Story development is the process of taking an idea and developing it into a fully-fledged narrative with characters, setting, and conflict. This essential stage involves brainstorming, outlining, and creating character arcs to ensure that the final script resonates with its intended audience.
Whether you’re writing or pitching, having strong story skills is essential to your career. To become a better storyteller, learn to develop your ideas and bring them to life. This can be done by examining the work of others, practicing on your own, or using storytelling software like Boords.
The first step in developing your story is to create a world that your audience will want to enter. Look at successful worldbuilding novels, such as Lord of the Rings and Hunger Games, for inspiration. These stories create immersive worlds that are rich with detail, but they also feel effortless to read.
Once you have a world, it’s time to create your protagonist. Readers identify with and empathize with protagonists they can relate to. Ensure that your protagonist is well-rounded and has a compelling background. In addition, focus on your antagonist and how they present a challenge to the protagonist’s goals.
After you’ve developed your main conflict, begin to build the tension by introducing obstacles and challenges for your protagonist. This can be accomplished by leveraging the rising action technique. This means presenting an inciting incident, establishing the protagonist’s worldview, introducing a subplot, intensifying the conflict, and escalating to a crisis point.