How to Start a Story?

Common Issue/Interest

• Common
• The Characters begin the Story in a Common location.
• They may have been guided here by Common informants.
• They may have been guided here by Different informants.
• What are these Informants interests?
• Why do they help the Characters?
• Why do they need the help of the Characters?
• The Character are likely to have different issues/goals.
• They are Looking for an Object or a Person.
• They have Difficulty to reaching it.
• What are these Goals?
• How does it relate to this Location?

• Character Specific
• What are the Origins of each Characters?
• How do their Origins relates to their Issue?
• How do their Origins relates to their Goal?
• What’s the Nature of the common Issue?
• How does it differ from the Specific issues of each Character?
• How do the Characters come across this Common Issue?
• Are they Forced to face it?
  • Are they Trapped?
  • Are they Wounded?
  • Are they Intoxicated?
• Who Forced them?
  • The Informant?
  • The Informant’s Employer?
  • A 3rd Party?
• Do they do it Voluntarily?

Loss

• Why are we Lost?
• Where do the Characters begin?
• Why would they feel Lost?
• Which other feeling does this place convey?
• Is it an Unknown place?
• Are they in an Unknown Situation?
• Are they Hesitating?
• Why are they Hesitating?
• Is there an immediate source of Danger?
• Is it less perceptible & diffuse?

• Nature of the Loss
• What is the Origin of the Loss?
• Is it Death?
• Who’s Death?
• Is it Separation?
• Which kind of Separation?
• Was it Voluntary?
• Was it Consensual?
• Is it a Betrayal?
• Who’s Betrayal?
• In order to attain which Outcome?
• What caused their haplessness?

• Amnesia
• Why start with Amnesia?
• Amnesia offers you the possibility to discover a World together with your Character.
• Why choose a Progressive discovery?
• Progressiveness will help you unfold a long Story.
• It is particularly helpful in a Saga.
• Amnesia also allow to convey strong emotions.
• Therefore it becomes instrumental in Horror, Comedy & Drama.
• How does an Amnesic Character evolves?
• Her Primary Goal will be to Recover her memory.
• Then she will be able to pursue her Original Goal.
• If she chooses to.
• And if it is still possible.

The Calling & The Force

• The Nature of the Calling
• Where did the call come from?
• Who called the Characters?
• What is this Person’s status?
• Why did she call them?
• What is their Issue?
• Why does she need the Character’s help?

• Dream
• Where does the Dream originates from?
• Which form does it take?
• Is it an Ethereal Message?
• Is it a Voice?
• Which Sensation does it convey?
• Where does it bring you?
• To an Adventure?
• To a Comedic Voyage?
• To a Dismal Fantasy?
• To a Ancient Fable?
• How do we Return from it?
• Can we?

• Obsession & Possession
• What possesses the Character?
• What obsesses the Character?
• Where does this creature bring her?
• Which Ability does it confer her?
• How will she use it?
• Drama
• Horror
• Which Crisis will she cause?
• Which Loss will she suffer from?
• Which Grief will she have to endure?
• How will Fatality be perceived from her point of view?
• What is the Result of this Shift?
• A feeling of Powerlessness?
• Or of Absoluteness?

• Epics & Sagas
• How do you begin a Saga?
• A strong Call to Adventure.
• Punctuated with Intense Action.
• Resulting in Drama & Violence.
• What should be the Scale of this Saga?
• Generally the scale conflict is Consequent.
  • It may be Planet-sized.
  • It may be Intercontinental.
  • It may be National.
• Sagas allow you to visit Multiple Settings.
• And to meet Multiple Characters.
• They bear the Possibility to develop Diversity.
• If this Diversity has been properly designed beforehand.
• What makes a World Unique?
  • Is 1 of the most important questions when it comes to Sagas & Epics.
• What are the Stakes?
• What are the main Organizations of your World?
• Who are their leaders?
• Which Alliances do they form?
• How variable are the stakes?
• How do they evolve?
• What are the Known stakes?
  • Who knows about them?
  • The general public?
  • The Organizations?
• What are the Hidden stakes?
  • Who are they hidden from?
  • The general public?
  • The Organizations’ opponents?

