How to plan any story in three simple steps

Yes– it really is possible to plan a story (well, the parameters of one at least) in three simple steps.

To help us with this process, I've turned to the VARK, a teaching model designed by Neil Flemming in 1987. This is used by teachers all around the globe and is a great way of getting to grips with the different ways in which we learn. We can also use it to help with story planning. How? Well, allow me to elaborate... (Cheesy, I know. You'll have to put up with it)

First, let's outline the VARK. This is an acronym, by the way– not a misspelling of the word 'bark', which has nothing to do with story planning. Well, not that I know of anyway.

The VARK – Which one are you? (Or you may be multiple– but you'll undoubtedly be stronger in one of these areas than the other. We'll refer to this as your 'preferred learning style')

V – VISUAL – Visual learners respond well to visual stimuli, such as artworks, photographs, film and so on.

A – AUDITORY – Learners who thrive from the spoken word, sound, music and verbal communication.

R – READ/WRITE – These learners benefit most from reading the written word and/or writing words. Interestingly, you could also argue that this preference is also very visual and kinesthetic, seeing as the words we read and write are both visible and require physical application to process them.

K – KINESTHETIC – Individuals who thrive from practical or physical-based learning and input– such as those who are particularly skilled in DIY or are competent sports people

We can also use the VARK model to get to grips with memory and how we retain information. My strongest area is the VISUAL, but I'm also very much a READ/WRITE learner too. AUDITORY and KINESTHETIC... not so much. Most things people say to me go in one ear and out the other, and I'm crap at sports– so that's that.

Before we go any further, take some time now to identify which are your strongest two types of learning (or just the strongest if you can't think of two) There are no right or wrong combinations.

Ready?

The three steps we are going to walk through are PPP. (Or, if you like, The Three P's)

P – Person

P – Place

P – Plot

I don't think you can have a story without all of these things present.

1. Person

Let's start by finding a character (our 'person') Of course, your character needn't be a human, it could be an animal, an object, an emotion, an entity, a god or a manifestation!

Anything!

Here's what we're going to do:

If you're VISUAL, have a go at using the below website to randomly generate a picture. Most of these have characters in them, but – to think more widely – who's to say a character can't be a tree or a rock?

https://randomwordgenerator.com/picture.php

If you're AUDITORY, try listening to a podcast in which people write in with their problems that need solving. Choose one of the people who call in as your 'person'– maybe you're inspired by their voice or their problem.

If you're READ/WRITE, read through a recent or old newspaper for names of people (they could be famous celebs, athletes, politicians, criminals or unknown members of the public. Either way, they all have stories behind them.

If you're KINESTHETIC (god, I hate writing this word!), reflect on a time you worked in a team with someone you know (or someone you don't) – this could be at work or on the playing field. An old school friend. Anything.

2. Place

If you're VISUAL, sift through a box of old family photographs and look closely not at the subjects, but at the places in which the photographs were taken...

If you're AUDITORY, spark up a conversation with a friend or family member, listening closely to any places they describe or mention often.

If you're READ/WRITE, find a novel you own (or one from a bookshop) and open it to the 64th page, paying attention to any setting which is being described. This will be the setting of your story– but feel free to adapt and tweak and so on.

If you're KINESTHETIC, go somewhere where there's lots of sensory stuff going on– like a cafe or a garden centre. Don't just set your story here– wander about and search for new experiences that could inspire new ideas.

3. Plot

If you're VISUAL, open up the same random image generator as before, but this time, search for a theme or feeling with the image. For example– I just found a picture of a rotting park bench. Maybe this could translate to themes of decay and change. The conflict of the story could be about a death in someone's life, or someone trying to cope with someone who is slowly dying.

If you're AUDITORY, listen in on conversations on the bus or at your local cafe. Listen for conflicts.

If you're READ/WRITE, open up your nearest dictionary to a random page and use the first word you see to form a conflict for your story.

If you're KINESTHETIC, reflect on a time when you struggled to complete a project or do something physically. Make this the conflict of your story.

Conclusion...

Now it's your turn! Try searching for inspiration using the VARK method and stitching your ideas together to form the premise of a story!

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Thanks for reading!