Story Process: Initial Story Concept

story process, initial story concept, writing, novelist, author, paul b kohler, story design

story:noun, plural sto·ries.a narrative, either true or fictitious, in prose or verse, designed to interest, amuse, or instruct the hearer or reader; tale. What’s in a story? In its very basic form, there is conflict, action, and resolution. From there, an author can take a story in many different directions depending on their own approach. And there are as many different approaches as there are authors. Personally, I use a five-part structure that incorporates these five things, in no particular order: character, setting, plot, conflict, and theme. Things like point of view and symbolism fill in the rest but can be switched out depending on how the … Read more

Engineering a Novel, Kohler Style

Welcome to my first of what will potentially become dozens of posts on all things indie. Author, that is. As I am embarking on the writing process of my third novel, I thought I’d document my work flow and the reasons behind each step that I take. My game plan is to touch at least once on each of the following: Initial story concept Idea development Story/world creation Establishing a writing schedule Story development Time management Completing the first draft First round of edits and rewrites … Read more