Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Build Your Sandbox

So last night, I told you that there are two legitimate ways to tell your story - either leading the protagonist down a linear path, or giving them a sandbox to explore. It is up to your discretion which you choose. That said, whichever path you take, make sure you set it up.

If you are giving your character a sandbox, build that sandbox. If they are in a city, make a map (or steal one from the internet as a starter). Where do people live? Where does work get done? Where's city hall? Police? Hospital? Utilities? Who works in the various places? What're their stories?

I don't think you honestly need to go out and write 200 character bios in order to write your story. 20 might be decent, though. Characters can't know what to do or where to explore if the author doesn't even know what's there to be found.

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