• War
• Which form of Hunger drives one to War?
• The will for Destruction?
• For Pride?
• A deep Devotion?
• What could this Hunger cause?
• Regret?
• Disgust?
• Which kind of Horror?
• How would you use Horror in a War situation?
• How would you use Comedy in a War situation?

Prologue

• Episode 0
• Why an Episode 0?
• What would be its purpose?
• It allows you to accomplish 4 things:
  • Present Essential Elements for the rest of the Story.
  • Present Essential Rules for the rest of the Story.
  • Define Expectations.
  • Install the Rhythm.

• Different Starting points
• Where should each Character start?
• Why this Location?
• How are they related to it?
• How will they reach the Same End?
• When will they reach the Same End?
• Where will they end?
• From this location, how will the Adventure Start?

• Resonance
• A Prologue allows you to Reiterate.
• It also allows you to Reorient.
• You can plan you Milestones in order to create Cycles.
• These Multiple Cycles create a sense of Familiarity.
• How should you develop this Familiarity?
• How do you use Echoes?
• Which Scenes prepare the Public?
• Which Dialogues or Images create Resonance?
• How does Familiarity facilitate Escalation?

• Failure
• A Prologue can be a Failure.
• Create Expandable Characters.
• Characters that will be given a Specific Mission.
• They should reach the point where they will be able to complete this Mission.
  • They shouldn’t be defeated beforehand.
• How do they arrive to the Final Scene?
• What do they meet therein?
• The Main Antagonist.
• And she defeats them.
• Why does the Main Antagonist win?
• How does the Main Antagonist win?
• What’s the Outcome of her Success?
• What are the Consequences?
• What’s the Aftermath?
• The Triumph of the Main Antagonist must be made clear.
• Then, the Main Story begins.

Common Story

• A Sense of Unity
• You have 2 main possibilities to Create a Common Story:
  • Origin
  • Flash Forward
• They can be Combined.
• They are used to create a Proximity with the Characters.
• This proximity is Relative to the Public’s involvement.

• How do you Catalyse this Involvement?
• How do the Characters meet?
• Is it Voluntary?
• Is it Involuntary?
• This is the 1st Fundamental Event.
• The 1st Adventure.
• The stage where the Character as most Vulnerable.
• The stage from which they will Progress.
• The stage from which Unity will emerge.
• How will the Characters develop a sense of Togetherness?
• How will they look for Mutual support?
• How will they create their Variable affinities?

• Origin Story
• An Origin Story allows you to develop each Character separately.
• Before they join each other.
• Why would you develop them beforehand?
• It allows the Public to Adopt each Main Character’s Point of View.
• To enjoy a Diversity of Visions.
• To experience Increased Dynamics.
• And a more Intense Rhythm.
• You’ll start with 4-6 Main Characters.
• A limited number allows a Deeper Attachment.
• As well a more consistent Development.
• How will you make these Characters Relatable?
• How will you make these Characters Memorable?
• What will be their Original Relationships?
  • With one another?
  • With other characters?
• How will these Relationships Evolve?
• How will these Relationships End?

• Flash Forward
• What is a Flash Forward?
• In the 1st chapter, which is not the beginning of the Story, the Character will come across a Crisis.
• The Climatic point of a Crisis.
• The Book begins in the Middle of the Story.
• You’ll Start with an Overview of chapter 5.
• Then pursue on chapter 1.
• Note that in this Scenario the 2nd Crisis is situated in the 5th Chapter.
• Where would usually met in Chapter 6.
• Why use a Flash Forward?
• It allows you to Set the Genre.
• It allows you to Set the Atmosphere.
• It allows you to Set Half of the Expectations.
• And therefore offers a Relative Predictability.