How to Write a Compelling Story Long Before You Have Any Characters

When most of us have an idea for a story—that beautiful little kernel that bursts and expands outward into the rest of the work—it usually comes in the form of a character, a concept, or a sentiment we want to express.

Unfortunately, that means that it starts out with very little in the way of details. Everything else must be built around it, or otherwise contorted to fit with that initial nugget of inspiration.

Consider, then, if you already had a fully functional world in which to place that idea. Of course, if you set your story in a time and place in which you live, have lived, or are highly knowledgeable about, then this happens all by itself. Even if you take a little creative licence with that setting and make changes to some of the details, you're still working with a canvas that is almost complete.

If you're like me, however, and you write to get as far away from reality as possible, there are a lot of extra steps involved in arriving at that point.

Let's say your initial idea is a romance between an emotionally unstable but good-natured man and a comparatively grounded woman. You want this relationship to be the focal point of the story, and all else is a little bit secondary.

Your very next decision is likely around genre. Are they a modern suburban couple, or a wizard and a witch? A peasant and a duchess, or lovers across warring nations? Whichever it is you go with, there's still an awful lot to consider.

Continuing with this example, exactly what it is that troubles this man is going to be an integral part of the story arc. Trauma has a way of transcending genre, but the specifics are rooted in the individual's circumstances, which are—you guessed it—products of their environment.

Sure, the immediate cause of his troubles might've been that his father was awful to him, but why was he so awful? What were his father's expectations that he failed to meet, and/or what were the circumstances that turned his father into the terrible person that he was? All of these things have roots in the world around them, and the social dynamics at play within it.

Whether you're interested in worldbuilding or not, a certain degree of it is necessary to create a setting believable and engaging enough to house the story you want to tell. With that said, if you approach it intentionally rather than single-mindedly pursuing your central idea and treating all else as an afterthought, you'll end up with a much more well-rounded and memorable story.