Please explain how to story plan

I secretly joined this one discussion that talked about good writing, I guess you might know it if you scroll down, and some mentioned story planning. I have always wondered how to story plan like how to make story plan easier and what should I do during story planning. I believe that someone might be able to help me figure this out. Thanks :)
Poll

Which POV is recommended when writing a story?

Results
-hyphen-
6 years ago
I just make list of things that will happen, the big things and then add smaller things like in a chapter the characters have planned a date and then go, it's the smaller thing, and the bigger thing is that THEIR MOTHERS are waitresses in the restaurant because their friends who usually work there had an emergency (can't spell, sorry) because their kid is badly hurt because one of the main characters I dunno tried to kill that kid in the name of love and the two must escape because their mothers can't accept them to get along because they're against girlxgirl relationships

I should write a fic about that if I wasn't so busy already . It would be a Blackpink fic. Someone x Jisoo.
jessnsd
6 years ago
I plan a story plots first; the beginning, the and the ending. Then i'll just expand the ideas to make it longer. I make it stuck in my head or write it down. It also depends who or what POV you have, first, second or third POV. It'll be easier to plan a story if you really know what your characters are and their purpose.

I can plan a story through those and it makes me easier to write it down then expand the specific ideas I have.
[deleted]
[deactivated] 6 years ago
My technique is basically write the beginning and see where it takes you. If you have plotted a story and saw how it went—like, how you got to planning that story in the first place and then where you found yourself at the end of it—you could experiment on what your opening should look like. If you see it, and read it from a reader's viewpoint, you can see lots of potentials in it, and you can follow it wherever it goes from there. It's like doors, you see? The cliche story about a door that leads you to another door that leads you to more doors, lol. I don't plan everything, like plan /plan/ everything, because it would get stuck and I wouldnt be able to experiment, or like the story itself would feel shackled and thus would give up on itself. (I believe my stories are the ones leading me somewhere, and not the other way around. Sometimes I even say, "Hey, story, why don't you write yourself so I would know how this ends, eh?") It is pretty tough, especially in writing novels with twenty or more chapters, but you can always plot out basis of your chapters and work on it as a prompt, ie, think of what the chapter is going to be about, and then picture it as a scene in your head. Watch it like a movie, or replay it like an old experience. If it makes sense, if it leads you to where you would want to lead your reader, then start writing it out.

I hope my techniques help—I know theyre somewhat disorderly...lol orz
[deactivated] 6 years ago
Well, for me, I usually come up with one specific scene for a story, then everything that happens surrounds that scene (either leading up to it or resulting from it). Most of the time, that scene is all I have truly planned out, the rest is off the top of my head. Everyone is very different, but that's how I do it. I hope that helps, sweetie ^^
MissMinew
6 years ago
People plan differently so I guess, what's most important is that you find a method that works for you. Some people like to plan out the plotline from start to finish with everything that's going to happen within. Some plan what needs to be in what chapter e.g. in chapter 1 this and this happens, in chapter 2 this and this happens and so on. I personally just take a paper (or multiple), write the title in the middle and make a really messy brainstorm with lines connecting thoughts and plot ideas that somehow connect (example: http://i.imgur.com/BTwbQcr.jpg). If you feel the need to write down who your characters are and what's important about them, you can do the same as you do with plot. Tell their background stories if you need those, their relationships with close and important people and if you really really really need it: a maintrait. (I don't recommend assigning traits to characters but if it works for you, go for it!)

I don't think there's an "easy" way to story plan. There's just a way that works for you. For me it's being messy and not planning everything because it kills my creativity when I'm too stuck to a certain plotline while for others it works wonders because not being stuck to a specific plotline makes the story go all rampant. ^-^
ehun_goofle
6 years ago
oh hello again c:
i usually wrote oneshots and it's only recently i started to do chaptered ff. i sometimes can't really keep up with one storyline and continues writing it. so in order to keep my mind in one storyline, i make some little notes about how the story will develop. i wrote what i would like to do with the characters and what's their main personality (in order to keep the story logical). i also write the basic idea of every chapter i'd write. oh and if i ever get any ideas (e.g. ideas of certain scenes) i usually just typed it somewhere to keep it save and open it whenever i need it.
goodluck writing your story~
kpopsocks 6 years ago
The story plot is something that develops from your own imagination and experiences...there's no one way to go about it. There are writers that plan everything out before they even begin the story and some that add things as they go. I don't think there's any reason to plan EVERYTHING out before you start writing (as sometimes just writing, you come up with new ideas), but I think you should have a pretty decent outline of everything. You should know for the most part how it should end and some of the main events that will occur. I like just starting out bulletpointing ideas on a word doc. They often start out as disjointed thoughts and sometimes I even add in exclamations and talk to myself. It's kind of just all these constant ideas so I want to put them all down. And then once you have an overall outline, I start writing. Sometimes the words just start showing up on the page, but if I'm having trouble, I like to brainstorm/bullet-point each chapter. It really helps because I know exactly what I want to include in the chapter. And as I write, I also think of new ideas I want in the chapter so I'll add it to the brainstorm list so I don't forget. I think that pretty much sums up whatever I like to do as far as developing my plot goes...Hope this helps :)