Story writing – Drafting and Steps Involved

Story Writing

• Story writing is the process of writing about real or imaginary people.
• The writer narrates a series of incidents that lead to a problem.
• He/she leads on with the expansion of that problem until its conclusion.
• He/she will also include all the impacts these problems have caused the people or things involved in the story.

Steps of Story Writing

• Finding inspiration
• Brainstorm
• Outline
• First draft
• Revise and Edit

Finding Inspiration

• The first step of writing a story is to find inspiration.
• You have to find an idea that you can convert into a story.
• Example: You can write about an American Legend like Abraham Lincoln.

Brainstorm

• Once you have settled on an idea, think about what you want to concentrate on.
• Brainstorm ideas and write them down.
• Example: Abraham Lincoln was a great storyteller who shared many of his experiences with the public. One of those experiences was his encounter with a stranger on a train.

Outline

• Create a basic framework for the story.
• This framework is a list of critical points and incidents.
• Example: Lincoln was traveling- a stranger approached- informs him he had something that belonged to him- a knife- to give to someone ugly than him.

First Draft

• Write down the first draft.
• Example: One day Lincoln was traveling on a train. A stranger approached him out of nowhere. He told him that he had something that belonged to Lincoln. Lincoln was amused and asked the stranger what it was. The stranger pulled out a knife. He gave it to Lincoln and informed him that he was given the knife years ago by someone who asked him to give it to someone uglier than him. So this knife belongs to you, said the stranger and left.

Revise and Edit

• Revise your story, rewrite the final draft, and proofread for errors.
• Example:
• The Stranger’s Jackknife Abraham Lincoln was one of the funniest Presidents of America. Self-deprecating humor came to him naturally. He narrated a story to Francis B. Carter, his portrait painter. Once Lincoln was traveling in a train when a stranger approached him.

This stranger informed Lincoln that he had an article that belonged to him. An amused Lincoln enquired about the article. The stranger then took a jackknife out of his pocket and handed it to Lincoln. He said the knife was given to him years ago with the instruction to give it to someone much uglier than him. He looked at Lincoln and said that he truly deserved it. He walked away, leaving a stunned Lincoln behind.