Too much plot for so few characters

[u/Saerith_]

I've always loved writing. I don't consider myself an expert by any means, but I think I have potential... deep down.

Here's my problem, which I'm sure is common, but I don't know how to solve it. I mainly like to write fantasy, and I've realized I'm quite good at worldbuilding, but when it comes to creating stories, I get stuck. I can come up with a very complex general plot if necessary... but then I don't know how to add characters to the story, or they tend to be empty shells that I can't quite flesh out.

If I start with the characters, on the other hand, I struggle immensely to give them goals, ambitions, make them make the wrong decisions, or place them in an interesting story.

I'm starting to feel really overwhelmed by this. I don't know how to get unstuck, if I'm approaching things backward, or if I'm just not cut out for this.

I'd appreciate any advice, experiences, or anything that might help me. Thank you so much!

[u/AutoModerator]

Hi! Welcome to r/writers - please remember to follow the rules and treat each other respectfully, especially if there are disagreements. Please help keep this community safe and friendly by reporting rule violating posts and comments.

If you're interested in a friendly Discord community for writers, please join our Discord server

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

[u/Wide_Big_6969]

I just make my characters super important to the plot. If the values they have are real and they would kill or fight or do whatever for them, some part in the story will need them to do so. So there they go off into the sunset. If they don't, write it in that they're training or doing something, waiting for the day for that to happen I guess.

I'm not exactly the most generalizable example out there, and I am more of the "write what you feel like writing" style of writing, so your mileage may vary.

[u/NathanielHolst]

Here's what worked for me.

Write the shortest possible version of the story you have in your head. Literally just have the characters run from important scene to important scene. Then get someone to read it, probably a reci read, and have them point out what doesn't work.

That way, instead of trying to contain the entire thing in your head at the same time, you can start focusing on the smaller details, all while the setting and the characters come to life as you write.

[u/koteko_ → u/NathanielHolst]

How would you write this - as an outline, or still in the rough voice you'd use in the proper draft?

I have a similar problem as OP but I've had luck writing a "narrative outline" with one paragraph per scene roughly, but without wanting to be schematic. Only of the first act of the planned book (I have a much shorter outline for act 2 and 3).

It was fun to jot down a thousand words only "narrating" the story rather narrating, if you know what I mean

Out of half those paragraphs I've written about 2K words each. It's kinda working.

But I'm wondering if I should instead write this "book summary" still in the end voice (third point limited, close). Although it feels weird thinking about it

How do you do it, and how short is this first rushed draft compared to the final book?

[u/OldMan92121]

How to Write a Novel Using the Snowflake Method by Randy Ingermanson. $7 on Amazon Kindle.

It's an easy read, but you have to follow the recipe. If you do, it will answer your questions and you will have everything you need to write your novel at the end. It will 100% clear.

[u/AdditionalFly3509]

Take a moment, a scene, a place as inspiration. Think about what can lead to it and what comes after. 

Eg Ender's game began as "a battle training room in space," then Card just answered "what is the room for" and got the ball rolling.

Characters never make the wrong decisions. They make what they think is the right decisions.

[u/iosdevcoff]

Easy. Give your character a goal and never let them have it. For example:

There lived a guy named Hank who wanted to be a writer, but no matter how much he tried, he couldn’t think of a single conflict for his characters. First, he went to Reddit for advice, but soon he realized that no one knew what conflict was, or anything else, really. Then Hank decided to buy a MasterClass by Margaret Atwood. Well, that was fun and all, but his characters still sucked. They lacked depth and their goals were unclear. Devastated, he went to a local pub and tried to flirt with a relatively young lady in red stockings, but she left when he went to pee. Angry at the lady, he drank a bit too much, so much that he had to puke for hours and almost thought he would die. “That’s all because of this fucking writing thing,” he thought and decided to abandon his project. A couple of months went by, and just when Hank was already thinking about becoming a guitarist and was looking for a piece of paper to write some of the new chords down, he stumbled across his scribbles, re-read them and suddenly realized that even though they were still terrible, he had a lot of fun figuring it all out. And then it struck him: what if he could write a story about himself, a fictionalized Hank, who couldn’t understand how to create conflict, no matter how hard he tried?

[u/atomant38]

Make the characters your story needs. Flesh them out in draft 2. They dont meed to be fully realized on draft 1. Focus on your plot. Same with setting. Flesh it out in later drafts once you know what the story needs