Where do I start?

[xena]

I am far from an experienced writer. I am actually working on my first story, currently. Mine started with just a couple characters and "scenes" I had in my head. And then it kind of progressed from there. Not necessarily in order, either. If I was experiencing a certain emotion, I'd kind of play with that with the characters of my story, how they would behave feeling what I was feeling. Over some time I had enough that I could play with how each scene, or what happened in them, would effect the others. Changing things to fill plot holes, or to help explain why something happened a certain way. I honestly don't know if any of that makes sense, or is helpful. But I figured as someone also starting fresh, I would share my current working method also! I recently stopped doing those individual scenes and started working on real world building, and that is the part I am struggling the most with. The world, continents, countries, governments, religious, races. NAMES. Oh my goodness coming up with names is going to break me haha! But I also have found myself doing a lot of research and really enjoying the process I hope you find what works for you!! Sometimes the best thing to do is just sit down and start writing and see where it takes ya!

This is actually quite helpful information, might use this myself haha

 

[ThrillhoBaggins]

Pick the setting, get a feel for the characters, and pour what you are passionate about into it. If you are bored, then your readers will be able to tell.

 

[D. Gray Warrior]

I start with a general idea or theme. It doesn't have to be a story idea per se, but some kind of idea for the setting (like a magic system, historical eras like the Bronze Age, or unconventional technology.)

My current project came about because I want to explore a conflict between technology and magic. They're presented more as factions and there is little to no blending of the two (ie no magitech.)

So, I decided my world needed (at least) two races: a magical race a non-magical technology oriented race.

I figured the non-magical race would be filled by humans since that is what we are and we aren't magical at all IRL.

I'm still ironing out the magical race, but I am thinking of either making them satyrs or defaulting to elves. Magic for them is an innate ability and it comes to them intuitively (so they don't need to attend a mage academy or spend years studying magic in order to cast a spell.)

To counter their lack of magical prowess, mankind opted for the technological route, developing all sorts of fantastic and sufficiently advanced tech to compensate. Technology, in a way, is like anti-magic. Iron is a man's metal representing civilization and progress and defying the supernatural, so it harms magical beings.

Another thing is I love the aesthetic of Clockpunk, and wanted a setting based on that aesthetic. Thus, I blended the two ideas so humans developed anachronistic DaVinci-esque clockwork contraptions instead of making them a generic sci fi society.