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?

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