I refer to as “tone.”
The term “genre” refers to a broad category. Tone has a distinct meaning. Genre is general. Tone is specific. Be specific.
Classics as a source of inspiration
Classics such as — The Godfather, Forest Gump etc are excellent learning tools. Successful movies serve as role models. If I’m working on a piece that relies on tone or topic, I’ll often draw inspiration from them.
Consider a popular classic film that matches the exact tone you want to capture as a great technique to help establish the feeling of your story. Are you having trouble deciding on a theme? Return to your film and examine how the theme is conveyed and supported in scenes, visuals, conflicts, and with characters throughout the tale.
Characters
Your plot will be influenced by how you define your hero. What are your hero’s most important characteristics? The term “essential” comes to mind here.
What is the most crucial characteristic that distinguishes them from the start? What adjective would you choose if I only offered you one? That is the characteristic that distinguishes them, and it must evolve throughout the novel.
Look for a defect/flaw in their character. Your hero’s flaw is the junction between what he or she sincerely desires and the quality that prevents them from reaching that objective.
These two traits should be in direct opposition to one another. Examine your protagonist at the beginning of the story and consider the following questions: What do they believe? So, what do they think? What are they looking for? What exactly do they require? Define how they have changed by the end of the story after you have that answer.
Arc
The key to structure is the character arc. Knowing who your character is at the start of the story and how they are different at the end, after they have experienced the events of the story, is the simplest approach to locate the spine of your story.
This spine defines their arc and gives a lot of information about their anatomy. It will assist you in laying out the story’s beats. The experiences your hero must go through in order to change can affect “what happens next.”
These pointers will help you form a clear vision of your story that will enable you to give a short pitch and a great foundation.
