How to start a Series?

How to write a Short Story every day?

• Writing every day is the foremost action.
• 10′ for 1 page.
• Think Long run.
• Think about the Process over the Result.
• Learn the Process by Enjoying the Process.

• Experimentation & Structure.
• Play with the Characters.
• Create Games for them.
• Create Trials.
• Create Rewards.
• What do they want to do?
• Where do they want to go?
• What do you want to do?
• Where do you want to go?

• A Real World
• What are the people’s Habits?
• How is Daily Life in the different parts of the World?
• How do you display Diversity?
• How do you display Change?
• How do create a sense of Familiarity?
• How do create an Unexpected event?
• How do you balance the Mundane & Extraordinary?

Your 10 Themes

• Find new story ideas?
• Never run out of Ideas?
• What are your Favorite words?
• What are your least Favorite words?
• Use Strong Words & Images.
• Use Allegories.

• These 10 words are your World.
• They provide a global structure for the series.
• They define your World’s Boundaries.
• They define the essential themes.

• How do you articulate them Chronologically?
• How do they display Characters’ evolution?
• How do they display Goals’ evolution?
• How do you display the World’s evolution?

What’s the Ending?

• Between 3 & 5 different endings
• Write multiple Endings.
• You’ll have more choice this way.
• Why does it end this way?
• Who ends the season?
• What ends the season?
• Where ends the season?

• An ending for each season
• How many season did you plan?
• How many episodes per season did you plan?
• How many season do you think could happen?
• Could you improvise a season?
• How do the endings articulate with the opening of the next season?
• How do the endings articulate with each other?

• Types of endings
• What could End a Season?
  • A Revolution/Insurrection
  • The Birth of an Organization
  • An Artifact found
  • A New Invention
  • A New Discovery
  • A Loss
  • A Death

What’s the Opening?

• Atmosphere
• What are the dominant Colors?
• New Season, New Genre?
• Will you try a new atmosphere?
• How do you contrast with your precedent season?

• Where do we Start?
• In which kind of Setting are we?
• How did it come to be?
• How’s the Population?
• How’s the Wildlife?
• Who’s the Ruler?
• What are the Resources?

• Types of Openings
• New Country/Settlement
• New Character
• New Species
• New Invention/Discovery
• Catastrophe

How many Characters do you need?

• You’ll need at least 3 Main Characters.
• Who’s the Protagonist?
• Who’s the Antagonist?
• Who’s the Support?
• Who does she Support?
• Could she change Alignment?
• Why?
• What are the Relationships between these 3 Main Characters?
• It’s Better to limit yourself at 3 Main Characters if you are beginning.

• You may want up to 12 Secondary Characters.
• What are their Roles?
• What are their Individual Goals?
• Are they part of an Organization?
• What are their Archetypes?
• What are their Skills?
• Who do they Support?
• Why did they ally with this specific character?

• Will you have Tertiary Characters?
• You may need Situational Characters.
• Characters that can give you information about specific areas.
• You may want to bring new characters to your story.
• You may want to try new types of characters.

How to create Characters easily?

• What does the character need?
• A Name which is defined by the Character’s goal.
• A Goal which will orient the Character’s decisions.
• Her Goal defines her potential Alignments.
• What does the Character want?
• What will she do to get it?
• Who will she ally with?

• What are the Character’s Origins?
• Where is she born?
• How is this environment like?
• Who raised her?
• Who did she grew up with?
• Are these people alive?
• Can she return to this place?
• Does she want to?

• She needs 2 Strengths.
• Her strengths make her Likable.
• 1 that will reveal in the 1st pages.
• The other which will appear after the a major crisis.
• Some desirable strengths the characters may have : Reliable, Protective or Funny.

• She needs 2 Weaknesses.
• Her weaknesses make her Relatable.
• 1 that will reveal in the 1st pages.
• The other which will appear after the a major crisis.
• Some relatable weaknesses the characters may have : Complaining, Lazy or Blunt.

• She needs 2 – 4 Quirks.
• Her weaknesses make her Memorable.
• How’s her Hairstyle?
• What Clothes does she wear?
• Does she possess a Characteristic Accessory?
• How does she act when she’s distressed?
• How does she act when she’s excited?

How many Setting types do you need?

