Okay, here's why I enrolled in the writing class in the first place. The very first assignment addresses it. It's that four-letter word: PLOT. As in, I can't do it!
Assignment #1 has me writing a short story based on a picture (not the picture above). I know that should be helpful since the germ of the idea, the setting, and the characters are IN THE PICTURE. And, of course, if you want, you can depart from the picture details or from the picture entirely if your story idea leads you there. And while a picture is way better than starting from a blank page, it still requires so many decisions that it's paralyzing! Should the male or the female in the picture be the protagonist? What age should the protagonist be? Or put another way, what age group are you writing this story for? Is it realistic? A fantasy? A mystery? Should I tell it in 1st person? 3rd person limited? Who is the viewpoint character?
You get the idea. I haven't even reached the PLOT questions yet. And I can't answer the very first PLOT question, "What's the initial problem?" until I know who the protagonist is.
If and how I make progress on this assignment, I'll keep you posted.
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