How I do it (II): The architect phase

In this series of posts, I want to show very briefly, the steps I follow to write a novel. From the initial idea in my mind to the final published version.

Normally, that initial idea can be the simplest thing in the world. In the case of "The Factory of Gods" it was something like "a system that blocks the passage of time within it". Nothing more, just that.

The goal in this first step is to take that idea, regardless of its size/extension, and extend it until it fits into the classic scheme of beginning, development, and ending.

It's not that a good novel necessarily has to comply with that scheme, but in my experience it helps a lot to develop the initial idea, which is what I want to do at this stage.

In the introduction you have to present the conflict, the main characters. In my case, it was about answering questions like, who created that system, what's going to do with it, and so on.

These answers will have to be developed further in the next phase, we will have to explore how the characters react to the conflict, how it affects them, new sub-plots may appear, etc.

And in the outcome, then, how the conflict is resolved or not, how the characters have changed, and so on.

I use that scheme as a reminder when I'm planning the story. On a simple sheet of paper, I write a brief outline of what I want to happen in the story and review that the 3 parts of the classic scheme are represented in my story.