How to Put the Story in Your Mind into Story Form
here’s the scene: you’ve got a story playing in your mind like the latest Hollywood blockbuster. The characters are vivid, the plot twists are grand, and the whole thing has been rattling around in your brain like loose change. But when you sit down to write, poof—it all falls apart like a house of cards in a stiff breeze. Sound familiar? Well, don’t fret, because I’ve got you covered. Today, we’re breaking down exactly what to do when you can see the story in your mind but can’t quite get it onto the page.
1. Get It Out of Your Head—Messy and All
First things first, don’t let perfection gum up the works. Writing your story isn’t about getting it right the first time—it’s about getting it down. That wild, glorious idea in your head needs a place to land.
How to do it:
Sit down with a notebook, typewriter, or trusty ol’ keyboard and write whatever comes to mind. Don’t worry about proper sentences, fancy vocabulary, or even punctuation. Think of it as spilling paint on the canvas. Your job right now is to capture the feeling of the story, not the finished product.
Try writing short snippets: a line of dialogue, a description of a scene, or how your character feels in a particular moment.
Why it works: Your brain doesn’t always think in perfect paragraphs, so why should you write that way? Collect those scraps and snippets—they’re the pieces of a puzzle you’ll sort later.
2. Break It Into Scenes
Think of your story like a movie reel. You don’t need to write it start to finish just yet. Instead, jot down the big moments—the ones you know belong in your book. They might look something like this:
The hero discovers a family secret.
The big showdown between the protagonist and their rival.
A quiet moment of realization where everything changes.
Write these scenes in any order they come to you. It’s like building a model airplane: you’ll assemble the wings and propellers first, then fit them together later.
How to do it:
Use index cards, sticky notes, or a simple document to jot down your scenes.
Don’t sweat the transitions yet—those can come later. For now, capture the moments that matter.
Why it works: When you focus on scenes rather than the whole story, it feels less overwhelming. It’s like tackling one room in the house instead of trying to clean the whole place at once.
3. Anchor It with a Character or Event
If the story feels too big to wrangle, zero in on the heart of it. Most great stories revolve around a character, an event, or both. Who’s your main player, and what’s the one thing driving the plot forward?
How to do it:
Write about your protagonist. Who are they? What do they want? What’s standing in their way? Even if you don’t know every detail, knowing why they matter can help guide your story.
Focus on a pivotal event: What’s the inciting incident that kicks everything into motion? If you can identify that, you’ve got yourself a starting point.
Example: Our protagonist, Joe, just lost his job—the job that was supposed to secure his family’s future. That’s the event that changes everything. From there, you can build forward and backward.
4. Talk It Out (Yes, Really!)
Here’s a little secret, folks: sometimes the best way to clarify your story is to talk about it. Find a willing ear—a friend, a partner, or even your dog—and tell them the story as you see it in your mind.
How to do it:
Start with, “So here’s the story I’m thinking of…” and see where it takes you.
Record yourself if you need to. When you talk out loud, your brain starts connecting the dots naturally, and you might uncover the story’s flow without even realizing it.
Why it works: Storytelling is an age-old tradition that predates writing. Sometimes, the spoken word helps you clarify the written one.
5. Sketch Out a Rough Timeline
Once you’ve got some scenes, characters, and ideas down, it’s time to give your story a backbone. Don’t worry about getting fancy—we’re just sketching here, folks.
How to do it:
Draw a line across a page and mark the major events or scenes you’ve already written down.
Start adding what happens before and after those scenes. Ask yourself: What leads up to this moment? What happens next?
It’s like arranging dominoes—one thing leads to the next, and pretty soon, you’ve got momentum.
Why it works: A simple timeline keeps the story from feeling like a pile of disconnected parts. It gives you something to build on.
Final Word: Let It Be Imperfect
Here’s the straight truth: stories don’t come out fully formed. That dazzling tale in your head? It’s going to take some wrangling to get it on the page, and that’s all right. Your job isn’t to create perfection—it’s to create progress. Start with scenes, ideas, and snippets. Talk it out, map it out, and give yourself permission to write something messy.
Because here’s the thing, friends: no one ever published a book that stayed locked inside their mind. So sit yourself down, start small, and get that story out. One scene, one moment, one word at a time.
Now tell me, what’s the first scene or character moment you see in your mind? Share it down below, and let’s keep that momentum rolling. After all, there’s no time like the present to get started.