• Crisis
• Why is the Setting in Crisis?
• What are the Origins of the Crisis?
• What are its effect on the Population?
• What are its effect on the Wildlife?
• How do the Ruler respond to it?
• How does it affect the Resources?

• Comfort
• Why is this Setting so Popular?
• What are the sources of Entertainment?
• How was this place created?
• How does the Population participate in the development of Leisure?
• How is the Wildlife used to provide Entertainment?
• What are the main Resources used in this Setting?

• Resources Gathering
• How is the Setting organized?
• What are Origins of the Setting?
• What were the original resources produced?
• When did they begin to diversify?
• What are the monopolies in the Setting?
• How is the Population divided?
• How productive should a Citizen be?
• How do you become a Citizen in these Settings?
• How is the Wildlife reified?
• How diverse are the Resources?
• How are they transported?
• How are they protected?

Draw a Small Map

• Geography & Shapes
• How clear is your structure?
• How clear are your shapes?
• What are the dominant Shapes?
• Is every settlement easily visible?
• Is the Roadmap clear enough?
• Can the map me memorized easily?

• Points of Interest
• Where are the Resources located?
• What are the Landmarks?
• Who are Important Characters?
• Where can they be found?

• Limits
• Where are the Borders?
• Are there Walls?
• Are there Garnisons?
• Are there Mountains?
• Are there Seas?
• Are there Rivers so agitated they can’t be traversed?
• Are there Forests so deep they can’t be explored?

How to write an Episode?

• Where are we?
• Why are we here?
• How is the Setting?
• Which kind of Issues will the Characters come across?
• What Crisis?
• What Threats?

• Focus
• How are you Shifting Targets?
• How are the Characters Shifting Targets?
• What causes Disruption?
• What is the Real Goal of this Episode?
• What is the Apparent Goal of this Episode?
• What is the Hidden Goal of this Episode?

• Diversity of Issues
• Why would you Split the Team?
• How would you Split the Team?
• How would they interact if they are separated?
• How can they Solve different Problems?
• How can they Solve different Problems at the same time?
• What trials will you propose them?
• How will you Alternate between the Different Trials?
• Will they go through Peaceful resolutions?
• Would they have to make Sacrifices?
• Will they resolve their conflicts through Brute Force?

• Dynamic Worlds
• There should be some Easy Fights.
• Who would fight them?
• Why?
• Would these persons Fight out of Desperation?
• Would they Fight out of Anger?
• Would they Fight out of Hatred?
• Did they Plan the Fight?
• Was it an Impulsive Attack?
• You need to know your Combat difficulty scale.

• Emergency
• What is the main Threat?
• What would make it more dangerous?
• How do the Characters protect themselves from it?
• How long will this protection last?
• What would degrade it faster?
• How is the Room?
• What other dangers are there in the room?
• How is the Temperature?
• How is the Luminosity?
• How is the Water level?
• How we sure this liquid is Water?
• What’s inside?
• Are the walls cracking?
• Is the ceiling cracking?
• Is the floor cracking?

• Pain
• You may want to create a Scale of Pain.
• What causes Suffering?
• When will the character be exposed to Cruelty?
• What causes Destruction?

• Outcome
• What would the characters Gain?
• What would they Lose?
• Is it a Definitive Loss?
• What’s the Aftermath?

How to Improvise Dialogue so that the characters feel Real?

• Complaining is Natural…

• New Organization
• Were New Policies introduced?
• Were New Taxes introduced?
• Were New Laws voted?
• What is the cause of these decisions?
• What are the stakes?

• Money Problems
• Is there a Price increase?
• What’s its cause?
• Was a new commodity recently introduced in the market?
• Has the money changed of value?

• Conflicts
• Was there a War?
• Is the world still in War?
• What’s the Scale of the conflict?
• What are the stakes?
• Who should know about it?
• Who is the most concerned about it?

• Weather
• Was there a Natural disaster?
• Was there a Cataclysm?
• Was there a Drought?
• What’s the Agricultural impact?
• Is there a Famine?
• What’s the Environmental impact?
• On the Wildlife?
• On the People?

• Entertainment
• Did a New Restaurant open?
• Was a New Food company created?
• Is there a Festival?
• Are there Theatres?
• Which performances are played?